How to Avoid the Quarantine 15

Can You Avoid the Quarantine 15? Why, Yes!!!

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to think that these shelter-in-place orders and work-from home options, may have a negative impact on my waistline. Everyone knows about the Freshman 15. Those extra pounds that a lot of people tend to gain during their first year at college. I recently saw someone joking about the “Quarantine 15” and had an idea! Why not write a quick guide about how to avoid the Quarantine 15.

I know that I’m not alone when I say that my schedule has drastically changed during the past month. Some of the changes have been good. Like not being constantly on the go, and saving money on gas and eating out as a result. Then there’s the added bonus of spending more quality time with family! I’m guessing you can probably relate to some of those. You may even have some positive changes that are a bit different than what I shared. 

The Flipside

Of course, there’s always a flipside.It seems that for every positive there’s at least one – maybe even two negatives. Like I’m not able to burn extra calories by swimming twice a week or teaching multiple fitness classes. Or being in super close proximity to foods that were supposed to be my quarantine snacks for the next several weeks. How about spending the overwhelming majority of my work day sitting at a computer, when I used to be up and about all day? I’m sure that you have some that are even more frustrating than mine.

The point I’m trying to make is this: our current life is way different than it was six weeks ago. Most of us have become quite sedentary, yet we’re eating the same amount of food or perhaps more than we used to. (Confession: I made a two-layer cake a couple of weeks ago and ate the whole thing in less than a week without sharing it with anyone.)

No one knows how long, we’ll be living life this way, so it’s probably best for us to create some new habits now. What follows are 10 tips on how to avoid the Quarantine 15. Every tip may not work for everybody, but I hope you’re able to find something that works for you.

#1: Get Plenty of Sleep…

Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and weight gain. During this season when most of us don’t have to be up at O’ Dark-thirty to get ready for work (or head to the gym before going to work), it’s really tempting to stay up much later than normal. However, since we’re creatures of habit, most of us still wake up at our formerly “normal time” even though we don’t have to. 

Perhaps we should consider going to bed as close to our normal time as possible, just so we can still get enough sleep. According to the Sleep Needs article from HelpGuide.org, the average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. One way to help ensure that you get enough sleep is to turn off the alarm clock and let your body wake up when it’s rested.As long as you get in bed at a decent hour, you should be able to wake up refreshed with plenty of time to get ready for that 8:00 virtual team meeting!

#2: …But Don’t Get Too Much Sleep

Believe it or not, there are also studies that show direct links between too much sleep and weight gain. If you read that part from the previous section about adults needing up to 9 hours of sleep, you may be thinking, “That’s waaay too much sleep for me.” According to that same article, if you’re alert and energetic all day, then you’ve had plenty of sleep. However, Matt Valentine’s Goal Post article about “6 Signs You’re Getting Too Much Sleep”, let us know that fatigue is a major sign of sleeping too much. So if you wake up tired and are completely exhausted after nine hours of sleep, maybe you should try seven or eight hours next time. 

#3: Create a New Routine

Do you know what I finally realized this week!?!? Since I don’t have to be up super early, I don’t need my alarm, my secondary alarm or my final warning alarm to make sure I’m up on time. So I turned them all off. In addition to that, it occurred to me that it’s both pointless and impossible to try and maintain my old daily routine. So I created a new one.

How does creating a new routine fight weight gain? There’s a huge chance that when you realized your old schedule just wasn’t possible anymore, you sat around and snacked all day like I did. However, when I created a routine things changed. I something to do at a specific time, and it helped give me a sense of accomplishment. 

If you’re not into routines or schedules, try making a list of ten things you want to finish each day. You might be surprised how great you feel at the end of the day.

#4: Plan Your Meals – And Stick to the Plan

I realized quite a while ago that I have a very interesting relationship with food…I eat it all the time. In a way, it makes sense. I mean, I typically teach five super intense fitness classes each week. Plus after running up to four times a week and swimming twice, I burn a ton of calories, so I need to eat to replace what I’m using.However, I take my food to work with me, so when I’m done eating them, there’s nothing left.

The food game has changed since I now work where the food lives. I’ve really had to be intentional about what I’m eating and when I’m eating. Now more than ever, it’s really crucial to focus on meal planning and meal prep. But more than that, we need to self-control to ensure that we only eat what we’re supposed to eat at a given meal or snack time. This is one of the best ways to avoid the quarantine 15.

#5: Switch to Daily Weigh-Ins

I am a HUGE fan of weekly weigh-ins to make sure you’re on track with your fitness journey. A lot can happen in a week, so making sure you have a dedicated time to check the scale helps you see the changes you need to make the following week.

Now that so many of us are working from home, there’s a lot that has the potential to happen from a food consumption standpoint each day. For that reason, it may be worth it to step on the scale once a day for the next month or two.

The focus isn’t so much weight loss as it is maintenance. The goal is to keep it the same from day-to-day. I’ve found that knowing I’ll face the scale first thing in the morning causes me to have a really thoughtful conversation with myself when I head to the kitchen for something to eat. I ask myself things like, “Am I really hungry? Do I need this or do I just want it? Are there any healthier options for me right now? Is this going to make me tip the scale on the heavier side if I eat it?”

Don’t have a scale? You can still monitor your weight by using a tape measure, taking pics of yourself and trying on “real” clothes to make sure they still fit.

#6: Drink Plenty of Water

I’ve said this before, but the body doesn’t have a die hard way to let us know that we’re thirsty. Sometimes our mouths are dry or our throats are parched, so we drink a little water.But did you know that a growling stomach doesn’t always mean that your body needs food? 

The  next time you think you need something to eat in order to satisfy your hunger, slowly drink 8 to 12 ounces of water and wait about half an hour. If the hunger pangs go away, you were simply thirsty. If they persist, you really could use a healthy snack.

Experts say that we should drink half of our weight in water, so if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 oz of water each day. Drinking enough water does some amazing things for you. First off, it helps clear up your skin. Secondly, it actually energizes you! Finally, it helps release toxins and wastes in your body which positively affects your overall health and can assist in maintaining your weight. All o that will help you avoid the quarantine 15.

#7: Schedule Three Rounds of Physical Activity Each Day

One thing many of us have right now is an abundance of time. Even though we’re working from home and helping children finish out their school year at home, we still have a ton of time because there aren’t sports practices and games to get to; we can’t go to church anymore and every form of entertainment is shut down. We’re really tempted to sit in the house and watch TV or cruise social media after the work day/school day is complete. But all that sitting is not going to help us avoid the quarantine 15.

We have to get moving, and the easiest thing to do is plan three rounds of physical activity each day – making sure that each round is a minimum of 10 minutes. If you have a dog, you can walk your dog three times a day. If you have young children, you can play tag with them for ten minutes, ride bikes or just take a walk. Turn on some music and have a dance off. Just commit to get moving for ten minutes three times a day every day.

#8: Break a Sweat for 30  Continuous Minutes

Strongly consider changing one of those ten minutes sections from the previous section to a thirty-minute exercise session that’s going to raise your heart rate and make you sweat. Run, dance or ride a bike. Head over to my YouTube channel and do five of the six-minute workouts. Join one of my online Zumba classes (just comment on this post to let me know you’re interested). Or google someone else’s workout videos.

Just break a sweat for thirty minutes a day to fight off that quarantine 15.

#9: Limit the Amount of TV Time

I’ve already hinted at this a couple of times in this post, but sitting there watching TV all day isn’t going to help anyone avoid gaining weight at this time. Why? Most folks don’t workout while watching TV. (I know I typically don’t.) Plus most of us like to snack while we’re watching TV.

If you’re having trouble finding time for that thirty minute sweatfest I mentioned earlier. Turn off the TV, take a break between episodes of whatever show you’re binge watching and get your workout on.

OR you could alternate between squats, lunges, jumping jacks, and burpees while watching one of the episodes. That could be really fun!

#10: Switch Refined Sugars for Natural Sugars at least Twice a Week

Let’s face it! It’s going to be hard not to snack, so let’s do so wisely.

I have the worst sweet tooth in the world. I rarely buy sweets or make them because they’re gone almost as quickly as I make them. Remember the cookies I mentioned?

However, I’ve learned that my taste buds enjoy natural sugars, like fruit and honey, as much as it enjoys refined stuff. So I would challenge you to take a couple of days each week to avoid refined, processed sugar and only eat natural sugars…just go easy on the honey.

How’s It Going?

Now that you have 10 tips to help you avoid the quarantine 15, I want to know how’s it going. Click the pink banner below to join the Facebook group, and let us know which tip is your go to!

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