Thanks to the coronavirus lockdown we are all stuck at home but that is no excuse not to stay active and continue with our workout routine. In fact, now more than ever it is important to stay fit and boost your immunity.

Here are some tips to staying healthy:

Eat well

Eating healthy is important not only for our physical well-being but for our psychological health as well. Shikha Nehru Sharma, dietician and founder of Delhi-based Nutri Health suggests drinking an immunity booster juice every morning, at least for the next two weeks. Blend together 100 gm beetroot, 100 gm bottle gourd, half an apple, one amla (gooseberry) and one tomato and drink it just before breakfast or in place of breakfast. “This is a great immunity booster as it has a lot of vitamins. It is also great for your skin,” says Sharma.

She also suggests having a kadha recommended by the Ministry of Ayush. Boil four glasses of water with half teaspoon cinnamon powder (or crushed cinnamon), 1-inch piece of ginger, four black peppercorns (crushed), two munakka (dried grape), two teaspoon jaggery and five leaves of tulsi (basil). Boil the concoction till it is reduced to two and a half glasses. Have it warm at least twice a day to boost immunity.

“Instead of overindulging because you are at home, have a lot more salads because they have enzymes that are good for our immunity plus they provide vitamins in their natural form,” says Sharma. All B vitamins found in fresh fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, oranges, lemon, gooseberry also help fight depression. B12 is found in eggs and meat.

Sharma also suggests having dairy such as curd and paneer as those are important for our brain and help release the happiness chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.

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Sleep soundly

It is important that you continue to maintain your schedule and not go off it. Six to eight hours of sound sleep is good for most people. Going to bed and waking up at the same time as before the lockdown is important to maintain some sort of normality.

Keep calm

In the given circumstances it is most essential to keep calm to fight stress, says Tiwari. She suggests doing at least five minutes of Pranayama (meditate and focus on your breath) daily for beginners. “Bhramri and aulom vilom will help calm you down while kapal bharati will help remove all toxins from the body,” advices Tiwari.

Exercise enough

“Our happy hormones increase through exercise,” says Payal Gidwani Tiwari, yoga instructor to Bollywood celebs and also author of several books including From XL to XS and Owning the Bump. Exercise releases chemicals in the brain that make us feel good. She suggests five rounds of Surya Namaskar for beginners. Other asanas such as Dhanur asana (bow pose), Vriksha asana (tree pose) help boost immunity.

The important thing is to exercise, whether its yoga, pilates or just putting on some music and dancing. Many fitness instructors — yoga and pilates, personal trainers, dance teachers — are offering their classes online during the outbreak, some of them for free. There are also several apps that one can download and follow instructions.

Mumbai-based pilates instructor Namrata Purohit recommends a combination of cardiovascular and body-weight exercises. “You don't need too much space to sweat it out, there are various ways in which you practice cardio. Squat jumps, mountain climbers, bear crawl push-ups can help to relieve any anxiety or stress you might feel during the pandemic,” says Purohit. She suggests pilates to tone your muscles and enhance muscular control. She is offering `online classes` and also has `videos` on her website that you could follow.