Martha Stewart addresses the no shoe policy indoors. It can be a tricky topic here in Canada. In Asia of course it’s simply not a question shoes come off. But how to have a no shoe policy here. Martha with the help of Lauren Wellbank has suggestions. Of course in my mind in winter that’s not a question! Though I have had a guest come out from the slush and walk right in – but that’s another story.

TheScrimm has put together a bit of a checklist of things to consider if you are going back to the office after all this time. It can be a challenge! Two years later we’ve fallen into a different routine.

If you’ve been spending most of your time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re definitely not alone. The home is now your professional workspace in addition to being the place where you care for your children, perform daily chores, and fit in some time for rest and relaxation.

Overall Health and Wellness

Being cooped up indoors can have a negative effect on your physical and psychological health. According to a survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 41% of respondents reported that the pandemic has been the direct cause of some adverse mental health conditions. The physical and mental well-being of yourself and your family needs to be a priority.

Increase Your Home Health

Making a few improvements in your Ontario, Canada, home and tweaking some daily routines can go a long way toward improving your environment in a healthy way while you’re continuing to deal with a degree of pandemic isolation.

• Preventive health care. Although some physicians’ services may be virtual, you still need to keep up with necessary tests, screenings, and vaccinations even during a pandemic.
• Lifestyle changes. Because you’re cooped up at home for long periods of time, you may need to tweak your lifestyle for health and comfort reasons. Undertaking exercise routines and paying more attention to creating healthier meals are important, as well as making spaces in the home for quality downtime.
• Test your indoor air quality. Since you’re spending more time at home, you want to ensure you have adequate ventilation and minimize air pollutants that can be dangerous to your health.
• Revive your spaces. Change up the home’s lighting to brighten rooms, add refreshing fragrances to the household with essential oil diffusers, and take some time to get rid of clutter.

Healthful Home Renovations

Exercise and relaxation are vital ingredients in preventive health care. When pandemic restrictions force you to spend most of your time at home, it’s time to consider some home renovations to create a gym space, a yoga studio, and/or a high-quality entertainment center you can use without leaving home.

Although you may be tempted to convert your basement into an exercise room or movie theatre on your own, you’re likely to find that working with a reliable contractor yields a more professional outcome while also saving you time and stress.

The cost of converting your basement into a private gym or entertainment center depends on where in Ontario you’re located. Other factors that can determine the project’s final costs include the type and quality of materials used for your desired renovations.

Your dream basement remodel may include adding carpeting to a concrete floor. If so, make sure you add a subfloor installation to the project’s scope. Most basement carpets are susceptible to mould, which can cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and other irritating and sometimes dangerous symptoms when mould spores are inhaled.

Stay Healthy and Refreshed

If you’re cooped up at home during a worldwide pandemic, you can find ways to keep physically and mentally fit while enjoying your private spaces. Changing up your daily routine, making a few lifestyle changes, and adding a few key home renovations from the Molly & Claude Team can make all the difference in your quality of life. Reach out today.

As you likely know you now need proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, and other places.

Don’t be like me downloading the proof on the sidewalk, standing with past clients subsequent to having been refused entry in a restaurant.

Subsequently, as I find PDS’s downloaded to my phone challenging to find I sent them to myself by email, then converted them to JPG and saved them in my gallery on my phone.

Get your proof of COVID-19 vacation here.

Apartment Therapy has put together their Healthy Home issue: 87 Ways to Feel Healthier at Home

Mind

• A Tennessee Therapist Created a Joyful House Full of Pink Doors and Rainbow Mural
• How to Create a Self-Care Corner in Your Home
• Why you should make plans with your home

Body

• An epidemiologist and her family made a temporary home in a 1,600 square foot craftsman bungalow
• 9 easy tips and hacks for people who can’t stop sneezing inside
• This light, airy house was designed with wellness in mind
• The weird history of home fitness

Sleep

• How Ethel’s Club’s Naj Austin designed her brownstone apartment to promote rest
• 8 genius sleep ideas that mental health pros give their most anxious patients
• The anatomy of a perfect bedroom, according to sleep experts

A few days ahead of schedule, Ontario has now entered Step 3 of the pandemic reopening. You can read a snapshot of what that means here and the details on the Ontario website.

Sixteen months later, in a sense, it feels like the pandemic started yesterday, in another it feels like a lifetime. It almost seems incredible that businesses are coming back. It’s been quite the ride! Here’s to the future!