The Greatest Gifts You Can Give Yourself This Year

2020 has been a year. It started out with promise, and has quickly become a fight to see who can get the last roll of toilet paper from Costco. On a more serious note, the isolation and fear can be depressing and if you’re feeling fatigued from it all - you’re not alone. Do you feel like you are in a perpetual state of the September photo below? Because of COVID, many of us have put our lives on hold. As it becomes clear the end of COVID isn’t in sight, we MUST find a way to adapt so that we still safely enjoy our lives and stay healthy.

As we near another New Year, here are our Top Tips for overcoming COVID fatigue and setting goals that will help you become a healthier, stronger you. These are the greatest gifts you can give to yourself this year, and they don’t cost a thing!

Create Opportunities for Community and Connection

One of our favorite parts about the gym is the community of people that it brings together. This is one of our greatest human needs- connection -and you may have found that it’s one the things you miss most since COVID. That’s why each year we run our Holiday Sweaters Competition at Success Studio! It not only creates accountability and support, but also camaraderie between our Success Studio family. You may be tired of Zoom meetings, but a fitness group or challenge can be a great way to bond with family and friends! Compete to see who gets in the most steps, hike the most miles, and more! This are just a few ways to create connection and stay healthy which still value your boundaries and safety.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

During COVID, the days can feel endless. It’s important to maintain a healthy sleep pattern and schedule. Whether you are quarantining at home, or on hours of ZOOM calls in your new home office, many of us aren’t getting outside or changing environments. When you don’t have to wake up at a certain time in the morning, it’s much easier to get caught up in watching television or scrolling on your phone. But put down that blue light! It will only keep you awake longer. Choose a time you’d like to go to bed in order to get 8 hours sleep and challenge yourself to go device free 2 hours before (or put your phone in night-mode). This will help you get a better night’s sleep and begin to create more routine and structure for you.

Start Foam Rolling and Stretching Daily

We have always been a society that spends WAY too much time sitting. Now that many of us are at home isolating or working from home, we are sitting even more! When we sit excessively, our hip flexors grow tight, our low back aches, our glutes grow weak, and our posture suffers leading to pain. Committing to rolling and stretching daily may seem like a chore, so start small with something you KNOW you can commit to. Try adding 5-10 minutes of rolling/stretching into your routine! We have an entire post full of corrective exercises to help alleviate the pain you feel from sitting.

Stop Neglecting Nutrition

Have you been stress eating since the pandemic began? Or maybe you haven’t put on real pants since March and have found yourself ordering more pizza than normal. For many, our weight has slowly been increasing and we don’t know what do about it. Suddenly we put on real pants, or looked in the mirror, and we didn’t like what we saw. We get it. Our bodies naturally crave fat and sugar when our serotonin and dopamine are low. If you feel like eating pizza, cookies, cake, and more make you feel happy… you’re not wrong. These fatty, sugary foods DO give our brains a rush or hormones which make us feel happy. And it’s not just food, many of us have been drinking more, too. At the end of the day, both are just a band-aid. You will feel better eating whole, nutritious foods and the occasional cookie or glass of wine. Check out our Meal Prep Guide for our tips on how to get started with healthy cooking and planning. This blog post also includes links to some healthy recipe inspiration!

Start or Continue a Fitness Routine

Now more than ever, we need to stay strong and healthy. Have you been feeling weaker, less energetic, and able to do what you love since COVID-19 came out in full force? Leading a sedentary, inactive life is one of the worst things we can do for ourselves. Exercise boosts our immune systems, helps us maintain independence as we age, and will help you feel more energy, and even sleep better, too. Are you worried you’re too out of shape because you haven’t worked out in almost a year? Or maybe you are worried about exposing yourself to COVID-19. We understand and have both safe, clean in person options and virtual. When you’re ready we’re here to help you start or pick back up a fitness routine. Give us a call at Ivy or North to start.

Giving yourself the gift of a strong healthy you is the gift that will keep on giving. Whether you are a past or present member, or just read our blogs regularly you are a part of our Success Studio family and community. We are here to support you through these trying times. Let us know how we can best help and support you! Send us an email or leave your thoughts in the comments below.