Modern Health Home Care fully supports efforts to contain the coronavirus and encourages clients and caregivers to practice social distancing. So if you’re getting antsy in isolation, try these activities to exercise your mind and body without leaving the house.
Activity: Pick a word, any word
What you’ll need: Paper and pen or pencil
What to do: Choose a word with at least 5-6 letters and write it at the top of your page. Then, see how many other words you can create using the letters in the first word. Here are a few to start with:
CORONAVIRUS: con, coo, virus, is, us, on…
QUARANTINE: quit, quite, tin, nit, ant, aunt…
Activity: Listen up
What you’ll need: TV show, paper and pen or pencil
What to do: Write down three words you think will be repeated frequently on the show you’re about to watch. Then keep a tally of each to see which one is said the most. If you have multiple people, turn it into a competition, with each person choosing the one word they think will be answered the most. You can even play with a friend over the phone!
Activity: Create a puzzle
What you’ll need: A magazine, catalog, or newspaper page and scissors
What to do: Cut the sheet into however many pieces you like – try to keep them around the same size with distinctive shapes. Now, put the pieces of your new jigsaw puzzle back together. You might want to snap a picture of the page before cutting it up if you need a reference.
Activity: Get crafty
What you’ll need: A piece of paper, scissors, tape or glue and an assortment of magazines, newspapers and catalogs
What to do: Create a collage that tells the story of your life, your family, a passion (i.e. animals or gardening) or even your current mood. Browse the magazines and newspapers on hand and cut out pictures and words that tell your story. Arrange what you’ve cut out on your blank paper and glue or tape everything in place to complete your collage. It doesn’t need to be pretty – enjoy the process.
Activity: Move it
What you’ll need: Non-slip shoes, a chair and a glass of water
What to do: If you can safely exercise without the risk of falling or other physical harm, it’s always a good idea to move. Physical exercise benefits both your body and your brain. Grab a chair to hang onto for balance and try these simple exercises. Be sure to breathe throughout each workout and drink plenty of water.
Calf Raises: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lift onto your tiptoes. Lower your heels back to the floor and repeat nine more times.
Hip Extensions: Stand facing your chair and hold onto the back. Keeping your knees straight, extend one leg out from your body as far as you can until you feel those muscles working. Bring your leg back to the standing position and repeat. Start with five extensions on each side.
Marching Steps: Turn 90 degrees, so the chair does not obstruct your legs and you can hold onto the chair back with one hand—alternate bending and lifting your knees to march in place. Do ten marching steps with each leg.
Heel Kicks: Facing your chair again, kick up one heel toward your behind so you almost kick yourself. Try to keep your thigh stationary, bending your knee to lift your foot backward. You should feel this working your hamstring muscles on the back of your thighs. Start with five kicks on each side.
Standing Jacks: These are jumping jacks without the jumping! Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms straight by your sides. Bring your arms out to the sides and up until you can clap your hands above your head (or as far as your shoulders will allow), lower your arms back to your sides and repeat. Do this ten times.
Here are a few other ideas for entertaining yourself and engaging your brain at home alone…
If you have a stash of old board games, try playing Boggle, Scattergories or Jinga solo.
Line up a bunch of dominoes about a half-inch apart, tip the first one, and see if it takes down the train. Start with a straight line, then test your skills with different shapes and letters.
Look around your house for simple things to draw – you don’t need skills to enjoy trying!
To be more industrious, consider cleaning out your closets and setting aside clothes or other household items you no longer use to donate to charity.
When you’ve done everything on this list, take a well-deserved nap!
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