Better Living Now

Stay at home is lifted but limitations remain – restaurant capacity is limited, offices are opening cautiously, in phases, and there aren’t many entertainment options like concerts and sporting events. While we are dealing with ‘COVID Normal,’ here are some ways to positively impact your lifestyle.

  1. Get outside more. Evidence shows the great outdoors are a low-risk place to be during the pandemic, and time outside boosts your immune system and increases creativity.

    • Spice up your evening strolls with ‘walk-tails,’ my husband’s affectionate term for a walkable beverage (we love our Corkcicles with white wine).

    • Go to the beach – social distancing is very manageable, and the salt water is healing.

    • Have a socially distanced, bring-your-own-food picnic with friends (be sure to keep an eye on sprinklers – don’t ask). Play cornhole one-on-one, a game designed for social distancing.

    • Encourage your employees to reconnect for outdoor lunch or coffee meet-ups.

    • Have a backyard campfire. Or create your own backyard “drive-in” movie with a projector.

  1. Go to the gym ~ safely ~ or get creative with at-home workouts. Fitness relieves stress, promotes happiness, and aids in relaxation and sleep. Create (or rediscover) your workout routine.

    • For returning to the gym, be sure to bring a towel (to wipe your face instead of touching it), use disinfectant on all surfaces, keep your distance, and wash your hands frequently. At Planet Fitness, you’ll find extra safety measures and Social Fitnessing™.

    • As your fitness classes resume, you’ll likely need to sign-up along with other new protocols. Keep it simple – leave your phone, put your key in that handy pocket built into most workout clothes, keep your towel with you, and limit your time there.

    • Working out at home? Try Nike Training Club for a variety of workouts and exercises, or Barry’s Bootcamp with Live work-out videos for full body workouts about 25 minutes long.

  1. Keep exploring and mix up your entertainment options. Change up your screen-time.

    • Take a trip to the theater instead of binging the latest TV or re-watching that Disney movie. National Theater is sharing new shows every week while we are all at home. BroadwayHD is a streaming service sharing performances of Cats, The King and I, Kinky Boots and more.

    • Visit museums and explore online exhibits using Google’s Arts & Culture collections featuring the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Met and MoMA in New York City and more. The Louvre in Paris has virtual tours as well.

    • Museums not your thing? Google’s Arts & Culture collections also includes tours of palaces and castles as well as bucket-list destinations like Machu Picchu and the Pyramids of Giza.

      Or, for my personal favorite, you can brave the heights and ascend El Capitan in Yosemite.

    • Take ‘date night’ on a train and set up a candlelit dinner in-front of one of these 13 train tours across the globe from Norway to Peru.

Finally, remember to laugh. Laughter releases endorphins, increases immunity and even burns calories! To best weather the pandemic, we need to enjoy our lives. So share funny stories, watch comedy shows and movies, goof around with your kids, and remember to get a little silly now and then.  For laughter inspiration, just Google ‘Try Not to Laugh Challenge’ and watch any of the videos.  But don’t bother trying not to laugh – just go with it.

Things are back to normal but we can still enjoy the outdoors, fitness, entertainment and have fun!

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