Top 10 Wellness Tips to beat Covid-19 and stay healthy – practicing Pilates helps!

06 Apr Top 10 Wellness Tips to beat Covid-19 and stay healthy – practicing Pilates helps!

With all the current happenings in this world, it is most advisable to keep safe and healthy in order to avoid any contingencies arising from Covid-19. We have done some research on how to keep such virus at bay and found some advice from some internationally renowned professionals, and summarize it into ten handy tips to help keep disease at bay.

Of course, none of this substitutes for actual medical advice. For serious concerns, always consult your doctor or call your own country’s national medical helpline.

1. Know What to Look For

Unless you are a medical professional, you can never be really sure of what you have. Even then, medics then to rely on tests to properly diagnose diseases. Therefore, do not assume you do not have anything if you have very mild symptoms of a particular virus, because although you might think you have something else, or have contracted the virus lightly, you are more than likely to be a carrier.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria do not cause different symptoms than infections caused by antibiotic-susceptible infection, therefore it is always best to consult a doctor.

If you do suspect an infection, don’t rush to the emergency room, where you might be exposed to other bugs or infect others. Call your primary-care doctor first for advic

2. Live a healthy lifestyle

“The first principle is to try to live a healthy lifestyle to reduce the need to be in the hospital” where you are more likely to encounter these bugs”, Dr. Brad Spelberg from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center says. “Keep your home and work space clean. Be aware of the food you eat: Wash fruits and vegetables carefully and cook other food properly to reduce your chance of coming into contact with harmful bacteria.” The best food is always the food you prepare and cook at home.

Keep a healthy lifestyle by practicing movement, whether it is outdoor or indoor sports. In a situation like Covid-19 the best practices are mind-body practices such as Pilates or Yoga that help not only give you a workout, but also to stimulate your mind and let you focus on the present moment.

Be gentle to yourself and don’t get frustrated with what ‘could have been’, focus more on the ‘can be right now’ and practice it religiously

3. Combat stress

It’s no secret that stress is detrimental to health, and it can make you more susceptible to viral infections. Research shows that chronic stress increases the chance of developing an infection after exposure to a pathogen.

Use Pilates, Yoga and other relaxation techniques such as self-hypnosis, meditation or deep breathing to calm your mind. Try to share your troubles with others. Talking to a friend or a counsellor if you prefer can bring things into focus and help alleviate some of your stress.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider learning about time management systems that ensure you optimise your working hours. Learning to say no can help you feel less stress and pressure.

4. Sleep more

Admittedly, the stress and worries might not be helping the situation but losing sleep will aggrevate it. Sleeping is one way that your body recovers from damage and protects itself against illness, says Michael Twery, PhD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research for the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. “Sleep is one part of the whole rhythm of life,” Twery says. Sleep helps your body to recover, lowers stress, and is an essential survival mechanism. If you can’t sleep try some essential oils such as Lavender, Cedar Wood Oil or Ylang Ylang which help promote calm and relaxation

Make sure you get enough sleep, aim for eight hours. If you’re feeling ill, you should allow yourself as much sleep as your body needs

5. Scrub Your Hands with Soap and Water Thoroughly.

Doctors say they cannot recommend this enough.

“Wash your hands regularly and religiously in the normal times that you would think you should wash them,” Stead says. “Give it a good amount of time” — about 20 seconds — “scrubbing hands thoroughly, not just in and out of the water.”

Turn off the taps using a paper towel.

The real key thing is to use soap and water with the physical actions as shown in the chart below.

6. DO USE alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

It’s best to wash your hands whenever possible. In situations where you have no access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that has at least 60 per cent alcohol. Carry a small bottle with you to use at any time.

7. Don’t touch your face with dirty hands.

Viruses can enter your body through your eyes, nose, mouth and other orifices. Putting dirty, contaminated hands on your face can lead to an infection. Don’t give these germs the opportunity, wash your hands before you touch your eyes, nose and mouth. You may also want to wash them before you use the bathroom, and afterward, of course

8. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

When you cough and sneeze, minuscule droplets, filled with thousands of viruses and bacteria, leave your body at around 100 miles an hour. They can land on surfaces, other people, and even stay suspended in the air for long periods. As you can imagine, this is an effective way of spreading infections.

Try to cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow if at all possible, to help prevent droplets from being released into the atmosphere. If you are unable to do this, use a tissue to cover your mouth, but using your hand also works if there is no alternative. If you use a tissue, always throw it in the rubbish or flush it down the toilet immediately and don’t forget to wash your hands afterwards

9. Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.

Use bleach or disinfectant to wipe down kitchen and bathroom surfaces, the telephone, door handles, and kids’ toys. Once you realise how easily sneezes spread germs, you can see the importance of this step. Try to keep the bathroom and kitchen particularly clean and disinfected. If you live with an elderly person try not to share the same bathroom, and if you do disinfect it thoroughly every time you use it.

10. Practice social distancing.

SOCIAL distancing has been described as one of the most effective methods to tackle the outbreak of Covid-19.

According to experts, this practice will help to slow down the spread of this deadly virus. The virus is transmitted by droplets in the air, settling on surfaces and being picked up by others – or when droplets land directly on you. Keeping a distance will make it less likely for droplets from the nose or mouth to land on you when they sneeze or cough.

Different countries have their own limits on social distancing so we won’t get into that; however, we will touch on the main points that most governments worldwide have put into place:

• Everyone is encouraged to stay at home and work from home. If your employer does not already allow you to do so, ask him to support you to do this if you are able to
• Where you do come into contact with other people, experts advise you keep two metres – or 6ft – between you and any other people.
• Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough
• Avoid non-essential use of public transport when possible
• Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media.
• Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services
• Avoid large and small gatherings in public spaces, noting that pubs, bars, restaurants, leisure centres and similar venues are currently shut as infections spread easily in closed spaces where people gather together.

Unless you have recently travelled to known infected areas overseas or been in contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, then treat any cough or cold symptoms as normal. Most governments advise that people should call their national helpline (such as 111) instead of visiting their General Practitioner to prevent the risk of infecting others.