SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Cooped up for the past year, many of us have acquired some “pandemic habits” — both good (and maybe not so good).
Here’s how you can review your past year’s quarantine behaviors and sort out which ones to keep and which ones to break.
HABIT #1 (Keep): Grocery shopping less.
• Pre-pandemic, it was too easy to pop into the grocery store several times a week.
• Shopping once a week or every two weeks has forced us to better plan our meals, and it helps save money.
HABIT #2 (Keep): Cooking more at home.
• Pre-pandemic, it was so easy to eat out and come up with many reasons to eat out.
• More frequent cooking at home is associated with better diet quality overall.
• Home cooking has wasted less food: A University of Michigan School of Public Health survey found that during the pandemic:
▪ 57% of Americans said they were throwing away less food.
HABIT #3 (Keep): Seeking medical care.
• Pre-pandemic, people were often hesitant to “bother” their doctors with an ailment, but the expanded use of telemedicine has made it easy and convenient for both the patient and doctor.
• Healthcare has become more efficient and has reduced the risk of picking up other illnesses that occur with an in-person visit.
HABIT #4 (Keep): Connecting virtually.
• Because of the lockdowns, older adults learned to Zoom and FaceTime with distant friends and family, which opened up a whole new world of social engagement.
• We found new ways to participate in life and distance has not been a barrier — e.g., online book clubs, cooking and exercise classes, movie nights, card games, Bingo, Pictionary, or Charades with their friends, family, and grandchildren.
HABIT #5 (Keep): Adopting infection-control habits.
Due to the pandemic, the following infection-control habits have been practiced:
• Washing hands properly and frequently.
• Avoiding sick people.
• Keeping tissues handy for coughs and sneezes.
• Wearing a mask to prevent spread of illness.
• Disinfecting high-touch surfaces daily (e.g., countertops and doorknobs).
HABIT #1 (Break): No pants.
• With limited places to go and working remotely, it’s been easy to just live and work in yoga pants, sweats, or PJ bottoms.
• The result: the stretchy wear didn’t alert you to the extra pounds you put on (i.e., Quarantine 15).
• If you just can’t let go of this habit, try on your jeans once a week to see that they still fit.
HABIT #2 (Break): No structure.
• Without a set routine, it’s been easy to miss meals, slough off home workouts, snack all day long, and even forget to take medications.
• The lack of structure resulted in many people aimlessly and haphazardly going through the day and accomplishing little. More time was spent watching TV, binging on social media, and/or playing video games.
• For some, the lack of structure also resulted in staying up late and getting less sound sleep.
HABIT #3 (Break): “Procrastibaking”.
• Procrastibaking became a pandemic pastime to feel better and satisfy food cravings. When anxious or stressed, it’s not uncommon to reactively crave “comfort foods”.
• Most popular procrastibaked goods: cookies, cakes, bread, and pasta — foods high in fat, sugar, and/or refined starches.
• Procrastibaking was an unconscious strategy to feel skilled and nurturing while being distracted from present-day working conditions.
HABIT #4 (Break): Drinking and smoking too much.
• Since the pandemic began, there’s been a 23% increase in alcohol consumption at home and a 19% increase in smoking.