Wellness
How to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus Without Compromising Your Lifestyle
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The novel coronavirus, now labeled COVID-19, has taken the world by storm in the early months of 2020, and people are worried that it will only continue to spread. That said, you might be wondering if, at some point in the not-so-distant future, it will become difficult to maintain your current lifestyle while also protecting yourself from this virus.
While there’s no way to know the answer to that question for sure, it’s safe to say that a little bit of education about prevention will go a long way toward maintaining both your health and your active lifestyle.
How it spreads
You know what they say—better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. When it comes to COVID-19, that logic holds up. Once you understand exactly how coronavirus transmission works, you dispel a great deal of the mystery and can better protect yourself.
While researchers are still uncovering precisely how the virus spreads, they currently believe it uses two main methods—spreading directly between people within six feet of each other, or through the sneezes or coughs of an infected person. With this knowledge in mind, it’s easier to apply preventive measures during your daily activities.
Tips to prevent it
Whether you’re heading to a day spa for your monthly self-care retreat, or stopping for a matcha tea at your favorite local joint, the most effective methods of avoiding COVID-19 remain relatively static.
Wash your hands
To be clear, you should practice basic hygiene like washing your hands all the time and not just when the world is on the precipice of a pandemic, but it’s especially important right now.
Wash your hands after using your favorite weight machines at your gym, attending your daily yoga class, or simply handing the barista at your neighborhood coffee shop cash—it will go a long way toward protecting you against coronavirus.
Keep your distance
If you see someone exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, like coughing or sneezing, try to stay more than six feet away for good measure. Even if those around you don’t appear sick, keep a distance of three feet just to be safe.
Given that close contact is one of the established ways that COVID-19 can spread, there’s no such thing as being overzealous with your personal boundaries at the moment.
Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose
Your hands are often unwitting transporters of germs to your body. If you happen to touch a surface that is infected, the virus can enter your body more easily when transferred directly to vulnerable areas like the eyes, mouth, and nose. This is not to say you need to walk around wearing a face mask, though, as that’s mostly just helpful for preventing the spread from infected people.
In a perfect world, places like your fitness facility will take special precautions to protect you and the other patrons from coronavirus, but you can never be too careful with your own efforts, whether you’re at the gym, your favorite restaurant, or even a public park. While all of these methods will significantly help in adding protection against COVID-19, there are even more measures to stay cognizant of when traveling.
Our friends at WHO share some practical advice in this highly-informative video:
What about travel?
If you’ve been planning a special trip for months, the COVID-19 outbreak might be particularly vexing for you. After all, coronavirus travels on airplanes, cruise ships, and any other vehicle indiscriminately, so you have to be especially careful as you embark on your journey.
First and foremost, think about how risky contracting the virus would be for you personally. Obviously, no one wants to wind up with a case of coronavirus, but it’s only especially dangerous for those with weakened immune systems, like the elderly. Maybe you’re a generally healthy person, but you still don’t relish the idea of grappling with this virus. In that case, you should employ all of the methods mentioned above to protect against coronavirus with an important addition: talk to your doctor.
Depending on where you’re traveling, your doctor may want you to get additional vaccines to protect you from COVID-19. You should also let a doctor know as quickly as possible if you begin showing symptoms after your trip so they can address them promptly. The panic over coronavirus doesn’t have to mean canceling your lash extension fill or skipping your favorite barre class. It just means that you should double down on hygiene and stay aware of those around you. Go on investing time and energy into your wellness as coronavirus rages on, just be careful all the while to protect your health, too.
Hey, studio owners! Need helpful and practical advice about how to prepare your fitness studio in the time of coronavirus? We have you covered there as well.
Stay safe.
