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Keeping Fit and Healthy When You’re Stuck at Home

Cory Rodriguez

Health and Fitness Influencer

Cory Rodriguez is a health and fitness influencer, sharing his advice in online videos as well as training clients in person, but his work has moved primarily online due to the current stay-at-home orders. Fans of Rodriguez now approach him not only for fitness tips but for advice on starting a social media channel on YouTube or Instagram.

“It can take years to get to the point where you’re comfortable in front of the camera, where you can edit the videos, where you can make them look and sound pretty decent, and even then I’m still not really there compared to some people,” he said. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, just record whatever you can, whatever you’re trying to put out to your customers, or your kids if you’re a teacher, put out the information the best you possibly can.”

The current stay-at-home orders have posed some unique challenges for people trying to maintain their typical health routines. “I’ve been working from home now for years, so one of the first things I’ll say, especially for people who aren’t used to doing everything from home, is you want to gain some kind of routine,” Rodriguez said. “For some people, getting up and showering and getting dressed, even if it’s just to go and sit at their computer ten feet away from the shower, helps to put you in the right mindset that the day is beginning instead of it feeling like your day never starts and never finishes.”

In his online videos, Rodriguez is clear about a distinction between fitness and health, saying that health is more holistic while fitness has more to do with physical appearance and ability. “Everyone looks at if you’re in shape, if you have abs, that must mean that you are necessarily fit and healthy,” he said, “but health is more about the inside of you. It’s more about your organ health, your brain and heart health, how well your body has the ability to fight off disease, it’s your sleep, it’s your relationship with food, it’s your mental health, it’s so many different things.”

One difficulty Rodriguez has recognized for people stuck in their homes is maintaining good nutrition. “You’re home all day, you’re around your kitchen, maybe you have ups and downs, it’s a very stressful time, so you reach for food as a way to cope,” he said. “Try to eat more complete meals instead of snacking throughout the entire day. That’s going to be a big influence on not only your fitness and physique but also your health.”

The stress of life during the pandemic is causing a strain on our mental health as much as our physical health, and Rodriguez suggested recognizing when stress becomes overwhelming and being proactive in whatever ways you can. “I think one of the big things is trying to channel that energy in whatever way it comes into something else that might be helping you instead, whether it be a home workout, whether it be listening to music, whether it be journaling, whether it be going outside for a walk, whether it be doing yoga, some meditation, anything that can reset your mind for that period of time.”

Even though these are difficult times, Rodriguez said that finding time for health and fitness is essential for our wellbeing. “Trying to move as much as possible when it’s not the easiest thing to do right now, trying to focus on healthy foods most of the time and eat more complete meals, and really trying to manage your stress and sleep will go a very long way to keeping you healthy during this time.”

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