Swag and Routines to Support Your Healthy Habits in the New Normal
I’ve always loved September. Not just because it’s my birth month but because it marks the start of the new academic year and brings people back to the office from the summer holidays. In my opinion, September provides an excellent opportunity (even better than January!) to dive back into routines and get back on track with your healthy habits. After lazy summer months of traveling or chilling in the countryside, most people I know swear they’ll start again with their health and wellness projects, get back to the gym, and swap burgers & fries to veggies and lean meat.
As the infamous “new normal” is messing with our return to the office, and most of us will have to work from home either full-time or part-time, it’s even more important to make sure your daily activities and choices support your wellbeing. After experimenting for six months – yes, we started remote work mid-March in Singapore and are still NOT allowed to go back to the office – with all sorts of gadgets and hacks to maintain my healthy habits and sanity while working from home, I thought of sharing my top five favorite things that help a ton at the moment.
(Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation or commercial interest in any of the products mentioned below.)
1. Brita water filter jug for more steps and improved hydration
I’ve noticed it’s super easy to get stuck for hours in front of the computer while working from home. There’s no need to get up, walk over to a teammate’s desk to have a quick chat. And amid all the Zoom calls, there’s absolutely no need to get up, walk over to the water dispenser and have a glass of water. This leads to two unhealthy consequences: lack of steps you take during the day and lack of mobility (and therefore stiffness) – here’s an excellent podcast with Ryan Unsworth that talks about what happens to us when we sit in the same position for too long.
Oddly, the best solution to this issue in my case has been a water filter jug. As the tap water in Singapore doesn’t taste too good, I have been reluctant to drink plenty of water at home. Ever since I purchased a simple one that made water taste really good and refreshing, I’ve increased my water consumption massively. I voluntarily (!!) get up every hour when one of my wearables reminds me it’s time to get moving, head over to my fridge, drink a glass of filtered water and do a few super quick stretches before I head back to my laptop. This has helped me a lot with my daily goal of getting 10k steps in and prevented some much-loathed stiffness. Furthermore, it has definitely improved my hydration levels and thus had a positive impact on my overall stamina and performance.
Lesson learned: a simple object such as a water filter can help you maintain your healthy steps habit and avoid stiffness and aches despite remote work conditions, and it definitely will help you hydrate your body more regularly.
Disclaimer: those of you who have the luxury of clean tap water without any nasty side tastes – enjoy it! You might need to find your own reason to get up from your desk every hour and get your blood pumping.
Recommendation: I did my research and ended up with a Brita pitcher that’s compatible with Maxtra+ water filters. It fits nicely in my fridge, does an awesome job filtering the water, and doesn’t need too many refills a day thanks to its large size. Depending on your location, water quality in your area, and your personal water consumption volume you might select whatever product does the job and suits your needs!
2. Mulberry silk pillowcase a.k.a. new sleeping swag for max zzZZzz
Out of all the healthy habits that support your longevity goals and maintaining your health span until you’re super old, sleeping at least 7 hours a night is the trickiest one for me. I’ve shared more about my sleep history and sleep hacks in this post and have found a pretty decent routine to optimize both my sleep quality and sleeping hours. That said, when the super strict lockdown started, we weren’t allowed to leave the house much, and I was totally feeling the cabin fever and had difficulties with sleep, I decided to pamper myself with a mulberry silk pillowcase. And goodness, have I loved it?! It didn’t magically help me with all the cabin fever-related nightly wake-ups or with general anxiety of being locked in but the sensation on my face when I’d rest my head on the pillow was so pleasant that I was happy to go to bed early even if I wasn’t feeling super tired. That then allowed me to fall asleep earlier and after a few weeks, my recovery data started looking slightly better as I was getting more hours of sleep even if the quality wasn’t fabulous.
Silk pillowcases are supposed to come with a wealth of “health benefits” and manufacturers list multiple ones ranging from anti-aging and hypoallergenic features all the way to your hair looking less frizzy in the morning. Apologies for NOT buying those benefits but I’m super impressed with the sensation and how I feel about going to bed nowadays. Before my experiment, I was a huge fan of good-quality Egyptian cotton but moving on to actual silk against my face I can assure you there’s no way back.
Lesson learned: make going to bed super lucrative via using a mulberry silk pillowcase. This will hopefully have a positive impact on your sleeping habit!
Recommendation: I went for the most popular products on Amazon and have been very happy with both Alaska Bear and Yanibest products. Remember to check out washing instructions before purchasing – all the ones I ordered are machine washable. Also, make sure to listen to our earlier podcast about optimizing sleep.
3. Steam room for more mindfulness and less anxiety
This is my #happyplace. Steam room on the right surrounded by different pools and plants.
While working from home I do not have the luxury of being ushered into the daily meditation sessions in the zen room (yes you read right, we have an actual meditation room at the office!) and thus I’ve had to practice this fine art of being present all on my own. While I obediently start the Healthzilla app meditation timer several times a week, being truly present during the session has been a struggle at times ever since we started working from home. WFH keeps your brain busy all the time, there are no clear breaks from the endless list of tasks (as you’re not going out for lunch with colleagues but rather eating next to your laptop) and no clear borders between work time and free time. Meditation would be one of the best medicines to calm you. Yet it’s hard.
Surprisingly, I’ve noticed a deep state of calm when going to the steam room. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with my Finnish roots or me growing up as a huge sauna fan but being in the steam room (or sauna) and sweating away all my worries, my mind seems to be incapable of running a million thoughts. It could simply be that my body’s struggle with extreme heat and humidity is too overwhelming. But it helps. I’ve actually started to incorporate deep breathing into my steam room sessions and the feeling afterward is even better. Steam room or sauna alone can work amazingly to improve your circulation and reduce your stress but in my case, it’s this meditational state of mind that I’m looking for.
Lesson learned: seek for deep states of calm in surprising locations. Find the ones that work for you and help you along with your mindfulness habit. Once you proceed, it will be easier to get into that state wherever and whenever (you can listen more about it in these meditation podcast episodes 1 and 2).
Recommendation: Don’t call a construction team over to build your very own sauna or steam room right away! Instead, look for public ones nearby – swimming halls, public saunas, or spas that might have a sauna or a steam room available. See if peaceful sessions in the heat calm you down and help you to strengthen your mindfulness habit.
4. Liforme mat for more pleasant mobility and stretching sessions
I guess we’ve all heard about the importance of mobility training and feel some extra stiffness after summer if we’ve skipped this altogether for the holidays. What’s the point of living a very long life if you spend the last 10 years crippled in a bed or can’t cope with everyday tasks due to having lost your range of motion? When you think about our current work from the home setting (and the lack of ergonomic chairs, standing desks, and all the other office swag) it’s even more crucial to incorporate some mobility work into your daily life to ensure you won’t get any additional pains and aches.
However, both yoga and stretching can seem pretty intimidating in the beginning. Some people I know have even called it quits once they’ve done their first online classes or followed instructions from YouTube and the experience has been unpleasant and felt even dangerous with all the new poses and your hands and feet slipping away from the mat. One of the staples of yoga, “the downward-facing dog”, where you’re standing on all fours with your butt up in the air and pushing your head towards your knees with straight arms and legs can get really dangerous if your grip on the mat isn’t great. The good news is there’s actually a solution to this: Liforme yoga mat.
Whereas most yoga studios I’ve been to seem to rely entirely on Manduka mats, in my experience those still tend to get slippery especially during hot yoga classes. Moreover, they need to be used quite extensively before the grip improves. Liforme mat, on the other hand, has an amazing grip from day one. You can do the most complex asanas and stretches and you won’t feel for a second that you’re slipping. The stretches actually feel deeper when you’re not tense and struggling with natural forces such as gravity and sweat. Besides the fantastic grip, the feel of the mat is soft and luxurious (and the range of colors is gorgeous). In addition to home yoga practice, I use it for stretching too and it has definitely helped with my mobility habit over the long months of lockdown and WFH.
Lesson learned: yoga and mobility workouts feel much more lucrative and you end up doing those more often if you don’t worry about injuring yourself due to slippery surface. Furthermore, if you invest in a pricey mat and keep it where you can see it, you’re increasing your frequency of stretching and mobility exercises.
Recommendation: You can get Liforme mats from their international online store – the delivery is quick and hassle-free. I’ve also used mats from Gaiam and Manduka in addition to really cheap yoga mats from drugstores. Liforme has lifted my home yoga experience to a whole other level.
Liforme yoga mat along with affordable IUGA workout pants (a.k.a. stretchy pants for WFH) .
5. Affordable workout pants for cozier WFH and almost all workouts
The new normal and work from home setting have definitely had an impact on my wardrobe. As one only needs a smart shirt and a clean face for Zoom-calls and might not have the most optimal and ergonomic working station at home, comfortable and breathable pants are a must-have item in everyone’s closet nowadays. The concept of athleisure has crept into some office settings too but only now, working from home, I personally feel entirely comfortable with it.
Besides making my WFH days more bearable (as I sometimes work at my desk, sometimes on the bed) these miracle pants have had a very positive impact on all my workouts as I actually enjoy my daily sanity walks, runs, workouts, and mobility sessions with a comfortable and good-looking pair of leggings. The challenge is finding an affordable and functional pair though in the world of crazy expensive Lululemons and Alo Yoga pants that can take years of machine washing, has all the same features as the high-end brands such as special pockets for keys and your phone, along with great breathability, quick-dry fabric, and 4-way stretch – essentially something that works well, feels like a second skin, and inspires you to be more active.
After some research (and after being an active user of Lululemon, Lorna Jane, Nike, UA, and Adidas for years) I found IUGA. It looks and feels fantastic, doesn’t seem worn even after a year of intense usage and machine washing, and most of all it doesn’t break the bank as it costs roughly USD20 per pair. I got these from Amazon last summer in the US but am sure you can find similar, affordable workout pants in your location if you do your research.
Lesson learned: A pair of excellent workout pants can have a positive impact both on your productivity while working from home but also on all your workout-related habits. Moreover, you don’t need to go for the expensive brands – reviews and ratings from other people go a long way when looking for quality swag to make your life a bit more comfortable.
Recommendation: You can purchase the above-mentioned IUGA leggings from Amazon US. If those are not sold or delivered in your area (or if you’re a dude and do not fancy leggings at all) I recommend you do some research and find a suitable pair of pants with good ratings to help boost your workout habits.
Conclusion
Even if the motivation to stick to a healthy lifestyle is supposed to stem from the fact that we know what’s right & healthy, some additional items, spaces, or experiences might help us to stay on the right path in these strange times. When missing daily human interaction F2F with our peers and colleagues and being locked up at home, we desperately need to stay healthy and sane, and a little extra swag goes a long way to support us.