Undoubtedly, we are living in one of the strangest times we remember and, I hope, will ever remember. It is not part of human nature and, forgive me if I take the liberty of pointing out, it is even less part of the identity of the so-called Mediterranean peoples, classically more inclined to the bustling atmosphere of the streets, bars and restaurants than to the “usual” tranquility of homes and more fond of human contact than of individual isolation.
These are difficult times, difficult to manage and hard to assimilate. We move between the need or, rather, the obligation to stay at home and the desire to go out, to breathe outside the walls of our “shelter” and recover our lives, while, in our surroundings, more or less close, there are people who fight to recover or help others to do so.
We wanted to do our bit by providing you with a series of simple but very useful tips to try to cope with these days and, as far as possible, make them as bearable and affordable as possible.
It is not an easy time for all of us. We have brought our work home, if we have telework, we live with our family 24 hours a day, we have drastically reduced our physical activity and, in addition, we have drastically reduced our exposure to sunlight. These circumstances have triggered an imbalance in our circadian rhythm. Our body is altered at the metabolic/hormonal, cognitive and immunological levels. If we are not responsible, disciplined and dedicate a few moments throughout the day to reflect on this, our internal clock will become unbalanced. Our biological clock needs to maintain a certain coordination with the light cycle to generate a good daily rhythm; to have a good rhythm, to be in sync, is to be healthy, but not just any rhythm will do.
We must consider four aspects to work on during the time of confinement; four points that are essential if we want to maintain a good circadian rhythm: sleep, nutrition, physical activity and emotional management.
Sleep
In relation to rest or sleep, we should feel that when we go to sleep we are relaxed, tired and that we can fall asleep without much effort. Contrary to what we think, sleep is not a phase of cessation of metabolic or biological activity; it is simply a phase in which our organism is dedicated to doing those things that it cannot do during the waking phase. During sleep, the brain does not stop working, in fact, it is very busy. It consolidates memories based on the sensory information we have acquired during the day, creates new connections between neurons and “detoxifies” itself by creating new neuronal cells; we therefore need correct, long and uninterrupted sleep. During sleep we also produce hormones, such as melatonin (pineal gland) that regulates the sleep-wake cycle or growth hormone (very essential in children), among others.
It is essential that we have a restful sleep to face each new day with enthusiasm and energy.
Certain aspects can make it easier, a relaxed environment, a dim light, ideally orange (no LEDs or strident lights), a hot shower can also help us; we should turn off the TV screens, cell phones and tablets about 2 hours before getting into bed, as they alter our melatonin secretion and, therefore, our “sleep mode”; ideally we should go to the rhythm of sunlight. No less important is to do some physical activity during the day, this will generate a degree of fatigue and tiredness that will help induce the need to go to bed earlier.
Physical activity
We come to the second point. On these days, physical activity should not be done too late. Exercising generates an activation of the metabolism, the sympathetic system is activated and this is not recommended if we want to sleep, since it activates the level of alertness and, therefore, keeps us away from sleep.
What is too late? Exercise after 7 pm. If, for whatever reason, you have to do it at that time, it should be a relaxed activity, like stretching, nothing that activates the metabolism. The ideal would be to do it first thing in the morning, when we see the sun rise, so we activate ourselves and we get up and running. If it could be on an empty stomach, all the better (we will talk about this in the third block: nutrition).
What kind of activity? The one you enjoy the most, but it should be of moderate or even high intensity, since we are much more stationary than usual. Ideally, you should do 45 to 60 minutes of exercise every day. Ideally they should be general mobility exercises, warm-up type, toning exercises and cardio (we could look at a class on Youtube type Hiit, Tabata, Cardioboxing; and go alternating), and always end with 10-15 minutes of stretching held for 30 seconds; there are many virtual classes these days.
But, in addition to physical exercise, it also counts the activity or body mobility you have during the day; you should try to maintain some body activity. If you are teleworking, get up from your chair every 45-60 minutes, dance, jump, move, do squats or stretching. An alternative, a little strange but very interesting, is to try to work standing up, adjusting your computer to your height or position. Another recommendation is to schedule a daily activity that you have to do while standing: cleaning windows, doing the laundry or cooking, for example.
Food
Snacking, organization, healthy eating… if we have a good night’s sleep and we move, our choice of food will be good. Conversely, if we eat in a healthy, balanced, varied and organized way, we will feel better, we will look better, we will feel like doing more physical activity, because we will have more energy, and, consequently, we will rest more optimally.
I suggest that you respect a 12-hour meal schedule and alternate it with another 12 hours of physiological fasting (not eating). The body needs time to cleanse and detoxify itself physically and mentally. We don’t have to eat 5 meals a day; your body asks for what it needs, listen to yourself! If you are not hungry, don’t eat; if you eat 3 meals a day, it is enough, eat these 3 meals.
In all meals should be present the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and lipids (fats). Because, in that way, your blood glucose levels will remain stable and you will not have sudden oscillations that make you feel like snacking. If you feel like snacking, make it a handful of nuts or fresh seasonal fruit; we must emphasize that we need to eat daily fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, tangerines, oranges, peppers … so that our immune system is strong.
The reduction of sun exposure to which we referred earlier, will lead to a deficit of vitamin D, to compensate for this fact, we will take foods rich in it: salmon, sardines, tuna, milk, eggs, mushrooms … If we also start from a diagnosed deficit would be interesting to supplement it, in this case, under medical supervision.
To be able to eat in a balanced, orderly and healthy way, you could plan a menu, for example, on Sunday afternoon and even leave some rations prepared. Enjoy the pleasure of cooking with colors that make your eyes happy, with textures that are pleasing to you and be creative with yourself and those around you; don’t forget that it can be a very good family activity.
Emotional management
We come to the last point: the emotional part, working on yourself. My proposal is that you practice conscious breathing, meditation or any activity that requires you to dedicate your full consciousness to that moment.
The ideal would be to do it just when you wake up, to be grateful for the day you start and to be able to dedicate that moment to observe and plan the day that begins; in some way it will prevent things from going “on the fly” allowing a conscious “planning”.
Once you have done this “mindfulness” exercise, I recommend you to write down on a piece of paper three tasks (or those that, being realistic, you think) that you want to try to accomplish. Think of things that, if you can’t do them in the end, they won’t be a reason for punishment. I suggest you choose one at work, one at personal level and a third in the social and family sphere. At night, reread them and cross out the ones you have been able to do, this will make you feel full and fulfilled and, surely, more relaxed and ready to go into sleep mode. If you feel like it, on the back of the paper write a sentence of gratitude for the day you have spent and you will see how you feel.
So, as a summary:
- Restful sleep. Screens off at night.
- Varied physical activity: mobility, toning and stretching. At least 45-60 minutes a day.
- Varied diet and fasting for 12 hours. Foods rich in Vitamin D and C.
- Meditate, breathe and stop. Be grateful.
We hope that these recommendations contribute to make these days more bearable and, within the abnormality of the situation, more pleasant and diverse. Life is short, it is worth taking advantage of every moment and learning from every step; now we are living a stage in which there is “little” to do and “much” to learn; do not waste it.
There is little left, I am convinced of it. With everyone’s help, we will win and we will come out stronger. In the meantime, we remain here, thinking of you; by and for you.