It was fun reading various social media posts from people talking about how much more food they were eating than normal, and listening to their predictions about how much weight they were going to put on doing the social distancing, safer at home time period that we found ourselves in this past spring.

I remember saying to at least one person that they can’t eat what they don’t buy. With so many restaurants that were closed down during those early weeks of the “safer at home”  period, I told her that if she was eating a lot of foods she deemed unhealthy; then it was because she was buying a lot of those foods that were unhealthy. And once they’re in the house, then it is truly challenging to ignore and avoid them; especially during stressful situations. 

I never actually thought about what they were calling the “covid 19,” and I don’t even know anyone who actually put on 19 pounds over the past months. I’m sure there are some of my friends who did gain some weight. For me, Covid-19 aside, I’ve always had one foot in the land of dieting, swearing off sugar or carbs or both, and promises to eat better, exercise, and get more rest. But 2020 has been different. The wake up call of hearing that health, nutrition, and a strong immunity system seemed to be important factors in fighting off the worst of the Coronavirus symptoms was enough for me to give it more than just a “here we go again” try. So I vowed to buy, and therefore eat, as much fresh fruits and vegetables; nuts and seeds; and healthier food choices such as oatmeal and peanut butter, as I could, while in this period of being safe at home.

Knowing that fresh produce does often come with a higher price tag than just grabbing something off the shelf, I made a point of working on my budget; shifting the money I would normally be putting into the gas tank, to help justify spending the extra money on the fresher groceries instead.

It was actually a fun process, picking and choosing things I may not normally eat; at least not on a regular basis. And healthy choices shouldn’t just be what we do when we’re afraid of getting sick. It should become so much of a lifestyle, that we seldom get sick. At least, that’s what I hope to make it for me.

Now, as many of us are sadly living in areas that are heading back towards where we were over three months ago with this virus, the need to stock up on good food items may come back around. But even if it doesn’t, and I certainly hope that’s the case, it doesn’t hurt to invest the time and money into your own health.

Now, if I can just get the whole eight hours of sleep down!