Happy Tuesday, Honors Community! Taking good care of ourselves is more important right now than ever. If we can’t be together in person to talk self-care and well-being, we can certainly share our best tips online: that’s Take Care Tuesdays (digital-style). Each week, we’re curating goodies for you to read, watch , and join as you adjust to learning and living remotely. This week we’re focusing on a theme — exercise.

READ

This piece on how exercise has changed—and why that's difficult for us: "Exercise is that rare private activity that often unfolds out in the open, on the gym floor and in studio classes and on sidewalks, where people can find community while staying comfortably anonymous." As you wait for your favorite gym or class to re-open, the article shares great tips to keep you accountable, too. Read more here>>

This World Health Organization resource outlining a great set of exercises you can do at home, with very little equipment. The guide aims to help people integrate simple, safe ways to stay physically active in limited space. Read more here>>

WATCH

This video on the incredible benefits of exercise — and read the accompanying article, which offers good news: the best mental health benefits from exercise occur in folks who work out 3-5 times per week! (As opposed to more than five times a week or not at all.) Watch video here>>

JOIN

Honors Student Athlete Catherine Liggett in getting moving: "I have found exercise to be a major stress-reliever as well as a great way to break up studying and make sure I am still getting movement in. In order to practice social distancing but also make sure I am getting fresh air, I have focused on making an effort to get outside whether that be going for a run, bike ride or walk with family members (while still following social distancing expectations of course!). During this time, it is critical that we still stay physically and socially engaged, so I think great ideas include calling a friend while going on a walk or even doing a bodyweight routine at home over FaceTime.  By emphasizing social connections while staying fit, we can ensure we are nourishing both our body and mind to cope with the current climate we face ."

The 2020 Recreation Movement in getting to 5 million active minutes! Along with University Rec Centers across the US, KU will be providing free virtual KU fit groups fitness classes to achieve a goal of 5 million activity minutes. Create a profile to track your minutes and see our schedule of classes at 2020recreationmovement.com .

+ Join Us as we work from home. Honors Staff and faculty fellows, like you, are navigating the brave new world of working remotely. We'd love to hear from you with tips (and photos!) of how you're coping and staying well. Please send your stories and photos to honors@ku.edu ! This week, meet Dr. Nathan Wood:

Wells Overlook, March 26, 2020. New Honors Faculty Fellow Dr. Nathan Wood (History) thinks now’s a good time for his Czech “Bike for Life” jersey — and for solo rides around Lawrence to help in these trying circumstances.  What are you doing to soothe yourself and stay healthy, and how can we help?

We’ll be back with more next week, and until then, take good care .