Hello beautiful people and welcome back to the blog. It’s been a while since I’ve done a health blog post and amidst all of the Coronavirus craziness and self-isolation I thought I would compile a list of ways to take your mind off of things and simply pamper yourself :)

1. A little body TLC. Starting things off strong on this list, find ways at home to make yourself feel pretty and pampered. A few of my favorite ways of doing this during this quarantine have been: deep skin exfoliations with my dry brush and with homemade scrubs (click here for a few recipes you can make with pantry essentials), whitening my teeth* and painting my nails and toes. Whatever your preferred way is, making time for a little body TLC does wonders for lifting the spirits. Plus, you can look at it as special maintenance so that when things do start to open up again you are ready to shine :) 

2. Bake something special that makes the whole house smell like your favorite currently-closed bakery. I don’t know about you all but I find baking, and most kinds of food prep, very therapeutic. It’s a pastime that employs all of our senses and results in a tasty treat. I have many recipes here on the blog of different meals you can whip up, but if you’re looking for something a bit more indulgent then check out these two cookie recipes on my YouTube channel: Chocolate oatmeal raisin w/ a twist and Coconut chocolate cookies. Bon appetit!

3. Get all dressed up in your finest and go for a walk around the block. This may seem a bit strange but it’s actually a time-honored Italian tradition, known endearingly as “la passeggiata” (the stroll). “La Passeggiata signifies the time to “dress to impress” and “to see and be seen”. With Italian social etiquette being steeped in social behavior and traditions, reputation and consideration of others is important. Today more often than not, many Italians will go home to change to make sure they are “fare la bella figura” or ‘cutting a beautiful figure’ before taking their evening passeggiata before dinner” [1]. So while we may still have to follow social-distancing measures, there’s nothing wrong with donning your finest and meeting a friend or two to swap stories. 

4. Plan a fun trip. While we may be in this lockdown for a few more weeks and there doesn’t seem to be a clear date for travel to resume, there’s no harm in planning out your next fabulous getaway. I would argue that it’s actually very healthy to have something to look forward to, even if there is no set date for it. So, whether it’s a quick weekend jaunt to a nearby town, a simple camping trip, or buying tickets to a show in your current city, I say let your imagine run wild and plan something that really excites you. And when things do finally open up, you’ll already have a head start on what to do :)

5. Enrich your mind and body with an online course in something you’ve always wanted to learn. My last tip is bringing things back to isolation life. As I mentioned in the previous point, we aren’t entirely sure how much longer all of this will last so why not use the time to your advantage and learn something new. There are so many learning platforms out there, many of which are free, offering a wide array of courses on diverse topics. I recently took a 4 week course on the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems (might not be your thing :)) on Coursera, a platform that has courses from universities from all over the world in almost any field you can imagine. The material in each course is free though if you want to receive the certificate at the end, or want to participate in the graded tests you have to pay. If you’re looking to learn a language then I can recommend Lingoda and LiveMocha. And if you’re looking for fitness classes then YouTube is wonderful. I have many videos on my channel ranging from fitness to yoga to general health for back pain. So, the internet really is your oyster when it comes to learning from home :).

Thank you all so much for stopping by this week for another post and I hope that you picked up a tip or two to help you enjoy this isolation a bit more. If you have any tips of your own that I didn’t mention here please feel free to leave them down below and let’s share the wealth!

Until next week, sending you all lots of virtual hugs!

Xoxo,

Alexandra 

*At home tooth whitening recipe: make a paste with a teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Scoop the paste onto your toothbrush and brush your teeth for between 30-40 seconds. Rinse thoroughly and repeat no more than twice per week.

Sources

1. Ridgeway, Suzanne. “Italian Customs and Traditions: La Passeggiata.” WanderWisdom, 26 Mar. 2018, wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/italian-customs-and-traditions-la-passeggiata