Quarantine and Quiet

I hope you’re happy, safe and well right now. What’s going on is unprecedented and I hope that I can bring a bit of happiness to an otherwise uncertain time. While I’m not quarantining I am self-isolating as recommended by the Canadian Government after travel for a period of 14 days. This means reducing interactions with people outside my family. I’m in Montreal right now where things have slowly shut down, no more starbucks trips or restaurant reviews for now. 

There are downsides to self-isolation, hello boredom and a desire to eat all the snacks in my kitchen, as well as an inability to follow my exercise regime because the gyms closed. It means being inside most days and feeling a bit claustrophobic. However it’s not all bad.

I’ve had a moment to discuss my dreams with my boyfriend, for a homestead and lots of chickens and a bunch of other stuff together which we didn’t discuss before now. Additionally, with all this extra time I’ve been making spreadsheets of what our finances have to be to get there, how many years it might take, how much we might need to earn in a year to save that much. On some days in quarantine it feels hopeless because I lost a job opportunity to the store closing due to COVID-19 and currently have no merch or way to earn money online at the moment. I also don’t have a way to visit him now since travel is discouraged. 

There are upsides to self-isolation for COVID-19 though, for example while I can’t go out to the gym I can take advantage of the spring weather. It’s been gorgeous out most days, so I’ve been making sure I do activities like running and outdoor training. Outdoor training has upped my fitness so much because the exercises are so different from what gets done in a gym. It’s seriously killer, all thanks to my trainer Evan Beloff who drags weights to the park so I can lift heavy. We mix it up, cardio, heavy weights, each day it’s a new workout which keeps the body guessing.

Obviously I’ve also had the opportunity to revamp this space, which means more great content will soon be available for you! We have more articles and more recipes coming! I’ve had more time to spend in the kitchen which I love and am prepared to give you healthy gut-boosting recipes.

Our best defence against COVID-19 and many other viruses is our immune system and the microbiome directly affects our immune response – you can read more on it here. According to a new study it helps to eat a mediterannean diet low in unprocessed food because that helps the diversity of your microbiome, however even just eating more fruit and vegetables is good for you. 

Physical health is important but so is mental, in self-isolation it can sometimes feel like you’re going mad. Read a good book, watch a movie, go for a walk (a low risk activity), and live life to its fullest in order to keep your sanity. Seriously go outside, get dressed, take a shower it’s so important.

Stay healthy and happy – love to all!