I'm sure we have all seen it: stay-at home workouts, easy workouts during quarantine, what I eat in a day quarantine edition. That is good for all these people. I am not bashing on anyone who is using this time to work on themselves and create a healthy lifestyle. But how about we stop shaming people into thinking they need to workout and lose weight right now. I am sure most of you can relate to the ever-growing pile of work from classes piling up. My homework load has severely increased since being in quarantine. I have been extremely stressed and the last thing I need to see whenever I get some time to relax is a bombardment of people telling me to use this time to workout. I get it, working out is important. However, it is not my main concern right now, and it shouldn't be. This is a very unusual and stressful time; I am not going to add another stressor of feeling like I need to lose weight to the already mountain of worries I have.

When I have time, it is nice to go for a walk or do physical activities. I try to eat healthy and not pig-out on junk food. But I am not going to go out of my way to do that right now. If you have access to a home gym and fresh produce that is great for you. Not everyone has that though and I shouldn't be guilt-tripped for it. Maintaining an active lifestyle is important, but not right now. There are a lot of unknowns and worries and new responsibilities that none of us expected. I am not going to feel guilty over not working out when I finally have some time to myself. I get up at 7 am every morning and work until at least 1pm before taking any sort of break. Even then, I most likely have more work to do. And you want me to workout during the maybe hour I get to myself. It is not healthy to stretch yourself that thin. And guess what? Whenever I do manage to workout, all that is going on in my mind are the different responsibilities and tasks I still have to complete.

So, if I gain weight during quarantine, fine. I don't care. My mental well-being will thank me in the long run. If you don't have as busy of a schedule and want to workout, that is great for you. I love working-out, honestly, I do. But it is not a priority for me right now. No one should feel pressured to make it one. Put your mental health first!