10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind. Hi everybody, it’s Ruthie, here. I’m blogging today from the beautiful country of Greece. I have not yet been able to travel safely back to the United States, back to my home and family. In Greece we are 8 days into a 14 day lockdown. The restrictions have been tightening everyday over the past few weeks. I desire to be a voice for good in the midst of the current global issue. I’m writing to share real life tips during a lockdown. It’s my intention that by sharing it might help bring peace and a ray of hope to our Cooking with Ruthie family all over the world. We love you and we want our community to feel supported with pantry friendly recipes and healthy tips to keep our bodies and minds strong!

I’ll continue to update and stay in touch below in this post- my time continues in lockdown I’m up to 37 days and counting! Also read my best chef tips for extending the shelf life of the food + pantry staples for your kitchen: Tips for Maximizing your Fridge & Freezer Food and Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup Recipe + Pantry Staples

I’m a part of the lockdown in Greece. 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

I love to travel and explore the world. I adore bringing all of you along with me– sharing cuisines and highlights of the places I visit as I go. I came to Greece planning to visit for a few weeks then return back home. That was before the global health issue became wide spread throughout Europe. Due to the travel ban on flights into the United States, my original flight was cancelled but I was able to re-booked on a return flight soon. I’m in a safe place, staying indoors 100%, and doing just fine blogging and working on projects. So, here I am and it’s ok.

Okay… because really what other option is there?

Peace during the restrictions in Greece

Finding peace and calm during a lockdown can be trying at times, especially as restrictions tighten, speculations hang heavy, and the list of unknowns is ever growing. I have experienced the people living nearby me, I have found silent strength in being a part of this community even while being in a foreign country. On days when the weather is sunny, I hear neighbors chat across balconies as we all hang our laundry out to dry. A version of Ave Maria loudly plays from somewhere across the street and at roughly 9pm yesterday evening, the streets erupted in happy clapping and shouts of joy! I am a stranger here, I do not speak the language, and yet somehow I feel at home.  

I want to express my gratitude for all the kind comments and messages on Instagram and Facebook as I’ve been sharing about this experience over the past days. I am humbled by the out pouring of love and deeply appreciate it. There’s so much goodness in our world and our spirit is strong! I’ve started the hashtag #coronavirusstrong please use it as we unite together to be a force for good and love in our world. 

Ideas for keeping you and your family healthy! 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

• Stay 100% home to be smart/safe during the tightening rules and restrictions of the current situation. As humanity we are all facing the same–it’s affecting the whole world. 

• Accept that this is an experience and with time it will pass. Be prepared for the mental shift that you’ll likely experience if your community moves from a status of self restricting into an official lockdown. We are all aware that it is necessary to stop it and yet it was a bit of a shock for me. In a day or so, I realized I was still able to go to the market and pharmacy- I am extremely careful and have only left twice to the market in 15 days. Be wise and stay safe. Carry a prayer of gratitude in your heart and express thanks for all the beautiful things in life! Do not let fear control your actions, way of being, or your outlook on life. 

• Practice 12-15 minutes mediation daily to relieve stress, thereby strengthening the body and peace to our minds. I recommend Yogananda’s Guided Meditations 

• Lean into the good in life and stay connected with each other. Technology makes this so much more possible. Cyber coffee with friends, a phone call to check on neighbors, and work from home. For me with a 9 hour time difference I am able to talk to my family and friends in the evening. 

• Be generous, kind, and loving to all people. I am here in Greece and I do not speak the language. I am supported by wonderful friends here who keep me constantly updated as necessary due to the rapidly changing restrictions and protocols. We support each other with a text and/or call checking on each other throughout the days. 

• It is essential to continue daily routines ie: wake up at the same time, keep up with showering and personal hygiene, physical exercise, keep the house tidy and clean to reduce germs, work from home, eat healthy meals, and if you are like me… cook and bake! (of course, we all find a form of therapy in the kitchen!) Life is still going to happen and we have to roll with it. . . do our best to navigate it all. Heaven got our dog Jack a few days ago and it was difficult but we are okay. Visit our CWR Instagram post to read more. 

• Stay fit! Keep your body strong with at home workouts. Run the stairs in your house or apartment building. Walk in place while watching Netflix. Do sequences of  jumping jacks, squats, sit ups, and pushups. Practice yoga on youtube (I really like Adriene’s yoga channel) Learn to salsa dance, do aerobics, barre workouts, HIIT workouts, etc. There’s so much available on youtube. It is possible to be creative with your exercise routines at home.

• Take your regular vitamins. Its also recommended to add zinc, vitamins C and D3 are especially helpful for fighting off any virus.

• Eat healthy foods- plenty of fruits and vegetables. Keeping comfort foods for those times when you most need them. Be sure to eat on your regular schedule. I focus on eating a large healthy salads for lunch and cooking a protein based meal for dinners to keep up my strength. 

• Nurture yourself! Take hot baths, read a book, write in your journal, listen to your favorite music- have a dance party in the living room, watch a movie, sit outside for fresh air, meditate or your form of prayer, and stay connected to family and friends. AND of course. . . drink lots of coffee! 🙂 

UPDATE 4/7/2020- 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

Checking in from Greece… yes, I still have not made it home. 🌿🌏
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How are you? How is your neck of the woods? I hope you are staying home and healthy!❤️
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My week, honestly…
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😭 I cried when my 6th flight cancelled. #corona •
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😁 I smiled & laughed with my grandsons, family, and friends. #love
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🌱 I made a planter garden with sprouting onions and parsley. #plantergarden. •
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🐣 I fed the baby bird & momma who nests on the balcony. #spring •
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🏃🏻‍♀️ I figured out to use liter bottles as weights, YouTube yoga, ran stairs & ate a salad everyday! #indoorworkout #stayhealthy •
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👩🏻‍🍳 I made Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup, great grandmas rice pudding, and ate dark chocolate dipped in peanut butter! #comforfood
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🖐Worked from home! #grateful #stayhome•
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☕️ Drank many, many cups of Greek Coffee! #love
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🙌🏼 26 days STAYING inside 100% 

Another UPDATE 4/14/2020- 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

Today’s my 37th day of lockdown in Greece.💙 
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I find myself digging deep and becoming more grateful everyday. 
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I often ask myself, “who will I be on the other side of this?” I am determined to be a better version of me. 
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I focus on my daily routines; those rhythms in life that help us feel “normal” … exercise, cooking, talking with family & friends, meditation, and working.
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I had a date with myself last weekend… dinner and wine under the stars on the balcony. It was lovely!
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I just finished taping a cooking segment for @fox13theplace and it made me feel “normal” yet again. (It aires tomorrow at 1pm MST)
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How do you feel “normal” while so much that’s happening is not?! 
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AND sometimes it’s just fun to go red!💄

Miss Nichole’s at home workouts–10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

We sure love Miss Nichole from Pure Clean Fitness! She’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to keeping a healthy body and mind! We’ve been hanging out together on Friday’s for many years. . . to see more of our Fit Friday posts then just CLICK HERE! I’ve pulled together a few highlights for this post because they are perfect resource to for at home fitness that we’re all enjoying right now. 🙂

• Growth with HIIT at home

• Take Care of Yourself

• Pumped Up Basics

• Core Fun 

• Meditation Tips & Tricks

• 10-1 Circuit Workout

• Tabata Workout 

Simple pantry friendly recipes during a 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind

• No-Knead Artisan Loaf Recipe
• Salsa Chicken Bake
• Homemade Flour Tortillas
• Mediterranean Meat Sauce & Pasta Recipe
• Homemade Italian Pasta Noodles Recipe

• Slow Cooker Lumberjack Chili
• Italian Chicken Recipe
• Quick and Dirty Chili
• Perfectly Flaky Biscuits Recipe
• Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

• Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
• Mexican Cornbread Pie Recipe
• Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
• Jalapeno Honey Cornbread

Smiling and Peaceful during a 10 Lockdown Tips; Healthy Body & Mind! 

We love to hear about your magical cooking moments. If you get a chance to make our recipes then leave us a comment or tag us on Instagram @cookingwithruthie, pin us on Pinterest, or follow along with us on Facebook so we can share in the joy of cooking with you! Please reach out if you have questions or comments via our email: ruthie@cookingwithruthie.com. We’re excited to see you again soon!  

One more thing before you go…

We love creating recipes and sharing our adventures with you, so if you can do us a huge favor it’d really support us! It’s easier to stay motivated to share our best with you when we hear from you!! We adore our readers and it really makes our day to get comments, social tags/shares, or pins that you save for later to share with your family and friends! Our hearts sing when you do. We SEE you and we do our very best to respond to all the love! It also amps up our mo-jo so we get lots of awesome things done around here.   

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Thanks for sharing in the CWR blog-love!

Love Always,

Ruthie & Madeliene