Self care right now, both physically and mentally, is a hot topic while we are all at home. Instagram and Facebook are plastered with videos and photos of workouts, healthy recipes, and meditation routines. When I ask some of my friends and the CEOs we work with what they are doing, the answer is often that they don’t have any more time than they did when they were commuting to work everyday.
COVID-19 has definitely pulled out all the stops when it comes to messing up our normal routines. Is this such a bad thing though? How about we use it to reset our priorities and work on “filling our cup” instead of constantly pouring from an empty one? Queue you jumping off your couch and firmly saying “yes, Katey, let’s do this!” How do you do this though and what is available?... Let me give you some tips and resources that other busy, firefighting CEOs and professionals are utilizing right now to stay healthy.
Block time on your calendar & set a reminder
First things first, you’ll want to block the time on your calendar and set a reminder. You don’t need a ton of time, so find a half hour slot that you can fit in a workout, or a 10 minute window of time for some meditation/mindfulness. Doesn’t matter when in the day it is, just block it off.
Dress for success
It is so easy to just wake up and work in our pjs or to put on a decent shirt for Zoom calls with pj pants as bottoms. PS. the secret is out, everyone does this! To help you get into the mood to workout, pull on your workout leggings or shorts and running shoes/tennis shoes instead. Just dressing for a workout get’s your mind ready for one and there is no hassle of changing later when your calendar reminder goes off. Get your mind wrapped around the idea early on in the day.
Use the workouts you see posted on social media and all over the internet
The entire world has shifted their attitude towards one with giving at the center. Peloton’s app is free for 90 days. It has instructor based workouts anywhere from 15-60 minutes, ranging in type: cycling, boot camp, yoga, strength, and everything in between. Plus, these workouts can be done anywhere and usually without equipment. *insert clapping and cheers*. Centr, Chris Hemsworth and his trainer Luke Zocchi’s fitness and lifestyle app, is also free for 6 weeks right now. Score!
Additional Instagram accounts going live or posting daily workouts:
rrayme - daily live HIIT workouts with her husband who is ex special forces, also posts amazing healthy Japanese recipes
stevecook
clairepthomas
rachaelgoodeats - HIIT workouts, plus yummy healthy recipes you can easily make allergy friendly no matter what your allergies are
paigereilly
andrew_pap_
risenationco - currently doing a 2020 challenge and posting daily workouts by their trainers, the workouts are amazing and they post videos on how to do each exercise
cb_orchardparkplace - this Cyclebar is going live daily with cycle workouts, they are also posting healthy recipes
kelseywells
**If you like working out with people, ask your family to join you or FaceTime your friends to do the workout with you**
Practice gratitude & mindfulness
There are so many ways to practice mindfulness and being thankful for what you do have. Writing down three things you are thankful for on a sticky note and posting it on your laptop or mirror keeps your blessings front of mind and helps keep things in perspective when you are firefighting. Rewrite this sticky note everyday to really see all the beautiful things you are blessed with. Additionally, the Headspace and Calm apps are free right now, you can find uddles of guided meditation and mindfulness sessions. You get to choose the length. 5 minutes to 30 minutes or more, you choose what fits your day. They walk you through the process so don’t worry about not knowing how to meditate.
The more you focus on the positives, the more likely you are to find them when times get tough. Hanging onto what you are grateful for shifts your view on what is going on around you. You may even start to see working from home as a blessing in disguise rather than a total inconvenience.
So, with all these free resources, let’s start to pour from a full cup instead of doing our best to just get by every day. Fuel your mind, fuel your body, and in turn, you’ll fuel your team and your company’s purpose.
