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.