Time to get in The Best Shape of your Life!

Due to the COVID-19 Crisis, many more of us are working from home. Others, like me, are unable to work now due to State or local orders. Still others are just staying put out of concern for their health or that of a loved one. We are not traveling for work or pleasure. We don't have obligations to take the kids all over creation. There are no live sports to watch or attend. Most of us have some extra time on our hands (less commuting time, less shower and make-up time, less travel time).

Why not use this time to get in the best shape of your life?

Although you don't have access to our studio at Total Results or your local fitness facility, there are still a ton of things you can do in order to get healthy, become younger biologically, and improve your immune system.

• Get 30 minutes more sleep. The benefits of more sleep are many, including helping your immune system, optimizing your hormone levels, increasing your energy, repairing cellular damage, and more. Go to bed a little earlier and wake up a little later. Just do it. You will thank me.
• Walk more every day! Up your daily steps. If you average 5000, up it to 10,000. If you are a professional who works at a desk all day, get out first thing in the morning for a two-mile walk. Low level activity like walking, weeding the yard, bike riding, or cleaning the house is great for your health, both mental and physical. Getting outside gives the added benefit of absorbing the sun's rays which will increase the Vitamin D production in your body and benefit you in many ways, including a stronger immune system.
• Exercise at home! By exercise I mean a few minutes of intense muscular effort, once or twice per week. How can you do this at home? Pushups in your bedroom, chin-ups on your back yard swing set, squats or wall sits using your dumbbells as extra resistance, etc. Do these exercises slowly and safely until you can't complete another repetition. You need some intense effort like this every week in order to stimulate the muscles, enhance your cardiovascular system, and perhaps most importantly to improve your metabolic processes, which are critical to your health (ex. Flushing the glycogen out of your muscles which helps maintain insulin sensitivity and prevent Diabetes).
• Cook and eat like a top athlete. How? It's easy, really. Eliminate junk food. Use fresh ingredients. Limit drinks to coffee, water, and tea. Minimize alcohol. Get adequate protein (eggs, fish, poultry, beef). Complement that with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, etc.). Here is a great sample day: Breakfast - egg scramble with spinach, bell peppers, and cheddar cheese, plain organic yogurt with blueberries added; Lunch - leftover protein and veggies from last night's dinner or salad with various greens, turkey or chicken, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar; dinner - grilled salmon filets, cubed potatoes cooked in air fryer, brussel sprouts cooked with bacon (bacon makes everything better!)
• Relax. Stress kills. I know this crisis and the repercussions on our lives are a huge stressor. However, increased levels of stress will lower your immune defenses and increase the inflammation in your body. How can you mitigate this stress? Practice relaxation and breathing exercises and techniques. Try some brief yoga poses. Listen to or watch some comedy programs. Read some meditation books. Anything that helps you remain calm and centered in the face of our current situation will help your health and fitness on both the short term and the long run.

At some point this crisis will end. When it does, many of us will be thrust headlong back into commuting, travel, kid taxi duties, and more. At that point it will be more difficult, but not impossible, to become the best physical specimen you can be. Since we have this temporary slowdown in our lives, use it to your advantage. Follow the above steps to get in the best health and shape you possibly can!