Working from home had greatly disrupted our routines. Many of us opted to work at night when there’s no one else up and about, creating a ruckus. Thus, we had a lot of free time in the morning when we couldn’t do anything productive with so much noise anyway.
This has unfortunately affected our fitness goals. Perhaps we freely snacked while working at night while staring at the TV screen or the ceiling in the morning. And now that we’re starting to go out again, we are horrified that none of our clothes fit anymore.
It’s very tempting to laze on the new sectional you bought, watching movies all day, a bowl of chips laying on your stomach, and a bottle of soda within reach on the floor. People who can do this for weeks without gaining a single pound are nature’s miracles. But if you’re like the many of us, doing this for even just a couple of days would already result in your weighing scale’s grievances.
Hitting the gym may not be advisable in some localities now. However, there are some things you can incorporate into your daily routines to shed even an ounce of that accumulated weight over the months. Of course, you need to couple these with a good nutritious diet.
Wake up early and regularly.
It could be difficult at first. Use five alarm clocks positioned in different parts of your room if you need to. But once your body gets used to it, it remembers the time you’re supposed to get up. If you happen to do an all-nighter and you barely got enough hours of sleep, once you woke up, don’t go back to sleep. You can take a power nap in the middle of the day or, better yet, meditate to compensate for your lack of sleep.
Do some stretching before you get out of your room.
It’s not something you do to sweat buckets or melt those fats. Stretching is simply to prime your body for a full day. If your muscles are not conditioned, you might not feel motivated to move beyond your working area or even get up to get a glass of water once you’ve plopped down in front of your TV screen. It also primes you psychologically that you would want to move and do something with your limbs and joints for the rest of the day.
Drinking black coffee could curb your appetite.
Peppermint tea has the same effect if you’re not a coffee drinker. If your tolerance for caffeine is still good, you could have a cup of coffee in the morning and another cup in the afternoon to stop your cravings for snacks.
Walk. Walk everywhere.
Offer to bring the dog out for its daily walk. Walk to buy your groceries. You could buy in small quantities so that you could comfortably carry them back home. If you’re still working from home, walk to the nearest subway or bus stop as if you’re going to work. If it’s too near, go two or three stops further. Walking will expose you to sunlight, other people — but distanced safely — and the rest of the reality that seemed to have been put on hold in the previous months. So not only will you burn off some calories, but you will also get some benefits for your mental health.
Try to do intermittent fasting.
It’s considered healthy, and its effect is fast. It’s also easier to do than the other diets that require you to eat a particular food only. However, do not binge eat during the time you’re allowed to eat. Consume healthy food to keep your body fueled even during the time you’re fasting.
These things aren’t too difficult to accomplish in a day. It may be that they won’t give you quick results, but these efforts are more sustainable compared to a crash and burn style of exercise and dieting. If you keep at it, you could even be ready with your beach body come summer.