PORTLAND, Maine — You’ve no doubt heard of—and probably engaged in—stress eating. How about boredom eating? If you’ve never indulged in either, you’re a more disciplined person than 98% of the rest of us. Rarely have those two sins been as tempting as they are now, when so many people are cooped up at home for hours at a time.
As a personal trainer and nutrition coach, Kendra Jarratt spends a lot of time helping people develop good habits and break bad ones—and stress and boredom eating definitely fall into the latter category. Is it easy to avoid temptation? Of course not. But she’s got some ideas that help.
Here’s one: Write down what you eat. Yes, all of it, the nutritious and the embarrassing—the salad and the banana and the kale smoothie, but also the candy bars and chocolate chip cookies and the third glass of wine. That one habit will make you much more aware of what you’re putting into your body. “There’s something about connecting your handwriting in a journal with what you’re actually doing,” she says, that will help you stay away from mindless eating.
When you’re at home, temptation is usually just a few steps away. “A handful of Goldfish and a couple of Oreos that you’ve socked away for your kids, those add up really quickly,” she says. “So track [what you eat] and be super accountable for what you put in your mouth.”
Watch our full interview with Kendra Jarratt for more tips on how to exercise and eat right when spending a lot of time in the house. You’ll also find some indoor workout routines she demonstrates.
