Apr

Our Smithsonian: Health and Wellness

It’s important to take care of yourself during these uncertain times, especially if you’re taking care of others. Social isolation can lead to loneliness and depression depression–so stay connected.

Here are some ideas and resources to help you keep sane and healthy during the COVID-10 pandemic.

Stay Active

Spring is here, just in time for April’s National Physical Activity month! Regular physical activity remains an important strategy for staying healthy. Being active helps lower stress, increase energy, and improve sleep. Not only does being more active help you lose weight, it also helps control your appetite. Best of all, it can help prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure.

But how can you stay physically active during COVID-19? Staying Active During the Coronavirus Pandemic from Exercise is Medicine, a publication of the American College of Sports Medicine, offers some great suggestions. For example, try taking a lap around your home and doing single leg step-ups on stairs.

In addition, here are a few additional resources to help you stay physically active during COVID-19:

Physical Activity Motivation

- Create a weekly schedule – Move Your Way Activity Planner
- Video – The Brain-changing Effects of Exercise

Physical Activity for Parents with Kids

- Interactive health and wellness site with fitness challenges for kids – KidsFit
- Video- How to get kids moving when you’re stuck in the house

Physical Activity for Individuals with a Disability or Chronic Health Condition

- Video- Exercise at Home: Options for People with Disability or Chronic Health Conditions

Online Resources for Physical Activity

Reminder, as always, if you have been inactive or have other health conditions, talk to your primary care provider before beginning a new exercise routine.

Reduce Stress.

As we transition to our new work from home (WFH) lifestyles, it is important to keep our mental and physical health a priority to lower stress, improve mood and increase productivity! Physical activity can boost the endorphins in our bodies, increasing happiness and acting as a distraction from the worries we are facing today.

Stress relief techniques to help us during these times

Form routines & follow a schedule
Exercise or do physical activity daily
Listen to music
Dive into a new book
Spend time on self-care
Follow along a guided meditation or online yoga class
Pick up a new hobby
Play with your pets
Call family and friends
Start up a video chat

Benefits of exercise in relation to stress relief

Increased self confidence
Improved productivity & ability to focus on single task
Lowered symptoms of depression and anxiety
Improved sleep patterns

Sign-up for Free Online Meditation Sessions through the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

Meditation helps us build a relationship to a place of inner quietude. To contribute to a sense of calm in this uncertain time, the Freer|Sackler is offering free 30-minute online meditations session four times each week led by DC-based meditation teachers. These free sessions are appropriate for all levels of practitioners. All are welcome! No previous experience is required.

To view the schedule and sign up for sessions please go to: https://asia.si.edu/events-overview/workshops/#/?i=1

Mondays and Fridays from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., meditation led by Aparna Sadananda
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., meditation led by Philip Bender

Care Package – Poems, meditations, films, and other cultural nutrients for times like this.

Care Package is a curated collection of original art derived from collaborations with Pacific Islander and Asian American artists, writers and scholars. The “Care Package,” is an exhibition of meditations, songs, poems and other works centered on healing practice. “Many of these approaches are derived from Asia and the Pacific, and we hope that Care Package reminds us that soulful and creative healing has always been deeply embedded in our cultures,” says Adriel Luis, curator of digital and emerging practice at Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.