Like many of us, I have spent the last 2 weeks in lockdown with a lot more free time on my hands then I am used to, which was difficult at first and I did not want to waste the days away being unproductive. I’ve put my focus on a few key areas to get me through this tough time period, I've listed them below and I hope this can help people out with how to use this time more effectively.

I currently live by myself after recently moving into a new flat, I have had no social contact apart from video/phone calls for the last 2 weeks, so this presented a whole new challenge for myself. I am still working from home so that does keep me busy but there are still large amounts of the day which could go to waste.

Reading

Reading is one thing I always mean to do more of but never get round to doing it, during the lockdown I have been able to get through one book a week, I’m quickly going through my reading list and this has allowed me to explore a wider range of book options as I have so much time to sit back and really enjoy the experience of reading a good back and learning about certain topics.

When it comes to books, I have a wide range of interest which spans from Business, Science, history and fitness. I’ve just finished “Eat & Run” by Scott Jurek and am currently reading “Genghis Khan and the making of the model world” by Jack Weatherford.

Yoga

I have been working out 6 days a week for some time with a mixture of running, gym sessions and swimming. Yoga and stretching is something that is often neglected and always taken as an afterthought, but it is so important to keep your body nimble and flexible. During the lockdown I have started a 30-day Yoga program (link at the end of the blog), this is the first thing I do every day, and it has already had significant improvements to my training and generally improving my mood throughout the day.

Each day of the program consists of different exercises and poses so this limits boredom and keeps you progressing through the course, I have found this a great stress reliever and plan to continue this post lockdown as much as possible.

Running/Working out

During this time training has taken a back step, I’m no longer trying to push hard every week but just looking to maintain. I’m back doing moderate mileage of 35k a week and 3 full body gym sessions, I have cut out swimming leaving more time to rest and recover. I believe in this time it's important not to over-train in order to keep your immune system in tip-top condition.

I have also used this time to try out new workouts and some home bodyweight workouts which help to add some variety to the routine. As we are all experiencing drastic changes in lifestyle now it’s important to keep things such as training going in order to bring some normality into your situation.

Trying new food

As we all know the supermarket situation has been crazy and we can’t all get the same foods we are used to, so this is a great opportunity to try out new recipes and get creative with what you have. Firstly, I started to prep a large number of meals so my food can go further, one recipe I would recommend is the sweet potato curry by the Coop (link at end of blog). As we also want to limit the number of times we go supermarkets I recommend trying different food delivery companies such as Musclefood or Myprep.

Keeping in contact with friends

Like me if you are spending all this time alone it can have a big effect on your mental health, not seeing anyone face to face for weeks on end is a tough experience. Always take some time out of your day to catch up with friends/family be it a phone/video call or even just messaging, having people to share these tough times will help you get through.

Catching up on Netflix/Gaming

Now that all the productive things are out of the way, this can be a valuable time to catch up on all the TV series and games that we never got around to during our busy schedules. Personally, I’ve been getting through Mandalorian, Ozark and Witcher, On the gaming front I’m currently playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and finally getting around to completing the uncharted series.

To close out I would like to remind everyone to stay safe during these tough times and say thankyou to all key workers out there who are doing an awesome job!

https://www.coop.co.uk/recipes/sweet-potato-and-spinach-curry

https://www.my-prep.co.uk/

https://www.musclefood.com/

Yoga with Adriene - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLui6Eyny-UzwxbWCWDbTzEwsZnnROBTIL