Is quarantine keeping you on the couch a little more than you’d like? Has losing access to your gym thrown off your workout routine entirely? Is your pantry stocked with comfort foods instead of fresh vegetables because getting groceries is such an ordeal? Yeah, us too.
Each year, Infomedia holds a Health Bingo competition, and this year, we’ve adapted it to be quarantine- and social-distance-friendly. We’d love to have you join us! Eating well, exercising and building community are important components to staying happy and productive, but they’re really difficult to keep up when we’re all barred from going out or taking part in our usual routines. During Health Bingo, our goal is to support each other in doing small things to keep our spirits up and our bodies healthy.
We’d love it if you’d like to join us! Here’s our printable Bingo card, but if you don’t have a printer at home, you can keep up with us through Instagram instead — we’ll be sharing the card in our stories (follow us at @infomediadotcom), so you can screen capture the card and “fill it out” by putting GIFs or emojis over the squares.
Here’s how it works: Each week in April, try to get a Bingo — that’s one completed row in any direction. For a little more of a challenge, try to fill out the entire card! Here at Infomedia, we’ll be competing for healthy lunches from Homewood Gourmet (did you know they serve food curbside now?). Follow along and see who’s ahead by following our stories on Instagram or Facebook.
Details about each activity are included below, but the real key to Health Bingo is to make it your own — we’re all just doing our best during quarantine, and this is one time when doing just a little bit definitely goes a long way. Here’s to your health — and ours!
Health Bingo Breakdown
Walk: Go for a walk that lasts at least 15 minutes.
10K Steps: Get 10,000 steps one day this week. You can track steps using your FitBit, phone or any other fitness tracker. Or you can take an hour-long walk instead.
Work Out: Do a workout video, ride your bike, go for a run — whatever you can do in quarantine! Just make sure your exercise activity lasts at least 20 minutes.
Prep Snacks: Bring healthy snacks and keep them at your desk (or whatever area serves as your desk) this week. You might try keeping a fruit bowl on your desk, bringing in cut-up veggies or packing protein bars.
Learn: Read a blog or book or watch a video or documentary about health or fitness and share what you learned with a coworker.
De-stress: Take at least five minutes to de-stress — you can stretch, meditate or relax in whatever way you’d like.
Meal Prep: Prep your meals for the week so it’s easier to make healthy choices. (Just prep what makes sense for you — no need to prep every single meal.)
Try Something New: Trying new things helps us add variety to our diets and be healthier. Try a new recipe this week! Ordering something new and healthy also works — why not order curbside from your favorite local restaurant?
No Soda: Go at least one day without having a soda.
H2O: Drink 10 cups of water in one day. (One cup = eight ounces.)
Take Ten: Get up from your desk and walk around at least five times during your workday.
Plank or Pushups: Plank for at least 30 seconds or do at least 20 pushups. Modified planks and pushups also count!
Skip Sweets: Go the whole day without dessert, or cut out sugar for the day.
Pick Plants: Choose at least three servings of fruits or veggies today.
Sleep: Get eight hours of sleep to be fully rested. Can’t get eight hours in one go? Try to supplement with naps.
Find a Friend: Hanging out with a friend looks different when you’re social distancing. Take the same exercise class remotely, meal prep together via video call, or do wall sits in your separate home offices at the same time — find a new way to get healthy together.
No Desk Lunch: Step away from your work area at lunch. Maybe this just means going to the other side of the living room to eat, but take a break from the same old space.
Skip Alcohol: Skip the glass of wine for the day. Maybe replace it with a mocktail, or even a cup of relaxing tea.
Stretches: Spending time hunched over a desk (or a couch-desk) isn’t ideal for your posture or flexibility. Counteract this by stretching for at least 5 minutes.
Desk Exercises: Sitting down all day can take a toll on your health. Get moving by doing tricep dips on your desk or trying seated hamstring stretches or chair squats.
