Staying Active

Day 4 of 14: Taking Care during COVID-19 Self Quarantine

(3-19-20)

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Even More Suggestions for Staying Active During Quarantine

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1) Yourself - PREVENT CABIN FEVER: Sometimes the weather does not complement the mood of getting out. Especially in the Northern states. It is as simple as spending 30 minutes in your backyard, no matter the weather. Other times it will take you getting in your car with no particular destination and going for a drive. If you need to run a food errand, try to have someone you know, a friend/family/neighbor, sit with dependents, and take your time. Getting out without your dependents is just as important as getting out with them.

 

2) Dependents - GET THEM MOVING: Whether the weather is permissive or not, children need to move. If they don't, you will lose your mind; just kidding, or maybe not really. Older kids can have a jumping jack or push-up contest right in their room or in the comfort of your living room. Get out a comforter or a mat and allow them to wrestle with your own set of home rules. Pick out items and create a scavenger hunt with those items, giving verbal clues that you can give while you sit in the comfort of your couch. The winner can pick the family movie or event that you want to take place later in the week. Or even better, the loser has to do one of the winner's chores that day.

 

Younger kids can have a dance party (a variation of freeze dance). As parents, we can teach them or play with them games that we played as kids, such as tag, musical chairs, red light/green light, hopscotch, etc.

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3) Planning Ahead - Add to your daily schedule a time during the week/day to disinfect high-traffic areas. Make sure to disinfect doorknobs, tops of dining chairs, handles, and light switches because these are the things that are most commonly overlooked when cleaning.

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4) Activity for all- Set goals for when things get back to normal. It will probably be just as crazy of a time. Create a timeline for those goals and stretch the timeline as far as you can. This will allow for things to slowly get back to normal while staying committed to getting back to your normal. Have your children set their own goals as well; you don't have to be the keeper of everything. This gives them some autonomy in their own lives and progress, and it gives them one less thing to do.

 

Whew, another day or four down!