This week marks a year since the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic and how our lives have changed! We have lived in some form of lockdown since then. This has meant the home office is our new norm. Donning Sweaty Betty with dumbbells in hand and the home workouts have become our outlet. Dressing up has been swapped for loungewear. Learning the latest TikTok dance to Blinding Lights or Oh Naa Naa has become our entertainment. Zoom dinner parties and pub quizzes have become the Friday night in. Baking cakes (that even Mary Berry would be envious of) have been substituted for afternoon tea.
The lockdowns have given us the perfect excuse to learn something new, or, to start the hobby that we have always wanted to do. Some of us have learnt the piano, or a new language, whilst some of us have finally managed to finish the book that has sat on our bedside tables for as long as we care to remember.
Looking at the positive, lockdown has not been all that bad! For some of us it has been a healing experience, an opportunity to reset and reflect and the start of a new journey into better health and wellbeing. Some of us have started to make better food choices like cutting out or reducing meat and dairy products. In the quest to find healthier options we are turning to plant-based alternatives. Did you know that chickpeas are a great plant-based protein, and they are also high in fibre? As there is a trend and shift towards less meat consumption, the supermarkets and food manufacturers are responding and there is more and more vegan food available. However, some of these are masked with additives and preservative. You will be pleased to know that Hiya is one of the best vegan snacks on the market because we are all natural and we don’t have any refined sugars!
Fingers crossed we will return to our pre-pandemic lives but do look back on this time and be kind to yourself about how we have managed and adapted to a new way of life.
Celebrate the small wins and let’s look forward to the future.
