I Can’t Keep Healthy During Lockdown

Ali feels that she has no motivation to keep healthy during lockdown and it’s having a negative effect on her diet, exercise and sleep. She’s asked for Meic’s advice on what she can do to change this.

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This article is also available in Welsh – I ddarllen y cynnwys yma yn Gymraeg – clicia yma.

We have lots of articles with information and advice about Covid-19 – check them out here.

Hi Meic,

I feel like I’m getting so unhealthy in lockdown. I’m putting on weight because I’m eating so much junk food, I’m not sleeping properly and I really can’t be bothered with exercise, all I can do is go for a boring walk or run. I’m soooo bored!! How can I keep healthy?

Ali (*name changed to protect their identity)

Meic’s Advice

It sounds like you’re experiencing similar emotions to a great number of people who are living through lockdown at the moment. Eating more than usual and a lack of motivation to exercise, along with boredom and a lack of sleep, are very common issues for people. The realisation of what we are facing and the uncertainty of everything means that people are having to find new ways of coping in order to get through it. You need to try and keep your mind positive, and set yourself realistic goals.

Motivation to move             

It’s clear that you understand that eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting regular sleep and exercising is good for you. These are things that can help you get through this challenging period, but you’re finding it hard to be motivated at the moment.

Try a variety of activities. There are lots of different exercises you could try until you find one that you really enjoy. Even though we’re in lockdown, there are still lots of different things you could try. Check out our previous article looking at 4 indoor exercises to try during lockdown.

You’re allowed to go out more than once a day for exercise now, so make the most of it.  It can be fun to go out on your bike, a walk or a jog and the fresh air could help too. There might be other people in your home who also want to exercise more and will join you. Change your route every once in a while to avoid it getting boring but keep to familiar places and paths. Make sure you’re within a reasonable distance from your home.

Sleep solutions

I appreciate that you’re finding it difficult to get enough sleep at the moment. Ideally we should be aiming for about 7–8 hours sleep every night. Regular exercise and a balanced and healthy diet can help with this, along with some other self-help ideas. These vary from having a daily routine, regular meditation sessions, or trying something new. Meic has published another article on Managing Mental Health during this challenging period, where we talk about some of these very useful self-help ideas that could also help with sleep.

Hopefully the ideas above will help you with your motivation, and give you some ideas of how to get back to that healthier way of living. Don’t forget, this is just another period in your life, and things will slowly become easier. With time, the lockdown restrictions will ease, and it will be a lot easier to live your life as you would like.

All the best and take care

The Meic Team

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