Monrovia – here’s how to manage your weight and budget while quarantined

The last few weeks have been unfolding fast, but yet so slow. Schools are closed, businesses are closing their doors (ours included), “non-essential” staff have been asked to work from home while some have even been laid off. Most of us now have so much anxiety and so much free time on our hands and we don’t know what to do with it. I fear that after this quarantine is over, many of us will be stuck with some unwanted jiggles in all the wrong places so I decided to write this blog post to share ways to manage your anxiety, your weight and your budget while quarantined.

Managing your anxiety

I am normally a very calm person. Being in this state of uncertainty has shown me that I am not immune to anxiety and depression. I’ve been worried about losing my job; my business not recovering from the shock of the crisis; getting sick in Liberia and not getting proper care; just to name a few. So many thoughts are running through my head right now but what has kept me sane through it all is my hope in Jesus. I’ve managed to reassure myself that this hope doesn’t disappoint and that this too, shall pass. My faith has kept me grounded mentally and spiritually. Each day I wake up, I pray with my family and commit everything to him, then I intentionally practice all the safety measures. Other things that helps include:

1. Daily meditations – meditating on God’s words and reminding yourself of his promises will give you the strength you need to get through this time.
2. Exercise – exercise helps your brain release the feel good hormone called Oxytocin and will help you maintain your weight. Since we’re quarantined, I break up my workout into two 20-30 minutes session during the day. And when I feel bored, I get up and do some squats. (Win-win for boredom and building some nice booty)
3. Stay connected to family, friends, and loved ones – a lot of people are struggling. Reaching out to people via calls, text or social is great for reducing anxiety and feeling loved. We all need love and the best way to receive it, is to first share it.

Managing your weight

I normally binge eat, that’s a habit that I’ve worked hard to curb. Staying home all day with food all aroud you is a trigger for binge eating. Here are few tricks I use to control my cravings.

1. Store your food and snacks out of sight and in hard to reach places like a locked pantry or the freezer.
2. Plan your meals for the day and have them ready for consumption.
3. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you’re full.
4. Drink more water, less fruit juices and alcohol.
5. Plan daily activities that include your work, playing with your kids and education enrichment for yourself. When you have activities lined up during the day, you wont be tempted to overeat.
6. When you’re having snacks, don’t eat from the bag, you might be tempted to eat the whole bag. Use a portion cup or plate to measure out a reasonable portion.
7. Stock up on whole foods, like fruits, veggies and whole grains and limit consumption of canned and highly processed food.
8. Now that you have time, you can prep an entire week worth of lunch and dinner for you and your family.

Why it’s important to eat fruits and veggies regularly?

Fruit and vegetables are great sources of essential vitamins and minerals that your body need to stay healthy. Studies have found that the body absorbs vitamins like vitamin C and potassium much more effectively from raw fruits and veggies than it does from supplements. No single fruit or vegetable can provide all the nutrients your body needs. You need to eat a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet. This may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, prevent constipation and other digestion problems as well as reduce your risk of bowel cancer.

Managing your budget

In these uncertain times, it makes sense to stock up essentials. While that is good, people are hoarding and as a result spending way more than they should on really unnecessary items, like the toilet paper craze. When push comes to shove, can you eat the toilet paper? Please shop smart. Buy things that are lifesaving. Store some canned foods that can be used at the times that you won’t be able to go out at all. Always have an extra bag of rice, an extra gallon of oil and some seasoning. These are essential for survival. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis and ration it appropriately. A simple groceries list for one-week supply can look like this:

	FOODS	UNIT	AVERAGE PRICE
Fruits			ld
	Banana	Piece	$             100.00
	Pawpaw	Piece	$           200.00
	lime	Piece	$             50.00
Veggies
	Butterpear	Piece	$           100.00
	ginger	pile	$              50.00
Grains
	Oat meal	pack	$            300
Lumpsum	Rice and soup ingridients	$         6,000.00

Of course you can modify and adjust where necessary depending on your family size and budget but always include room for vegetables so that you and your family can consume them 3 to 5 times every week. But don’t neglect eating essential fruits and vegetables.

Here’s a list with average prices attached to them for your information.

	FOODS	UNIT	AVERAGE PRICE
Fruits			ld
	Banana	Piece	$             25.00
	Orange	Piece	$             20.00
	Pawpaw	Piece	$           150.00
	Pinapple	Piece	$           200.00
	Plum	Pile	$           100.00
	Grapefruit	Piece	$             50.00
	lime	Piece	$             10.00
	lemon	Piece	$             10.00
	Watermelon	Piece	$           200.00
	Leitchi	Pile	$           100.00
	Coconut	Piece	$             40.00
	apple	Piece	$           100.00
	grapes	Kg	$           200.00
Veggies
	Butterpear	Piece	$           100.00
	Carrots	Piece	$           100.00
	Cucumber	Piece	$             30.00
	Cabbage	Piece	$             50.00
	Pumpkin	Piece	$           100.00
	lettuce	Bunch	$             50.00
	Tomato	Piece	$             60.00
	cassava	Pile	$           100.00
	plantain	Bunch	$           100.00
	eddoes	Pile	$           100.00
	potatoes	Pile	$           100.00
	corn	Pile	$           100.00
	yam	Pile	$           100.00
beans
	yellow peas	Cup	$           100.00
	green peas	Cup	$           100.00
	lentils	Cup	$             50.00
	butter beans	Cup	$             60.00
	country beans	Cup	$             60.00
greens
	parsley	Bunch	$             50.00
	mint	Bunch	$             50.00
	basil	Bunch	$           100.00
	potatoes greens	Bunch	$             60.00
	Cassava leaves	Bunch	$             60.00
	Palava sauce	Bunch	$             80.00
	Fever leaves	Bunch	$             80.00
	collard greens	Bunch	$             50.00
	bitterballs/kittily	Pile	$             25.00
	eggplant	Pile	$             50.00
	water greens	Bunch	$           100.00
Grains
	Bulgar wheat	Pack	$2.95
	Couscous	Pack	$2.00
	Country rice	Pack	$4.00
	Rice	Bag	US$15

You can add more to this list in the comment section and don’t forget to like and share with others who need the information.