This has been a challenging time for me and most people I know.

The fear of catching Covid-19 and the lockdowns implemented to get a handle on the pandemic have found many of us paralyzed as we shelter in place, forced out our usual routines.

Back in July, I found myself splayed out on the sofa, feeling like crap, and fatter than ever at 216 pounds (98kg). Yuck!

Pandemic or not, I decided then and there to make some changes. Over the last 6 months, I lost more than 30lbs/14kg and I’m feeling great physically, mentally, and emotionally. My motivation is up, as well as my productivity. 

Here are the tips that helped me, based on personal experience:

1. Get up out of the chair once in a while

As a freelancer, deep in concentration and focusing on projects, it’s easy to stay stuck sitting down for hours. Not good! 

I found some easy tricks that help me to get up and keep the blood moving. First tip is NOT to sign-up for Spotify premium. That way, as a free user, I get the annoying commercials, which are my trigger to get up out of my chair and do something else for a few minutes. That’s also my cue to finish my water (I usually have a cup of water with me) and get some more. Eventually, I need to get up to “get rid” of said water, which is another trigger to get up outta the chair. Works brilliantly! 

2. Get outside and move

Not sure if this is more important for mental or physical health.

This was always hard for me to do. Before July, I never felt that I could “drop everything” and go outside and “play.”  There was always something more urgent to handle and then, oops, I’m too tired, or it’s too dark, or I’m too hungry, or it’s too late, or whatever.

So, I set a regular alarm on the phone every day at 4pm to get outside and exercise. If I’m in the middle of something, which is often the case, I hit the snooze button. Every 9 minutes, my alarm goes off. Again, and again, until I finally get up, change into my workout clothes, and go out and sweat.

The hardest part is just getting up and leaving the computer.  99% of the time, I’m thankful to get up, get out, get some fresh air, and see the sun before it’s gone for the day.  Not once has this caused a problem with my deadlines. Nothing was actually so important or urgent to stop me from getting outside and moving around like a human being.  LOL  (This also provides me with some time to think, listen to podcasts, etc., which I think actually helps with the work stuff.)

3. Prioritize health and nutrition

I also have a daily alarm at 12:30pm that reminds me to take my vitamin supplement and get out in the mid-day sun to strip down (as much as possible) and get some sun exposure (to naturally synthesize vitamin D). I use my 15-minutes of “fun in the sun” to recharge, catch up on phone calls, listen to part of a podcast, or just to think. With all the smoke breaks and coffee breaks that people take, it’s not unreasonable. It’s nice not to be pale, too, and I’m sure that there are other benefits.

Also, on the first day of the weekend, I do all my cooking for the week. This weekend, for example, I roasted a humongous quantity of cauliflower, beets, and fennel. I also put a bunch of chicken breasts and thighs in teriyaki marinade, and my wife made a huge pan of Iraqi meatballs in a rich tomato sauce (her specialty). Now we’ve got healthy meals, ready and convenient, whenever we get hungry, which makes snacking on junk much easier to avoid. 

4. Have a goal

All the other stuff was easy because, back in July, I set a goal to bring my BMI down from almost 30 (obese) to 25 or less (healthy weight). 

This goal motivated me. Every morning I weighed in and my day started with a minor victory, or sometimes frustration. It kept things interesting either way.  Plus, over time, it was nice to see positive results and feel better in my clothes. 

More important, I was able to see, at a fundamental level, that my actions had impact and that I had the power to change certain things in the world, certain “forces of nature.” 

This goal, and the resulting successes along the way, helped me to feel confident and empowered, even in the midst of a pandemic and financial crisis, and gave me the strength and motivation to stay motivated and productive.

I hope that some of these tips might also help you!

Got any tips you’d like to share? Let me know at dan(at]tomboloapp[dawt)com. 

(Dan Bloom is a freelance writer and consultant for Israeli startups and tech companies that’s been working with CEO Ifat Ben David and the rest of the Tombolo team from the early days.)