Have you noticed the jeans are perhaps a bit tighter or you’re just feeling a bit bloated? Staying at home more can make it easier to eat more without realising it, whether it be due to boredom, snacking in front of the tv or just ‘taste testing’ when preparing meals for the rest of the family! Here a few ideas to help you focus and make sure you don’t end isolation needing a new wardrobe.

Begin the day with a list – focus

Begin the day by writing down your to do list and noting the top 5 things that you want to get done. Tick them off as you go. Every time you get bored and grab for a snack, stop for a minute and have a look at your to-do list. How are you going against your tasks? Pick a task to tackle to divert your mind from snacking.

Have a strategy for when you are bored/hungry

Being at home means you have food on hand all the time, so it’s easy to grab something when you feel bored or hungry. Stop right now! Grab a pen and paper and take a few minutes to write a list of alternative things you could do when hunger or boredom strike. This is not an extended to do list rather a list of activities to nourish your body and soul. Aim for at least 10 options. They don’t have to be complicated or inspired, here are a few for starters: go for a walk, call a friend, drink water (this is a good one, often thirst masquerades as hunger), do a workout (sit-ups, pushups, planks).

Put the list somewhere easy to find, ideally pin it somewhere you can see it and consult it whenever you feel the urge to snack. The activities don’t need to take a long time, just long enough to give you a break from what you are doing, it will re-energise you and you’ll go back to what you were doing feeling motivated.

Keep healthy food in the house

Perhaps an obvious one, but it’s much easier to resist chocolate/ biscuits/ cake if it’s not within easy reach. Stock the house with healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts, dips, vegetable sticks, biltong, salted popcorn – if they don’t appeal, then you’re probably not really hungry so chose an activity from your list to do instead of snacking.

Mindset – meditation, journal, affirmations

Now is a really good time to be looking after your mental health. Some suggestions to do this is meditation, journaling or affirmations. If you haven’t tried meditation before, download an app such as Headspace, calm Smiling Mind or Insight timer and try a few different meditations until you find one that suits.

Journalling is a simple as grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, or a notebook with an inspiring cover, and just writing. Don’t think about it, just write whatever pops into your head. Spend 5-10 minutes a day doing this for at least week and see if it makes difference to your mood.

Affirmations can be used to create a positive mindset to help eliminate negative thoughts and achieve your goal. An affirmation is a simple positive statements that communicates a specific goal. The aim is to say the affirmation daily – think of it as a way of exercising your mind and programming it for success. Here are a few possible affirmation, or have a go writing one yourself and of course there is always google for inspiration.

  • I nourish my body with healthy, whole fresh food.
  • I welcome new healthy habits.
  • I enjoy taking good care of myself.
  • I can do anything I set my mind to.
  • I eat only what I need.

Balance is important especially during challenging and stressful times, aim to include nourishment, exercise, relaxation, hydration and mindset activities in your daily to-do list. A little bit of organisation and pre-thought can give you healthy options to avoid continual grazing and the consequential weight gain when spending more time at home!

If you’ve found this article useful or know someone you think will feel free to share it with them.