Longevity Practices in a Time of Pandemic Quarantine
As I write this, the world remains in locked down panic over the novel Sars-Cov-2 virus, more commonly known as COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Worldwide, it claims the lives of the most vulnerable, those who are advanced in years and who already have health issues, especially those with compromised lungs and immune systems, as well as those who are obese.
To slow the spread of this deadly disease, we’re staying at home, away from crowds, away from public places. On an individual scale, this disrupts our lives and shakes up our habits. On a global scale, isolation will give healthcare workers the ability to focus on a reduced volume of critical patients and will give scientists time to find better treatments and preventions.
I’m not going to talk about coronavirus here. There are virologists and other researchers who can do a far better job than I, and I’d point to recent volumes of information from highly reputable scientists who are putting out incredible material on the accurate state of things, accessible to anyone with the internet.
Instead, I’m going to talk about what you can do, while quarantined in your own home, with limited resources, to keep yourself sane and healthy. We’re going to talk about habits and routines that you can carry with you for the rest of your life. Staying vigilant about your own health is the best way to reduce your risk of contracting serious and fatal illnesses in the future, keeping you out of the prime risk groups that this virus is now ravaging.
Mental health first, of course. I saw a perfect image circulating a few days ago talking about all the normal ways you might be reacting to this pandemic. And really, all ways are normal to react, it’s a pandemic! If you’re freaking out, OK. If you’re calm as a cucumber, OK. If you’re eating all of the chocolate and ice cream, OK, if you have almost no appetite, OK. BUT. Let’s assume for a minute that you’re going to survive this shitstorm. You cope however you need to cope, but having some solid self-care habits will help you come out the other side healthier and more sane.
Self-care begins in your head. So many of you reading this have said to yourself, hey, I should start meditating. Or, oh, I should meditate more. Suddenly, you have time to do it, so let’s get started on that. I’m a 30-60 minutes kind of girl, but that’s not the best place to start if you’re new or out of the habit. Start with 5 minutes. It’s better than zero minutes. Work your way to 15, then 30, gradually increasing as your mind gets easier to calm. Just sit without moving and let yourself breathe. There are plenty of more formal ways to learn meditation, but the best way to start is just closing your eyes, breathing, and allowing thoughts that float into your mind to just as effortlessly float away. If you’re a gadget whore like I am, you’ll like the Muse headset. It’s a real-time neurofeedback device that will tell you if you are actually calming your mind or deluding yourself.
Keep some kind of routine, starting with your sleep. A screwed up circadian rhythm can disrupt hormone cycles and inhibit your ability to recover from normal activity and stress. While you can take some of the days of isolation to sleep whenever you want, wherever you want, aim for sleeping at night, when it’s dark.
Which nicely leads into the next suggestion, get bright sunlight into your eyes in the morning. It’ll help you feel more awake and alert, and gosh darn it seeing the sun feels good. We need as much of that as we can get right now. On top of that, sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D, which is important for keeping your immune system working well. Sunlight really does improve mood, so especially if you’ve been feeling bummed, get unfiltered sunlight. The fresh air helps too.
Since you’re already outside in the fresh air (indulge my imagination here…) do some stretches. You’re likely more cooped up than usual, and your joints are feeling stiffer. My hips are complaining because I’ve been sitting more, so I know you’re feeling it too. Even a 15 minute yoga session will get you moving better and improve posture and circulation, decrease pain, and increase your energy levels. It’s also the perfect warmup for a daily workout routine. Scale for your abilities, but you have time on your hands, so use it. Walk, run, use your body weight, or spend some time in your home gym. Move your body.
And don’t eat everything in the house in 3 days. Sometimes treat food, like pizza, chocolate, ice cream, or whatever junk food calls to you is necessary to regain some sanity points. I’m not saying don’t eat it. I’m saying don’t eat it all at once. Pour chips into a bowl so you don’t eat the whole bag. Or, get creative in the kitchen to make healthier versions of junk food. It’s a fun activity AND you get treats.
We’re isolated right now, so getting social contact is harder. Zoom calls have been a life-saver for me and many others. Get creative with online interaction. I got to play Cards Against Humanity with a handful of my best friends over coffee on a video call. I’m not saying I wasn’t wearing pants, but they could only see my top half, so no proof exists either way.
The question remains, what are you doing with yourself? We’ve been thrust into wildly different situations. Some of you are working from home, some of you are laid off, and some of you haven’t had your life change all that much. The stabilizing factor in your life is your mission, your purpose. Mine is to end aging, so giving my readers great support and ideas is keeping me focused. Whatever yours is, do something about it every day. Spend some time each week on personal growth, self-development, or moving towards a goal. Tiny, incremental progress is still progress.
For those of you who are geared up and ready to take your longevity practice to the next level while you’ve eliminated a lot of other crap in your life (at least for the time being), do read on…
Now is the time to build real habits. Your whiteboard has been erased and you’re starting from scratch. You can craft an optimal plan that will be your new normal. Nail down your morning routine. This is 60-90 minutes that set your whole day up for success. Meditate, plan, visualize your day, and choose your inputs. Do the things that motivate you, and fill your brain with things that help you grow.
The next level food advice is to do intermittent fasting and stick with nutrient-dense foods. Choose a window during the day, 6-8 hours, as early in the day as you can, to restrict all of your eating to. Get high-quality protein (as high quality as you can), and vegetables (fresh if possible, frozen if not). A high or even moderate carbohydrate diet makes the immune system less efficient, which is the opposite of what you want right now, so stick with lower carbs. Bodies are better at fatty acid oxidation (burning fat for fuel) earlier in the day, so eating early instead of late can help you maintain a healthy body composition as well as keep your circadian rhythm on track.
You can use hacks like greens powder, and I think everyone could use a boost of vitamins C and D, as well as zinc. Add these to your already finely crafted longevity stack.
Now is also the time to get religious about workouts. Not everyone has gym equipment at home, and not everyone has a lot of space. You can stick to basics and make bodyweight workouts progressively harder. If you have a little space and gear, use it! There are plenty of workout videos for free on youtube, or you can buy a program to follow along with. Your budget here is irrelevant, so don’t use it as an excuse. Adapt. Keeping your body strong will help you stay healthy and live longer.
For anyone who has gotten this far, meditation is non-negotiable. I keep mentioning it for a reason. 30 minutes a day to calm and center your mind will fit into anyone’s schedule. If you don’t have 30 minutes to meditate, you need to meditate for an hour. It’s far easier to live from a place of purpose and self-determination if you can keep your mind clear.
Keep your social connections strong. You are not alone in this. Even if you’re an introvert like I am, you have friend groups that help you, and that you are a key part of for others. Zoom, Skype, Discord, Google Hangouts, Text, Slack, Email, Online games, Twitch, Facebook groups, and SO MANY OTHER MEANS are available to stay connected. You don’t need to talk to everyone every day, but check in periodically and have real, meaningful conversations.
Finally, and I cannot stress this enough: don’t do dumb shit that will land you in the hospital. DO NOT take unnecessary risks, now is the wrong time to require medical attention. Being in the hospital environment raises your chances of contracting the virus, and you put a strain on medical personnel and resources that could be used to focus on patients who are in worse shape.
What are some other ways you’ve been managing the quarantine? What are some unexpected blessings you’ve found during this unprecedented time in our current history?