Now that we are further into the time when most of us are homebound, stress in our country is at an all-time high and you may be feeling slightly helpless. Kids are out of school. Your office is closed. And, most gyms (as of 3/19/2020 we are still holding park and virtual workouts ensuring 10 feet between the 4 maximum participants.) Click here for our schedule and locations.Below are my next five ways you can turn this total bummer into a time you can stay strong and take advantage of the time at home. 

1. De-Clutter and Simplify Your Life

Did you know the more clutter we have in our environment, the more we confuse our already-stressed brains? Why not take the opportunity to de-clutter and simplify your household? Is your inability to find things throughout the week stressing your brain and possibly leading you to “run late” - constantly? Admit it: you may be that person. Well that is super stressful on your brain.Invest in a professional organizer. Do a virtual meeting with him/her. I use one and my life changed hugely after I learned the beauty of labeling, batching items, getting rid of what was not essential to our lives, and essentially making our household a place where we literally do not lose anything (I do still have two 12 year olds!)Unsubscribe from junk email. Although you may delete it every time it comes to your inbox, it still takes time. Combine 25-50 “deletes” and those precious minutes add up. 

2. 🛑 Eating Junk

You know what is junk and what is not. Now is not the time to relax your normally nourishing approach to food.  Refined carbohydrates -- like added sugar and refined grains -- and highly refined vegetable oils (like soybean, canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower and sunflower oils) contribute to persistent, unhealthy inflammation and impair the body’s natural immune response. And, by now, you know they are all not nourishing your amazing lives. 

3. Address Your Gut Health

So much of your immune system is in your digestive tract. And one of the proven and most powerful ways you can defend yourself against illness is to take a probiotic. Several studies have shown that probiotics help prevent episodes of upper respiratory tract infections. Enough reason to consider?If you take one, yay you. If you are interested in consulting with Megan, our Nutrition Therapist and Health Coach, about gut health and actions you can take, book a 30 or 60 minute wellness visit with her here. 30 minutes is $99 and 60 minutes is $199. 

4. Walk

We are officially beginning one of our area’s most beautiful seasons. Learn to practice an early morning, midday, and/or regular walk. I like post dinner walks best. Walking is a game-changer for stress relief, hormone regulation, muscle building/calorie burner, a mood booster and (during the day) Vitamin D booster. For bonus benefit, you can notice novelty and beauty as you walk – without technology – and your brain will explode with happiness and stress relief hormones. You can’t lose. You can social distance and walk! 

5. Control Your Day

Since you are likely homebound now, use the extra time to define your days a little better. Or, you may allow yourself to get caught up in the news of the minute or hour and flail about your day. Resist the urge on the latter.  My concierge members know the life-changing benefits to controlling your schedule for real wellness. Why not take charge of your schedule by mapping out your perfect and ideal day or week? What days will you do laundry, grocery shop, walk, do household finances, strength train?Lasting habit change requires a real “identity” change. One of my concierge clients half-jokingly now says “I am a person who goes to the gym for Bootcamp and Body Pump classes Tuesdays and Thursdays.” She identifies with her habit; it is not some sort of add-on.What is your identity? It is absolutely reflected in your schedule. If your schedule is sucked up by social media, a little cleaning here and little cleaning there, and unstructured email time, you can easily lose your day. If you have any questions about how you can take control of your wellness, you can A) book a free phone consult with me to explore how you can crush your wellness with concierge wellness program, or B) book a 30 or 60 minute with Megan, our Nutrition Therapist and Health Coach or with me. You can reach me at adrien@alexandriawellness.com and Megan at megan@alexandriawellness.com.