Many people have reached out to me and have asked for tips on how to stay healthy during this pandemic and associated quarantines at home. The issue is that we’re thrown out of our routine which keep us grounded. We are now in a new time, and it’s hard to start routines. Also, with the stress I find that stress eating/binging is a way many people deal with the stress.
You do have more control than you think though. You can create new routines that will help sustain you. One routine that Roza and I have created is that we sit down to lunch or dinner. This means that we will be binging less as we’re waiting for dinner or lunch. It’s great because it’s creating a new routine which will sustain us and make being together even more meaningful.
Also, we will not buy junk to eat around the house. We’ve always been sticklers about food and food sources, but now we’re even more compulsive. We stick to veggies that are in the refrigerator, eat popcorn when we want carbs, or even always have fruit that is ready to be eaten at any time. Also, look for jerky (turkey, chicken, fish or bison), cheese crisps, etc.
Many people will turn to Swedish Fish, jelly bellies, or the like. Potato chips, any relation in the -itos family (Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos – as the list goes on). I recommend staying away from that type of junk and cleaning up your diet. Pick something with high fiber that you will chew and feel full. It’s easy to do, but you have to put discipline into the equation. Once you go down this path, it becomes easier.
Keeping a diary will help. Once you see what you’re eating, you will be more aware, and you can change your patters. Also, writing it down will show you patterns that will be enlightening and will help you clean up your diet. If you keep track of times when you’re eating or binging, then you can identify patterns and try to avoid those. Alternatively, you can set yourself up for success by having healthy food nearby so that you can resist the urges to binge on junk.
If you need help to create healthy routines, or to create healthy habits, then contact me and I can help.
