Life in lockdown: how my health has changed

It’s been an interesting few months, hasn’t it? As I’ve spent the last few months at home, I thought I’d look back and see how my health has changed.

Lockdown. It’s been an… experience, hasn’t it? Since mid March, a week before lockdown was officially announced here in the UK, I started working from home.

Since then, I haven’t been back into London. In fact, I’ve barely left the town I currently live in! As things seem to be easing down into a ‘new normal‘ with masks, social distancing and economic worry, I thought it was time to look back over the past few months and see how my health has changed.

My diet

I’m someone who already does a lot of cooking, and I’ve previously written about My Go To Comfort Foods. I’ve still been doing a lot of home cooking, with the occasional takeaway pizza and even though McDonald’s is open, I don’t have a craving for it.

I’ve also inadvertently started fasting. Because I don’t have to be up as early and then commute into work, I haven’t been eating until around 10am and normally finish dinner before 8pm. It means that I’ve basically been doing the 14:10 fast, which is surprising.

I can’t say that I’ve seen any results from this though. It’s probably because there are days where I don’t take a walk or do a home workout, and I’m still indulging in wine over the weekend.

A lot of people have seen their drinking habits change in lockdown. With pubs and bars being close for a couple of months, drinking at home was the only option and I’ve been getting through an average of 1 bottle per week. Now, this is within the accepted recommended limits, but it probably negates the potential effects of fasting.

My exercise

Let me start by saying this: I hate running. I went once one morning and remembered how bored I get (not to mention the chafing).

That being said, I’ve rediscovered my love of walking which I, surprisingly, don’t find boring. A good podcast, a bottle of water and sunscreen are all I need as I explore some new green spaces around town.

I’ve also, obviously, tried to find some home workouts on Youtube. Yoga with Adriene is an obvious winner, along with Blogilates. I’ve also restarted my use of Nike Training Club and am starting a new 6 week plan with it… so wish me luck!

My mental health

As a certified homebody, I do enjoy staying at home. That being said, even I have developed cabin fever from time to time. I’ve also suffered from home sickness, as I wasn’t able to see my family until fairly recently – and hadn’t seen them since Christmas.

Thankfully, I have a very supportive boyfriend who could see when I was struggling and has helped me get out of the flat and see people.

It’s not been easy. But it’s okay to not be okay. I’m definitely not the only one who’s been feeling like this either.

My finances

I’ve definitely been able to save money while working from home. I don’t have to catch the train into London anymore, and after a wait of several weeks I received the refund of my season ticket.

What’s more, there are less impulse buys of lunches or trips to the pub. Because of that, I’ve been able to put away more money each month.

I’ve also been keeping tabs on my spending, manually. I was relying on an app but found that I wasn’t holding myself accountable. What’s more, it no longer linked to my bank account, so I took it as an opportunity to start a good ol’ fashioned spreadsheet to keep track of my daily spending.

My overall health

Frankly, I don’t feel that different to how I did before. There have been definite ups and downs, and I still struggle with some body confidence and accepting some mild weight gain. I haven’t had to deal with the ‘quarantine 15’ though.

The most important thing that I remember is that I’m lucky. I haven’t had the virus. I haven’t lost my job, or been cooped up in a single room by myself.

I can only hope that things improve for myself and everyone else in this horrible situation. One day, we’ll be able to look back and really assess how this pandemic has changed us.

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