First thing’s first,
You’re not the only one worried about becoming a little fat and ugly while you're stuck inside. If you were alone, you wouldn’t have come across this article at all, silly.
So try reminding yourself...
"This isn’t a personal problem. It’s a global crisis."
Here’s just a few ways you can avoid hating yourself after weeks of giving in to any and all the temptations around you...
And then waking up one day, looking in the mirror and asking yourself “where the f*ck did this belly and crippling depression come from?”
1. Meditate For A Few Minutes Every Morning
You can’t control your environment, but you can control how you react to it. Dwelling on the downsides of life only leads to more negativity. You can start melting away your stress and anxiety with just 5-10 minutes of meditation every morning.
“Can you really melt stress and anxiety away?” You ask...
No. Because stress and anxiety aren’t frozen water. BUT, they are manageable side-effects of overthinking. And if you start every day on a good note, you're more likely to finish on a good note, too.
2. Exercise For At Least 20 Minutes A Day
Whether you are a couch potato or cross-fit fanatic, you can get your heart working and body sweating with a small dose of high-intensity exercise. You will activate all your muscles, clear your head and keep your body burning fat in just 20 minutes.
3. Keep Your Diet Under Control
Boredom eating is an obvious path to weight gain. But because your body is using a lot less energy than it usually would right now, even your normal diet might be too much. While working out will keep your metabolism and fat-burning systems going, overeating will cancel out the benefits completely. Get a better understanding of how much food is enough for you.
Calculate your daily diet needs with EatThisMuch, so you don’t over-eat and later blame this guide for not... guiding you properly.
4. Spend Enough Time Away From Your Screen
With devices being the best way to kill time, it’s easy to spend hours looking at one. Remember to take breaks in between extended periods of screen-use to avoid eye-strain and headaches. You have enough bogging your head down right now (I’m looking at you nagging kids, needy spouse, pain-in-the-butt roomies, or anyone else causing my article reader's headaches), so don't add more to your plate.
5. Pretend You’re A Cat
It sounds crazy... because it is. But, just imagine the worries a cat has in its day-to-day life. Lack of food? We all know THAT ain't an issue right now, slick. Somewhere to sleep? A couch. The floor. Your bed... Take your pick, pal. What have you really got to worry about that you can change right now? Just relax. This will all be over soon enough. You really can't control what's happening in the world. But you can be proactive with your own life, and how you deal with your environment.
Just try to remember this one key thing...
Giving into gratification now means disappointment later.
Eating ice cream is a lot more fun than 20 minutes of exercise. I get it. I’m guilty of a lack of self-discipline myself. The 1 burrito I made for lunch turned into 2 and a half. And the only reason I didn’t eat the other half was because I had to get back to writing this stupid article.
So, don’t make my work go in vain.
I sacrificed (a small part of my) instant gratification to teach you a valuable lesson.
Focus on the benefits you’ll gain from those 20-minute workouts and the peace-of-mind you’ll have with your 10 minutes of meditation. Remind yourself where you’ll be if you keep on boredom eating, and stressing, and then stress eating, and then getting in bed feeling fat and ugly.
It’s not worth it. I mean. It is in a way. Because ice cream and stuff is great. But, it's not worth it in the long run.
Stay healthy. Keep sane.
If you want some ideas on what you can eat that’s delicious and still not double-chin-inducing, read my article on…
5 Delicious Meals That Won't Result In You Having A Double-Chin
And if you already have a double-chin, comfort yourself by reading my article on…