A Self-Care Activity Anyone Can Do -- Even in the Midst of a Pandemic

“Babe, I got you babe. I got you babe. I got you babe.”

Reliving the Same Day as Yesterday

If you’ve ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, you know that Bill Murray’s character, Phil Connors, groans as he wakes up to hear this Sonny and Cher hit on his hotel alarm clock at exactly 6 am morning after morning, signaling that he’s about to relive the same day as yesterday.

In fact, it’s been estimated that poor Phil woke up to this song and this day 12,403 times, which is way more than I’d ever want to!

Although our country is in lockdown, and it feels like we’ve been living out our version of Groundhog Day, the reality is that most of us have been social distancing for only about 30 days.

In this disruption from our regularly scheduled programming, we’ve dramatically changed our way of life. Some of us may have even coddled ourselves a bit and given into carte-blanche Netflix and Dorito binges.

This is a totally natural response but not exactly the healthiest. The growth-oriented, self-care habits that we’ve spent years accumulating have suddenly ground to a halt. And without our daily activities, we’ve been left wondering, what the heck do we do now?

Time to Move is NOW!

Well, my friends, it’s time to dust off your gym shoes and … well… stay in your daily uniform of sweats and a t-shirt because we’re about to get physical.

Just because you can’t go to the gym or dominate your weekend basketball league doesn’t mean that exercise is out of your control! There are plenty of ways that you can still get your heart pumping and blood flowing and expand your lungs.

Exercising is a great way to practice physical self-care, and it also benefits you by making you feel stronger, more motivated, and like you can tackle any challenge coming your way. Remember, the mind and body are connected. Period.

I recommend listening to this podcast Time Management Hacks | Two Habit Hacks

Exercise is NOT A CLICHE

According to Medline Plus, among many other benefits, exercise can help you lose weight, keep blood sugars under control, and improve heart health. Being overweight, having diabetes, and having the cardiovascular disease are three of the top risk factors for severe COVID disease. Just like hand washing, covering your face and disinfecting surfaces are a vital part of your health right now, and so is exercise. 

Whether you’ve been a gym rat your whole life or a self-proclaimed couch potato, being confined to your home is definitely taking a toll on the amount of physical activity we get each day.

Most of us aren’t walking through stores, running through parking lots, or choosing the stairs over the elevator right now, let alone hitting the gym. To be a growth owner versus a fixed victim, though, means knowing that getting the exercise we need is on us and us only.

Take ownership of your exercise routine and health by finding activities that you enjoy, and practice implementing them into your new COVID routine one step at a time. You don’t have to burn yourself out on the first day.

Art of Creating a Success Habit

It’s much easier to create a success habit that sticks if you don’t dread doing it-- look at it as a self-care activity benefiting your body, mind, and soul. The best plan is to start small and follow up by increasing your weekly activity level. 

I’ve changed my regular gym routine for doing crazy-kid-push-ups involving Wyatt and Emmett hanging onto me. But you know what? It’s become a fun routine that has helped reduce the friction of working out, just like how my basketball and lifting while listening to podcasts functioned before the pandemic.

It took Phil most of his 12,403 groundhog days to learn that he wasn’t a victim of the universe, but by the time he returned to his regular life, he was a growth owner living his best life. Use your groundhog days wisely, and by the time your life returns to normal, you’ll be armed with self-care success habits that last.

Listen to this inspiring podcast episode - Gamifying Success & Improving the World

This week’s action tip:

Think of the physical activities you enjoy and plan to incorporate them into your new COVID routine. For example, if dancing makes you feel like a million bucks, turn up the music and dance your heart out for 20 minutes. It’s even more fun when you’re in complete control of the music!

Some other ways to dance are through video games like “Just Dance” or through workouts like Beachbody on Demand’s “Country Heat.” This will benefit your body and make you feel like you’re taking care of your mind and confidence. 

Don’t feel like it has to be a formal program for you to achieve the benefits; anything that elevates your heart rate and makes you happy should do the trick! If this is new for you, start one-two time per week and increase to three-five times per week as you go.

Other ideas are to replace the treadmill with pounding the pavement in your neighborhood or at a local park or nature trail or to play basketball in your driveway with the kids instead of your usual intramural sports. You can also join my Facebook group for daily exercise tips!

Happy moving!