1. Routine: Keep your regular wake up sleep times consistent! Organise your day so you can use this time to be productive. What time you will train?, go for a walk outside while getting your daily dose of Vit D, FaceTime family etc.
2. Structure your Training: Train with what you have available! Think about what you will train each day I.e. Full body workouts 4-5 x per week with 1-2 x interval sessions or steady state walks etc for recovery. You may then progress to Lower body Monday, Upper body Tuesday, Wednesday Intervals/Cardio then repeat lower body, upper body and the day 6 could be full body. But be aware random free workouts may not yield the best results over time as often they can be way too advanced or far too easy, and may not take into account equipment you do or don’t have access to.
3. Accountability: This has become more important than ever! Best case scenario invest in a coach who can keep you accountable with training, nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits. Set a goal I.e. I want to do X number of chin-ups in 12 weeks time. Then work backwards to ensure you can progress each week. Set yourself little tasks each day read a chapter of a book, learn a new language, clean the house or do some gardening (plant some vegetables?) and cross these things off the list when completed. Research has shown that by doing this you create a reward for achieving small tasks that can improve motivation & productivity in life. As they say “You want to change the world? Start by making your bed”.
4. Be Happy & Practice Gratitude: As humans we are programmed to look at what isn’t going well or what we don’t have. We are all equal we come here by birth & finish by death. I recommend finishing each day with 3 things you are grateful that day ! This simple grateful can have a huge impact on your perceived happiness & sleep quality. You can even go a step further and tell a person why you are grateful for them this will then make someone else feel better including yourself!
5. Limiting Social Media: There are positives to social media however I see it like this. There is a law of diminishing returns which means the more you watch and scroll through it each day the more you are negatively impacted. Research has shown that when we complete a task dopamine levels can increase from 50-100% above baseline. However repeated environmental stimuli such as phone use, social media, TV, computers and stimulants, alcohol, junk food, recreational drugs can increase dopamine from 200-400% which in turn quickly down regulates your dopamine receptors! This means overtime you lose motivation & drive leaving you feeling like shit and unmotivated while causing addiction to these dopamine hits! Limiting your exposure to these can greatly help your drive & motivation! I recommend having 1-2 days per week or even 1 week a month to cleanse from social media & tv to reset & increase your dopamine to become even more driven, productive & improve your happiness!
6. Meditation: This is a great way of managing anxiety & stress!! Be proactive and work on it everyday. 10-20 mins per day is a great start ! For those that struggle with sleep, timing before bed is great ! Here are a some popular apps to try: Calm (premium app), Buddhify (short and easy to use anywhere, even walking or driving). Binuaral beats which has different frequency’s of sound designed to reduce stress, improve sleep, improve mood & memory depending on which frequency you choose.