3 Surprising ways “sheltering in place” is great for your health
In the Chinese language, the word “Crisis” is written using 2 words: Danger and Opportunity… During today’s COVID 19 crisis, there is no question that there are dangers, but today I am going to show you 3 surprising opportunities that exist while we’re sheltering in place! (That Chinese writing thing is an old adage, I have no idea if it’s actually true if anyone wants to fact check me)
Listen, I get it. You’re going to think “here’s another overly positive and unrealistic post about looking at the bright side of things” and “What a blessing it is to be home with my 4 little angel children!”
If you want to read more of that, then you can stop now.
Here are 3 completely legitimate health benefits that are a side effect of this less-than-ideal situation we’re in.
1. Free your feet!
Physiologically our feet don’t love being locked inside these prisons we call shoes- Especially high heels, or stiff work shoes that our feet have to conform to fit into.
Our bodies were designed to be bare foot, and spending MORE time outside of these leather prisons can go a long way in healing knee, hip and low back pain which be a result of issues stemming from our feet! I promise that the more you go barefoot, the healthier you’ll feel.
While the trend of “natural” feeling shoes has been big for a while, nothing beats going completely bare foot; and with nowhere to go, it’s the perfect time to kick off your Sketchers and go au natural.
2. Sleep!
The ONE common thing between ALL chronic disease is poor sleep hygiene (sleep quality and quantity). We live in a STRESSFUL time, and that can put a hurting on the quality of our sleep.
Now, I know this isn’t the case for some people, but a lot of us sheltering in place don’t need to set an alarm to get dressed and ready for work every day! Which means we can squeeze in some extra sleep!
We can roll out of bed a little later, and spend more time relaxing before working (if we are still working).
Better sleep = a healthier life. It’s that simple. I won’t bore you with all the science, but having good quality sleep makes us eat fewer calories, crave sugar less, metabolize fat faster (AKA lose weight) and build more muscle…
If you have the opportunity, put some serious effort into improving your sleep quality (deeper sleep), and quantity (hours slept).
3. Sunlight!
The last way that Sheltering in place can be incredibly good for our health is having the opportunity to get more sun exposure. Especially with the weather (sometimes) getting warmer and sunnier and us working from home, there are more opportunities to sit outside and enjoy the sunlight.
Nowadays, a lot of people have low levels of Vitamin D and sunlight is the best natural source! Effects of Vitamin D deficiency include chronic fatigue, slower metabolism and lowered immune system.
So, now that you’re not stuck in your cubicle, get out and enjoy the sunlight as much as you can!
You see, while this situation isn’t ideal by any means there IS an upside to the opportunities.