Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman

This is definitely an unprecedented time in everyone’s lives. As we’re self-isolating in our own homes, many people are finding creative ways to stay connected during this time of social distancing. While it might not be the same as gathering your closest friends together for a backyard BBQ, these clever ways of staying in touch with your friends are sure to help banish any quarantine blues.

CHECK OUT OUR TOP 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET SOCIAL, EVEN FROM AFAR:

Share Your Playlists
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Curating a personalized playlist is an old throwback to creating mix tapes (or CDs, for all you millenials out there) for your best friend, and it is a classic, time-tested tradition of showing someone that you care. Not only can you create a playlist for your friends but you can also create various different playlists to share with others so they can listen while doing quarantine activities, like making dinner or cleaning out their closet. It'll make them feel more connected to you and help boost their mood.
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Virtual Workout Sessions
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Athletes are having to get a bit creative when it comes to sticking to their workout routine from home lately. Even though we may be maintaining our fitness, most of us are missing that important social aspect of being a member of a gym and its community. A cool way to get together with your gym buddies during quarantine is to set up a WOD, HIIT, yoga or stretching session over FaceTime (video call). Not only are you getting your workout in for the day but you’re also getting the chance to connect with your fitness friends. Just knowing we're all still sweating through this together can help keep you motivated!
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Watch Shows Together
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Streaming services (like Netflix® and Hulu®) have been churning out the content lately, so now is the perfect time to (video) call up your sister, co-worker or friends and tune into the same guilty pleasure reality series. Just because we can't physically have visitors in our home doesn’t mean we can’t have a fun night of laughing and chatting together over FaceTime, Zoom® or video calls with them.
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Parking Lot Dinner Dates
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Want to spend time with your partner or loved one while helping to support your local economy at the same time? Try a parking lot dinner date! Many local restaurants are still safely offering take-away options for select menu items, so grab yourself a yummy meal and meet your favorite person in the parking lot. While still maintaining the six feet of required distance, you can sit in your car while they sit in theirs—with the windows rolled down—and spend some quality time catching up. Nothing beats good food and good company, and a few feet of distance is always better than a few miles.
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FaceTime While Cooking
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Sharing recipes has seen a resurgence, with thousands of people discovering or rekindling their love of cooking and baking while in quarantine. (Finding bread and yeast online or in stores lately is like a quest for the Holy Grail!) When has there ever been a better time to try trading recipes with a friend or—as an added level of fun—try cooking together virtually! Not only can you get in some good gab time but you can also share cooking advice while attempting to master each other’s favorite recipe(s). Plus, making a mess in the kitchen is always more fun when someone is doing it with you, even if it's only virtually. After quarantine, we may have to change the saying to: "Friends who cook together stay together."

C O N C L U S I O N

This is a new way of life for everyone so it’s normal to feel days of frustration, stress and loneliness. Taking this new journey one day at a time while finding new, inventive ways to connect with our loved ones is a helpful way to make us feel more social and happy. While these creative shelter-in-place solutions may not be able to replace the joy of holding our partner's hand at the movie theatre on the weekends or meeting up with friends for brunch, we must simply do our best to stay connected and positive during this time. Being kind to ourselves by prioritizing self-care is not only about eating well and keeping fit, it's also about remaining connected with our core group of loved ones. So the next time you’re feeling down, hop on a video call with your best friend and try working out, cooking or just talking while sheltering-in-place, virtually, together.

Cover photo courtesy of @ninaghamari
Cooking photo courtesy of @foodfirstfuel

About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.

You can follow her adventures on Instagram: @the_goodish_traveler or her website: TheGoodishTraveler.com

> > > Stay well.

Later this week, LIFEAID will be launching its LIFEAID LIFT program.
Watch your inbox for additional details!

“Our gyms have been so supportive of our brand, making FITAID the #1 Workout Recovery Drink in America. Now we want to give back and provide monetary assistance to them during this time of turbulence and financial uncertainty. We’re all in this together.”
—Orion Melehan, LIFEAID CEO and co-founder

The Guest Show Podcast: Aaron Hinde Discusses How to Thrive During This Time of Uncertainty

On this episode of the Guest Show, co-founder and president of LIFEAID Beverage Company, Aaron Hinde comes on to talk about the uncertainty presented by the COVID-19 outbreak and how you can steer your business through it.

Aaron's life story takes him through all the ups and downs that entrepreneurs face and this episode presents his actionable advice that you can use now to get through this.

Listen to this episode here.

FREE COURSE
from Nutritional Coaching Institute

As part of the LIFEAID family, Nutritional Coaching Institute is giving you FREE access to one of their best-selling online courses (worth over $2,000). Also, be sure to check out their gut-health course. Get started today!

Learn more about the gut-health course here.

Learn more about the FREE NCI Level-1 course here.

HindeSight | No. 33

While this has been a time of uncertainty around the world, one thing is certain: social distancing is leading many of us to a revolutionary time as a society, we're witnessing a 'closening' of relationships. People are reflecting on what matters most in their lives, surrounding themselves with the people they love (even if only via FaceTime), appreciating nature, embracing new hobbies, making time for healthy habits, and just taking life at a slower pace in general. The LIFEAID team shares how they are practicing social distancing and embracing all the good things that have come out of this otherwise difficult time.

Wishing everyone health & calm.
—Your LIFEAID family

Aaron (President & co-founder)

How do you start your day at home?
Keeping the same morning ritual I always have to start my day on the right trajectory has been key: 20 minutes of yoga, my 5-minute journal, Wim Hof breathing, cold shower, Keto coffee, short prayer, 5 minutes of meditation, then off to the virtual office.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
Morning yoga and a lot of bodyweight exercises like burpees, air squats and push-ups.
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
I drink lots of IMMUNITYAID, take extra Vitamin C and D daily, and eat clean proteins and veggies.
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How do you de-stress?
I take time to de-stress by taking walks, breathing, practicing yoga, meditation and grounding.
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What in your home helps bring you calm?
Going out on my deck, looking out over the woods towards the ocean.
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What keeps you motivated?
I’ve always been self motivated so don’t need anything extra to stay that way.
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How do you stay focused with distractions at home?
FOCUSAID and making sure I get through my top priority every day.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
I honestly love taking walks with the family and discussing current events with my kids.
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What new hobbies have you started or rekindled a passion for?
Orion has taught me how to DJ so I've been enjoying mixing tracks together.

You can CLICK HERE to listen to one of Aaron's sets—it's a great excuse to take a break and move your body today!
What's your favorite part of this experience so far?
Social Distancing = Familial Closening

Aaron & his family

Destiny (Email marketing)

How do you start your day at home?
I wake up a little later (hooray for sleep!), make coffee, open up the windows and start my day.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
I have two small dumbbells and my body weight which is all I need! Stretch, do a few circuits of simple exercises (sit-ups, push-ups, squats & burpees) and I’m feeling good.
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
I love snacking on fruits, veggies, whole grains and IMMUNITYAID.
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How do you de-stress?
Stepping out onto my porch and taking a few deep breathes helps me de-stress ... I turn on some music and forget the world for a minute.
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What in your home helps bring you calm?
I keep all the lights off in the house and allow only natural lighting in during the day. Something about it is really calming. I also try and keep my space as tidy as possible. A clean house + sunlight coming through the windows = bliss.
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What keeps you motivated?
Keeping in contact with my LIFEAID family helps. A little midday impromptu dance party never hurts either!
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What book(s) are you reading right now?
Just grabbed a copy of Call Me By Your Name from the bookstore.
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What’s your favorite part of this experience so far?
The opportunity to grow as a human being and to be able to really evaluate what’s important to me at the end of the day: my health, my people and humanity.

Sabine (Accounting)

How do you start your day at home?
I take my dog for a walk down to the beach and check the waves/surf.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
I have a small home gym that is taking the temporary place of the FITAID gym at HQ right now. I also use 'Ready State,' an online mobility app, every evening. I still get out in the ocean for my paddle & surf sessions; I have a coach for my racing and we intend to stick to my training plan (even if all the races are cancelled). Sticking to the plan will give me some sense of structure and 'normalcy.'
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
My husband and I are doing the 800 gram challenge and plan to keep doing it through this. Fortunately, my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is still running. I fill in the gaps with items from the Farmer’s Market. My pantry is stocked with IMMUNITYAID and FOCUSAID right now. I do rely on protein powder and bars, too, and am happy there is still plenty of that in the stores right now.
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How do you de-stress?
I walk the dog, tend to my little garden, dance or skate around the kitchen, and look at TikTok.
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What keeps you motivated?
Living in Santa Cruz is motivating. I also love my job, so it's easy to stay motivated to do my work.
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What is in your home helps bring you calm?
I work by a window where I can see out to our busy street. Watching neighbors and others walk by the house calms me. We are also trying to keep the house tidy. (We already aren't doing a great job of that.)
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
I get to have lunch with my husband and take the dog for a walk. Really loving that.

Hannah (Graphic design)

How do you start your day at home?
I try to set an alarm every morning and begin each day with some yoga. It helps me wake up and get into 'productive' mode. Practicing yoga puts my mind in a great place, allowing me to stay positive throughout the day.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
After I start my day with yoga, I try to do a short circuit workout (at least 10 minutes) around lunch time to get my blood moving. I’ve really enjoyed doing AMRAPs with bodyweight exercises such as squats, burpees, sit-ups, push-ups and lunges. I also invested in some sliders, resistance bands, a kettlebell, and a pair of dumbbells (which are on the way) so I can add some weight to the mix.
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
Lots of eggs, greens (spinach, kale, arugula), bananas, oatmeal, frozen vegetables (they keep much longer), nuts (great for snacking/topping salads) and ground turkey (which I can use in just about anything).
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How do you de-stress?
Breathe, drink tea and put on a good playlist.
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What keeps you motivated?
Lists!
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What in your home helps bring you calm?
It’s not something in my space, but rather it's getting up and taking a lap around my house every 30 minutes or so, to help keep my productivity up and help me re-focus.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
- Playing Farkle and board games. (If you don’t know what Farkle is, look it up. It’s a lot of fun.)
- Also, cooking with my sister and her girlfriend. I haven’t spent this much time at home with my family in a long time, and we’re growing much closer and our relationships are getting much stronger.
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What books are you reading right now?
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- Big Magic By Elizabeth Gilbert
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What’s your favorite part of this experience so far?
- Being able to get creative with my workouts. I’ve always relied on the gym for exercise (I never realized just how much I relied on it until now). This time has allowed me to re-discover my love of running, hiking, yoga and volleyball.
- I’ve been spending quality time with my sister. We were never that close before, so I’m extremely thankful for this time with her.

Hannah, practicing yoga at home

Karis (Field marketing & social media)

How do you start your day at home?
Once the alarm goes off, I lay in bed for 15 minutes with my pups, then I get up and stretch, make myself some tea and set up my area so I'm ready to tackle work.
What does your home fitness routine look like?
With my gym closing I’ve been able to do daily strength training workouts with the weights and resistance bands at home. I’ve been able to get my cardio and steps in by walking my dogs. I like to walk them on my lunch time so I can also get some fresh air—it gives me the chance to tackle the rest of my work day with a fresh mind.
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How do you de-stress?
At home, I'm able to de-stress by going outside for some fresh air or listening to music.
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What keeps you motivated?
Setting small daily goals so that I can accomplish bigger goals.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
I’ve been able to spend more time with my dogs, giving them lots of extra cuddles. Also, in our home we’re enjoying classic board games as a family.

Karis & fur friends

Claudia (Operations)

How do you start your day at home?
My son Damien usually wakes up around 8 or 9am, so I get up around 6 or 7am, drink one full glass of water, turn on my diffuser downstairs in the living room/kitchen area with essential oils in it and go for a run around 6 or 7am. After my run it is nice to come home and smell the essential oils. Once I am home I turn on some music and make breakfast for my husband, my son and myself. My son and I both love starting our day with some good music and doing some fun dancing before we eat breakfast.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
I go for a run in the morning before my son wakes up. I also try to go for a run with my son (in the stroller) around noon, whenever it's not raining. I received my booty bands just in time (before the in-shelter rule was announced) and now I do some home workouts with my booty bands and some 'mommy & son' workouts. Our family enjoys going outside for a walk together in our neighborhood whenever it is sunny, to get some fresh air and to enjoy Mother Nature.
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
- Scrambled eggs with kale, oatmeal mixed with fruit; Chicken, fish, salads, rice, potatoes or other veggies and fruits (mango, strawberries, raspberries, banana)
- Nuts are a great in-between-meals snack.
- Daily Harvest has a variety of smoothies that are packed with a lot of greens: kale, spinach, avocado, cucumber and some other good ingredients like hemp, chia seeds, different fruits, etc.
- I drink a lot of water during the day as well as IMMUNITYAID Wellness Blend to help boost my immune system. Plus, I take a multi-vitamin pill.
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How do you de-stress at home?
I love listening to music and dancing with my son—makes me forget about anything else in that moment.
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What keeps you motivated?
My son is my biggest motivation since the day he was born. Watching him grow & explore the world while learning new things is a daily reminder to myself to never give up no matter how the circumstances are. He motivates me daily to make the best out of any situation and to enjoy the little things in life. I see the world through his eyes as well and it is nice to forget for a moment all the negative events that happen daily in our world. My son motivates me to keep going and be healthy for myself and him, as well.
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What in your home helps bring you calm?
Cleaning the house brings me calm. Our household is always clean, but since I have more free-time now, I get to clean more often.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
We just love nature and walks, listening to music and playing with lego, or making music with my son and his music instruments.
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What books or music are you reading/listening to currently?
We listen to calming meditation music to relax and find peace during these difficult times. A book that I personally like is Whale Done. (It teaches the reader how to communicate with others to get positive results.)
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What’s your favorite part of this experience so far?
- The fact that almost everyone gets a break from our hectic daily routine. It is nice to take a break for a moment from everything and focus on what is really important: health and well-being.
- I like that I am able to work from home and be present for my son at the same time.
- I love being able to spend time with my family.
- I love that we have to get creative again in order to not get bored while being stuck in the house.
- This is the time that gives us all a chance to change our view of life and to choose what really matters in life.

Ashley (Sales)

How do you start your day at home?
I always turn on my Keurig coffee maker right when I wake up, then (weather permitting) I take my pup for his morning walk, stretch and get ready for the day!
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
With my gym being closed, I purchased some free weights and resistance bands so I can continue to do strength-training workouts. Now my cardio just really includes walking (TRYING to run) with my pup. He’s slowly getting better at the whole running part.
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How do you de-stress at home?
With my oil diffuser, bubble baths and sometimes some yoga. Oh yeah, also ... WINE!
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What keeps you motivated?
I just always look at the overall goal. It's crucial around this time to not lose focus on the big picture.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
Well, it is just me and my pup, so we get a lot more cuddles in. But when I am social distancing with family and friends, we are playing old-school board games and enjoying some adult beverages.

Katie (Social media)

How do you start your day at home?
I wake up at my usual time, light a candle and get a ROMWOD® in, then I get ready for my day and make some breakfast. Also, I completely stay away from my phone for the first hour of my day.
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What does your home fitness routine look like?
Honestly, it’s been tough being a weightlifter yet not able to lift weights right now. The great part of it, however, is that it's forcing me back to my CrossFit® roots and making me work on my endurance. I’ve found that taking my workouts outside has been a game changer.
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What are some staples in your daily nutrition?
I eat a lot of ground turkey, chicken and lean proteins. One thing I'm enjoying eating more of is greens! I’ve also been eating a lot more fruits lately.
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How do you de-stress?
I use the app 'Calm' for meditations, read a good book, run a lap around the block, or talk with friends on the phone.
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What keeps you motivated?
I remember the greater goal, especially when it comes to work. Also, remaining grateful for the fact that I still have a job.
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How do you stay focused with distractions at home?
One of the main reasons why I chose my apartment was all of the natural light. I open up my blinds first thing in the morning and let the sunshine pour in.
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What activities are you enjoying most during this time?
Unfortunately, my family is spread out across the United States, but my parents, who live right outside of Nashville, just got an adorable little Corgi/Blue Heeler puppy named Hank and they send me videos of him constantly which makes me smile.
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What books are you reading currently?
This is a loaded question—I LOVE to read! Some of the books that have inspired me the most are Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight and Artisan’s Soul by Erwin McManus. (My favorite authors are Jodi Picoult, Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin.)
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What’s your favorite part of this experience so far?
Not taking human connection for granted.

Katie, in her home office

Orion (CEO and co-founder)

Orion & daughters in Santa Cruz

The biggest blessing for me during this crazy time of uncertainty has been how much quality time I get to spend with my two beautiful daughters. It's a perfect reminder to us all—never take these moments for granted, they are just waiting to shine through amidst all the chaos.
—Orion Melehan, LIFEAID CEO and co-founder

Need another good excuse to move your body?
LISTEN & DANCE TO DJ ORION'S HOUSE ARREST MIX HERE!

> > > Stay healthy.

The Guest Show Podcast: Aaron Hinde Discusses How to Thrive During This Time of Uncertainty

FREE COURSE
from Nutritional Coaching Institute

LIFEAID Employees Find Positivity in Social Distancing

Debunking 4 Popular Immunity Myths

C O N C L U S I O N

The Guest Show Podcast: Aaron Hinde Discusses How to Thrive During This Time of Uncertainty

FREE COURSE from Nutritional Coaching Institute

LIFEAID Employees Find Positivity in Social Distancing

Debunking 4 Popular Immunity Myths

Aaron (President & co-founder)

Destiny (Email marketing)

Sabine (Accounting)

Hannah (Graphic design)

Karis (Field marketing & social media)

Claudia (Operations)

Ashley (Sales)

Katie (Social media)

Orion (CEO and co-founder)

Need another good excuse to move your body? LISTEN & DANCE TO DJ ORION'S HOUSE ARREST MIX HERE!

FREE COURSE
from Nutritional Coaching Institute

Need another good excuse to move your body?
LISTEN & DANCE TO DJ ORION'S HOUSE ARREST MIX HERE!