5 Bad Habits During COVID and How to Break Them

We are now in February and moving closely to March of the new year! And the lockdown is starting to open up, and hopefully we will soon be able to see our friends and families! Of course with precaution. I believe everyone agrees with me that up to now COVID-19 still plays a huge effect in our everyday lives. We are still obsess on trying different diet plans to keep healthy, washing off hands 24/7, wearing masks everywhere we go, and adapting social distancing in a crowded area. But at the same time we also pick up some not-so-healthy habits that sometimes just slip into our everyday routine. There’s a survey found that the average physical activity has dropped from 108 to 72 minutes per week during COVID, while sitting time is increasing from 5-8 hours per day. About 22% of adults gain 5 to 10 pounds or more easily during this pandemic. So what are we going to do about it ?

Here's a list of the common bad habits that we mostly do and how to break them: 1. Stress Eating You might find yourself reaching for comfort food to cope stress especially if you are at home all day long and can wander to the fridge or cupboard wherever the mood strikes. How to Break it: Rather than over-indulging on baked cookies or wine sipping when stress surge, go for a walk, hit your basement gym for a workout and join my Virtual Training online.

2. “Winging” your Workouts Working from home flexibility sounds great, but when you start squeezing-in a workout whenever you have a free time, is when you are not helping yourself. This becomes an excuse for everything. I get it, finding that “free time” is not easy when work, household chores, attending to kids and when everything else is all happening. But will you do that to compromise your health -- mentally,emotionally and physically?

How to Break it: Get some structure into your daily activities. Schedule a specific time and day for your workout, for yourself where you can commit and honour your time like any other appointments you have.

3. Becoming a Couch Potato For the past months since COVID started, we are all glued up to watching NETFLIX 24/7, just to keep us entertained. Right? Two-thirds of adults have reported experiencing social isolation during this pandemic. We are missing all the hugs from families and friends. And this is not normal for humans to be isolated this long.

How to Break it: Make sure you are staying connected with your friends and families. Your social life might look different right now but you can keep in touch with everybody on virtual gatherings and maybe some zoom workouts with your trainer!

4. Unwinding with Daily Alcohol Dosage Many of us ramped up the alcohol consumption during this pandemic. One survey found that reports of binge drinking increased by 26%. The alcohol sales rose by 54% and growing. This means extra pounds can packed your weight up very easily. Yep! alcohol can contribute to your weight gain.

How to Break it: If you’ve taken up day-drinking as a hobby, switch it to a healthier (non-alcoholic) drink like a healthy smoothie or a refreshing mocktail! Check out a simple mocktail recipe!

5. Subsisting on Take out Meals I know we are all about supporting local restaurants which were a great hit during this lockdown. But if you’ve been supporting your local food joints so often that your delivery driver becomes part of your everyday COVID pod. Do you think it’s becoming an added expense in your pocket?

How to Break it: Be creative! Start cooking more meals at home. Check out some great quick & easy recipes for ideas.

The new year just started and there’s no excuse to push it to another next year! The choice is yours to make.