Dotted throughout different parts of Ireland you can see the remains of stone cells, also known as beehive huts, such as St. Colmans Cell in the Burren, Co. Clare. It is to such places that many of our Irish ancestors retreated, to become hermits and escape the busyness and noise of the world around them. Since we have, in many respects, all become self-imposed hermits it might surprise you to know that these ancient desert fathers not only managed to survive in these periods of isolation, but they actually managed to thrive. A lot of people will be sitting at home and worried about their own prospects of endurance, not just with respect to general health, in this Covid 19 pandemic. So, if these ancient hermits could develop during periods of solitude, then we, their children, can too. The important thing is to have the right instruments to hand, namely; nutrition, exercise, and mental wellbeing. Approaching these three pillars with sound knowledge will be essential to see this period of isolation to its end.
It is universally acknowledged that good nutrition plays an important role in leading a healthy lifestyle. This will be more important than ever as we will want to keep our immune system running at top form. It can be very tempting to go for the easy to overindulge when your gym is closed. However, this is very much the wrong sort of attitude to adopt, Covid-19 is not a time to binge.
Eating healthy at this time is key to help boost your immunity. Making smart food choices will assist you in warding off colds and unwanted viruses, particularly important at this time. Also, it will give you an opportunity to buy from local food sources, crucial in this period of economic uncertainty for our small businesses. If you're at home with your family, meal preparation time will prove to be an important time for you to be together, to bond, and entertain the kids!
Sitting down and becoming the famous couch potato at this time should not even be an option. Exercise will be critical during this time of self-isolation and social distancing and can take on a number of different forms. If it's possible to walk or to run in a local park or along a riverside this will provide the opportunity to get in your cardio and provide you with an opportunity to see mother nature bloom back to life, allowing you to clear your head.
If it is not possible to leave the house there are plenty of home workouts and live online personal training sessions that can be found online with progressions and regressions for both the beginner to the more advanced individual.
The important thing is that we keep our body moving and in good health during the time of absence from our usual places of training, whether that is the gym or the sports pitch.
Most important of all during this time is our mental wellbeing. As physical hygiene is being practiced now more than ever, we need to practice our mental hygiene too. It is important as it affects how we feel, act, and think. Moreover, it can determine how we will relate to others, particularly those we live with, handle stress and make choices. During this pandemic and period of isolation, we could have the tendency to despair and depression. Therefore, it will be paramount that we take whatever steps we can to avoid this.
Firstly, whatever your news source is to make sure it's from a reputable agency, comments and stories sent from the different social media platforms do not meet that criteria. Let's be smart, don’t believe fake news!
We should also try to limit the time spent watching tv or on social media, it's not good for our brain to finds its entertainments solely from the digital world. This will be an opportunity for us to do different things, to read more, practice our favorite hobby, play board games as a family, or even to that long-promised clean out of the wardrobe. The list is endless.
How long this new hermit lifestyle, which we have all suddenly needed to become adjusted too, will last is unknown. If the experience of the Chinese is the test by which we measure then it could be for some time. The key is that we should endeavor to maintain those healthy aspects of our lifestyle, which we were working on before this crisis, as much as possible, whatever way we can. Of course, at all times following the recommendation of the HSE and our government. Yet, we can not underestimate how getting through all this will require that we use the three pillars of nutrition, exercise, and mental wellbeing as our foundation stones. In the words of Meggan Roxanne “growth requires patience, isolation and sacrifice. You can’t ignore growths calling. She will communicate through you by creating shifts inyour life that will leave you with no other option but to adapt.”
Stay Safe - Stay Healthy - Stay Strong
“Helping Ordinary People Achieve Extra-ordinary things”The Excape Team ?
