It’s safe to say that after (many) more than 21 days since the world had to go into hiding, many of us have created habits throughout that time. Maybe it’s a daily walk or new exercise regime, maybe it’s journaling your experiences in the hope to look back one day and make sense of the madness of this past year.

Whatever you have found yourself doing, you will have picked up habits that are both good and bad for the mind and body. However, how long will they last? 

Here are some of the most common habits that people have developed as a result of the pandemic. 

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New Workout Regimes 

From daily morning live stream workouts with The Body Coach, to long rambles in the countryside for fresh air, many of us have developed new ways of working out, even without a gym insight. This is a spectacular habit that many of us have managed to incorporate into our day-to-day lives in order to create some punctuation to the day. 

We have managed to find creative ways in which to make sure we get our bodies moving and our hearts pumping in a way that doesn’t require any specialist equipment or what, for some, can be a very intimidating environment. Many people, for the first time, have found themselves hiring personal trainers who work with clients to design bespoke programs suited to their goals and fitness levels.

Losing Physical Fitness due to a Sedentary Lockdown 

On the contrary, some people started lockdown with all the best intentions in the world of  continuing to work out where they could. Going for lovely walks in our local areas seemed tedious, and it was easy enough to continue to hit the snooze button so many times that later starts became a thing and before we knew it we had started the day either working from home or homeschooling- maybe even both at the same time!

Whatever happened, it became easier and easier to give into the temptation of spending all of our evenings sitting on the couch and binging on popular shows than to be intentional about making our bodies move. After a short period of inactivity, it can be hard on us to get back to a place where we feel physically as fit as we once were. However, that doesn’t mean it is always the case. Make a point of moving your body in small ways- even if it’s switching on one song a day and dancing. You will feel good afterwards, and then maybe want to consider doing some more the next day, and more the next..and so on. 

We’ve Been In the Kitchen More 

Another great habit as a result of being in lockdown is the fact that more and more people have begun to learn how to cook. One of the bigger benefits of having to spend time at home is giving ourselves the opportunity to learn these new, frankly vital skills in order to get our fuel for the day. Whether it’s becoming experimental with ingredients we have in our cupboards at home or registering for a meal preparation subscription service, cooking at home is a great thing for our health. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that when you cook at home you know exactly what ingredients are in the food you’re preparing, unlike eating at restaurants where you have no idea what is being added to your food in order to make it taste good. Lockdown saw a rise in popularity of people beginning to bake bread, grow their sourdough starters, and use up all the bananas to bake delicious bread. 

People that previously didn’t cook have now begun to understand the art and joy of cooking.

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People got bored of cooking

However, that doesn’t mean to say that this has been the case for everybody. Families who have every single member of the household at home all the time, soon began to get frustrated with the sheer level of washing up that would result from every meal time. That’s you meant people become reliant on convenience foods which are flavoured with a huge range of chemicals, or the hidden calories, sugar, and fat that are added to food is available from a local takeaway. It is now easier than ever to keep our takeaways in business without even having to speak to anybody, so with a few simple taps on your phone and under an hour later you get a hot meal delivered right to your door without so much as having to preheat the oven. 

Takeaways every so often are not a bad thing. However, becoming too reliant on them has a severe impact on her health over time. Unlike foods that we cook at home, food prepared in takeaway has a huge range of hidden ingredients within them.

People Got Crafty 

For creative types, having no other real distractions getting in the way meant they were able to spend more time doing the things that made them happy. For some it meant finally writing that EP, or children’s book, for others it was taking on numerous upcycling projects. Creativity has been good for our mental health as we have managed to find ways to distract ourselves with projects we can be proud of. (I've been knitting!)

People Found New Ways To Distract Themselves 

Others have given in to the lure of spending their days and nights sitting in front of the TV. This leaves little time for socialisation, little motivation, and will eventually lead to increased depression and anxiety from a lack of fresh air, activity, and opportunities to talk to others. 

While mindfulness activities have increased in popularity for the wellbeing of some people- for others it has all gone on the back burner as time goes on. 

However you have spent your time in quarantine, it’s best to remember that the only way out is through. 

xxx