At this time of uncertainty and disruption to daily living, you may feel like things are slipping out of control. The AKHB has put together a guide on staying healthy during the coronavirus outbreak, backed by NHS resources and advice.
In order to maintain your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing in a holistic manner, it has been recommended to introduce or continue a good daily routine. To best stick to it, it can be helpful for all household members to agree on a routine to support the wellbeing of everybody in the house, especially for the eldest and youngest members.
In this routine, you may choose to include time for prayers and meditation, physical activity, work or hobbies, set times for regular meals and time to connect with friends and family.
We have categorised ‘Staying Healthy’ into three broad categories: Physical health, Mental health & Wellness and Diet. For any further support please contact the AKHB or the Coronavirus support line.
Physical Health:
Exercise is great for decreasing stress and anxiety whilst also providing a great boost to our innate immune system. Adults should aim to be physically active every day, to try and achieve at a minimum 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity a week.
During this period of time the UK government has stated that you can go outside once a day for a walk, run or cycle alone or with members of your household. They have also recommended that if you can stay at home and exercise, you should try to do so.
Physical activity is important for all ages and you should try to continue any existing activities within the new restrictions. If you don’t feel comfortable exercising outside, there are a number of exciting fitness sessions which you participate in from the comfort of your own home.
Outdoor:
• Running: If you are keen to use outdoor spaces, why not consider joining NHS Couch to 5K (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/) which is a renowned 9 week programme aimed at those new to running.
• Walking: If you enjoy a brisk walk, check out Active 10 (https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/active10/home), a free app from the NHS which aims to make small brisk walks into longer more manageable ones!
Indoor:
• Strength and Flexibility (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/strength-and-flex-exercise-plan/): The NHS has a number of well-established home workout podcasts including one on strength and flexibility which is a five-week full body equipment-free workout programme.
• The Body Coach:(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ) An energising 30 minute live stream workout at 9am every weekday. Don’t worry if you’ve missed the 9am session, you can catch up using this link:(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ)!
• 10 minute workouts (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/10-minute-workouts/): The NHS further has a scheme for 10 minute equipment-free workouts which is another great tool to help build up fitness at home.
• Balance exercises: (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/balance-exercises/) If you’re looking for something more gentle to help supplement any other exercise, this one is for you, best combined with sitting (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/sitting-exercises/), flexibility (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/flexibility-exercises/) and strength (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/strength-exercises/) exercises.
Mental health & Wellness:
Our mental health, wellness and stress responses are heavily influenced by our daily life and interactions we have with others. During the lockdown period, you may be experiencing a significant change to your daily routine and normal social outlets.
To help combat signs of stress and improve your wellbeing it is important to establish a new daily routine which includes the following:
• Plan your day: As tempting as it might be to stay in pyjamas all day, regular routines are essential for our mental and emotional wellbeing, sense of purpose and identity. For example: Set an alarm for work as usual, plan your three meals a day, set aside time for working with your usual breaks and daily exercise.
• Look after your sleep: Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how we feel so it’s important to get enough. Try to maintain your regular sleeping pattern and stick to good sleep practices (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/).
• Stay connected with others: Maintaining healthy relationships with people you trust is important for your mental wellbeing. Think about how you can stay in touch with friends and family while you are all staying at home – by phone, messaging, video calls or social media – whether it’s people you usually see often, or connecting with old friends. Lots of people are finding the current situation difficult, so staying in touch could help them too!
• Look after your body: Your physical health has a big impact on your mental health - eat well and exercise daily!
• Try our Mindfulness videos every Monday and enjoy Mindful Mondays! These videos are available every Monday on Al-Saha.
• News: Set yourself a maximum time limit to listen to or read about news covering coronavirus. For example: 30-60 minutes per day. Use trustworthy sources such as Al-Saha Daily Digest, Gov.uk, NHS website. If receiving information via social media or family and friends, ensure you check how reliable this information is by fact checking with the above reliable sources of information.
• Keep your mind active: If you are not working, you have a great opportunity to keep your mind active. Aim to avoid excessive TV time and pick up a book instead! Consider journaling, playing games, engaging in online learning courses or spending time on that hobby you’ve always wanted to do!
Diet:
Having a healthy and varied diet (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/) is important but even more so during this period as a healthy diet contributes to maintaining good health. Staying at home may tempt you to snack more often due to the close proximity of the kitchen! However tempting, try to stick to healthy meals and limit snacking on foods with high sugar and fat content to a minimum.
Think of your diet as the petrol you may put into your car- the cleaner the petrol, the better your car runs; the healthier your diet, the better your body works!
A healthy diet does not have to be a boring one. The Eatwell Guide (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-eatwell-guide/) has a number of recommendations on how to manage a balanced diet.
Here are some of our favourite top tips on how to eat better:
• Have a piece of fruit with your lunch or dinner instead of a dessert.
• Maintain variety in your proteins: Instead of fish and eggs, why not try beans and pulses.
• Stay hydrated! Aim for 6-8 glasses of water each day
• Limit your caffeine intake to 1-2 cups of tea or coffee each day.
Seeking further support:
Remember that within our community we have a variety of different structures and programmes to support you.
If you have any questions or would like any advice or support, please contact the Coronavirus Support Helpline on 0208 191 0911
