In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
I see this lockdown as a great opportunity to focus on your health and wellbeing. There’s not much to do when stuck at home, so this situation presents a great time to do some exercise and focus on our diet and sleep.
Fortunately for us, the government is still allowing us to get outside and walk, run and ride our bikes alone, or with direct family members, so there’s no reason not to stay active.
At Coached, we’ve introduced a new online running fitness plan that is helping our athletes to stay focused without a specific race as a goal. We’re also hosting virtual strength training sessions via Zoom and leading a 4-week nutritional challenge. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all goes.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
Low-intensity exercise, high-quality nutrition and plenty of sleep all help to keep your stress hormones under control. You can also meditate.
One thing that I personally do, and have done for more than a year, is to avoid the news. I don’t read online news websites or use social media. Constantly being connected and ambushed with fear and panic produces a lot of anxiety.
I prefer to get my news the old fashioned way, via word of mouth or a newspaper. It’s a small change but it offers tremendous benefits to your mental health and the level of anxiety you feel.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
When it comes to nutrition, I would suggest that you stick to whole foods.
Eat foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, eggs, meat and fish. These things are all real foods. They don’t come with an ingredient list you can’t understand and they provide all the nutrients you need for optimal health and performance. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
Check out the following books:
– The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
– What The Fat? by Caryn Zinn and Grant Schofield
Those books are a great place to start.
ABOUT BEN PULHAM
Ben Pulham is the founder of Coached, a heart rate training programme that helps you optimise, track and enjoy your training.
A former elite triathlete who has represented New Zealand at Triathlon World Championships, World Cups and in the Olympic Trials, Ben is a sought after endurance coach who has worked with thousands of athletes and many global brands including Under Armour, Nike, P&G, Apple, Standard Chartered, Facebook, Cisco and BMW.
Coached has also made sports science testing friendly and accessible to everyone.
Their testing services include:
– Lactate Testing
– Fuel Efficiency Testing
– Sweat Testing
– Body Composition Testing
– VO2Max Testing
