The Author Mr.O.P.Manocha is an Ex-Scientist, DRDO and Fitness Motivator COVID-19 A challenge or an opportunity? As the world grapples with COVID-19, you can vanquish the virus with fitness, happiness and positivity during this lockdown period. With the virus to stay for quite some time now, take this challenge as an opportunity to equip yourself with physical and mental fitness. Make yourself stronger to fight with the pandemic and lead a healthy and happy life. Recommendations by Government Bodies World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. Of India, ICMR and other bodies have been issuing general health guidelines from time to time to be followed during the times of the novel coronavirus for staying fit. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) advises people to eat healthy, build immune system, limit alcohol and sugary intake, minimum 30 minutes per day of physical exercise for adults and 1 hour per day for children etc. Here are some tips which will change COVID-19 into an opportunity for you to transform your life physically and mentally while you are at home practicing social distancing. Workout daily To keep your immune system strong, you need to work out daily. This will make your body less susceptible to infections and also strong enough to recover from them.Physical exercise will lower the stress hormone cortisol and release the good hormone endorphin in your body. As it is important to keep a safe distance from others these days, you can have a balanced routine from the comfort of your living room. You can take up any form of exercise from the below : '¢ Join some online workouts, dance with music, do yoga, or walk up and down the stairs. '¢ Include cardiovascular, weight training and balancing exercises in your workout routine. '¢ You may practice Yoga, Pilates, Zumba or HIT, but please do not overdo. '¢ Practice balancing Yoga Asanas like Utthita Hasta Padangustasana, Garudasana, Vrksasana, Garudasana to keep your physical and mental balance intact. '¢ Breathing plays an important role in keeping us fit. Practice step breathing and deep breathing to make your lungs stronger. '¢ Those working from home should take a break from computer or smart phones every 20-30 minutes for at least 3 minutes and should take a round of the house and stretch their bodies. '¢ Do exercises which utilize your own body weight such as press-ups, planks and sit ups. Every day do at least 2 sets of 5 repetitions each with rest in between. Modify your lifestyle This is the time to modify your lifestyle to get rid of some of your bad habits which you were thinking of doing for a long time. Remember keeping yourself fit now will keep you away from Intensive care later. These might include: '¢ Quitting smoking will help your lungs to become stronger. Smokers are at three times the risk of having a worst outcome from COVID-19 than nonsmokers. '¢ Having alcohol free days will also keep you fit. Remember use of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs to cope with emotions or boredom can worsen physical, mental health and reduce immunity. '¢ Use your terrace or balcony to walk in the fresh air. '¢ Sit by a window which overlooks some greenery. Allow sunlight to enter your room. '¢ Offer help at home, rediscover your hobbies like painting, music, dancing, singing and reading. '¢ Make children responsible in the house hold activities. You can encourage them to acquire new skills during this time. Senior members of the family may tell stories of wars, epidemics or other calamities which they might have experienced in their lives. Tell them how you emerged unscathed out of them. '¢ Follow a disciplined lifestyle by sleeping and getting up in time. Get a good sleep by going to bed at a fixed time, maintaining proper room temperature, keeping your smart phones in silent mode, avoid taking caffeine and heavy meals just before going to bed. Practice YogNidra before sleeping. '¢ Wake up each day to some new idea and discuss it with others. '¢ Join some on-line free courses and tutorials for constant self-improvement. '¢ Do whatever makes you happy. '¢ Last but not the least always keep smiling Watch your diet When you are at home you tend to eat more because food is easily available and you don't have much to do. A good diet with small portion sizes will keep your metabolism in order. A healthy diet will keep you away from cardiovascular and diabetes diseases. Be careful of what and how much you eat, try following your diet as follows: '¢ Avoid processed food and take more of fresh fruits and vegetables which have complex carbohydrates. '¢ Take foods which are rich in vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and selenium. These help in releasing serotonin and dopamine in the brain which bring happiness to the body. '¢ Make sure you add to your plate a variety of different colored foods like dark, leafy greens, oranges, tomatoes, fresh herbs as these are loaded with vitamins, fiber and minerals. '¢ Drink sufficient water to improve your immune system. '¢ Don't binge eat or skip meals. Keep Mentally Fit According to the World Economic Forum, one out of ten people in the world suffer from mental health issues. If you experience any of the symptoms such as sleep disorder, mood swings, weight loss or appetite change, you need to address your mental health. During COVID-19 most people are faced by a common emotion fear which makes us anxious and panicky. It is very important to keep positive and cheerful. Following these simple steps will keep you mentally fit : '¢ Access and believe the only reliable source of information and stay away from rumors. Maintain a sense of hope in your mind, don't get bogged down with the news. '¢ Do not indulge in constant social media updates and round the clock news related to the virus. Do not follow sensational news on social media as this may affect your mental state. '¢ Do regular meditation '“ this will keep you calm and stress free. '¢ Breathe slowly and count from 10 to 1 if you are in anger or feel irritated. Assure yourself that you must not worry about what is not in your hands. '¢ Do not always thing about the worst that can happen. Think how well you managed stress in the past and you can come out of it unhurt now also. '¢ Practice compassion, gratitude and selfless service towards others. This will make a big difference to them and also keep you happy and satisfied. '¢ Avoid anxiety-inducing activities like discussing all the time about who got sick and how, instead find out who got well and recovered. '¢ Stay connected with your family and friends through video calls whenever you feel lonely or sad. Call up people whom you haven't spoken to since long and surprise them. Discuss happy events, exchange cooking tips, share music and motivate them. '¢ Visualize the good that is happening like you got time to spend with your families, the earth is healing, rivers are becoming cleaner, Air Quality Index is improving, sound pollution is less in the cities and so on. '¢ Ensure that you sleep in time and get a sound sleep during the night. '¢ Do mental exercises like learning new language, solving crossword puzzles etc. This will not only help you keep mentally stable and away from depression, but also prevent mental diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia at later stages in life. '¢ Do not hesitate to call helpline numbers for counseling with mental health professionals if nothing works. Take special care of the elderly and children It is important to keep the elderly and children safe during the virus outbreak as they are the most vulnerable to the disease. Providing support to them will assist them get through this tough time. '¢ Elderly with diminished cognitive abilities and dementia-like situations, may show behavioral changes like increased anxiety, stress and anger. It is the duty of family members to provide emotional support to them. '¢ Try to explain to elderly and children about the virus and its effects. Tell them how to reduce risk of infection in simple manner. '¢ Be patient with them as their cognitive skills may not be as sharp as yours. You may make use of pictures and graphics to make their understanding easier. '¢ Help children find positive ways to express their feelings of fear and sadness if any. Children feel relieved if they can express and communicate their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. '¢ Keep elderly and children close to the family. If they are separated, make sure to have regular contact with them through video calls or social media. Maintain hygiene and discipline Last but not the least it is imperative to maintain proper hygiene at all times. Some essential things to do are : '¢ Follow etiquettes of sneezing, coughing, avoiding spitting in public places. '¢ Follow hand hygiene by washing your hands for at least 20 seconds after you have been in a public place. '¢ Keep physical distance of at least 6 feet from others. '¢ Do not step out of the house except for buying necessities. '¢ Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. '¢ Support Health Care Workers, Police and Administration in containing this pandemic. Conclusion Following these simple steps in your life, you will definitely emerge out to be a winner at the end of COVID-19 war. See this pandemic as a small interval in your life. Convince yourself life is much more than this pandemic and there will be bright times ahead when it is eradicated. The world will be beautiful once again and life will have much to offer. Take this challenge as an opportunity to make a better you. God Bless!