Staying Healthy and Entertained

While obeying stay-at-home orders, you have a choice: sink into helpless lethargy or take advantage of the lack of other distractions to make some new habits. But what to do with all those wonderful entertainment options just two clicks away?

How about both? To do that, though, you will need to start with a bit of disciple—a pain and reward system that hopefully will become self-sustaining.

Start with a chart, on your phone or good ol’ pad and paper. Write down one exercise in the first column and then an entertainment choice that will take as long as the exercise. Say you want to take a walk outside every day (an excellent choice). Then, write down your favorite rerun show next to it. You know your favorite show is 22 minutes long per episode and that you rarely watch just one. Set a timer for 45 minutes, take your morning walk and then watch your show. Keep track of each column. The show will give you incentive to walk, and your walk will make watching that much more enjoyable because instead of kicking yourself for not getting out and walking (again), you will have already done it!

Whatever your favorite activity—jogging, biking, pilates, old Jazzercise tapes—make it your goal to give yourself a reward each time you do it for added incentive. After three or four weeks of daily activity, your chart will be a habit.