This week, we continue our #StayHomeWorld campaign by featuring Christel Chang, a student at the University of Edinburgh who is pursuing a degree in psychology. This past year, Christel Chang was studying abroad in San Diego; however, she had to return home to Singapore due to COVID-19. Despite the unexpected ending to Christel’s time studying abroad, she has found ways to adapt and make the most of her time at home. Since she has not been able to go to her regular pilates studio, Christel has recently discovered her love for weight training! She also enjoys baking and spending time outside in the sun.
Location
Singapore
What’s your personal motto?
There’s no one way to live a good life.
What’s your favorite vegetable?
Leafy greens or broccoli; I kinda love them all!
What’s your favorite exercise?
Pilates
What’s your favorite way to center?
Baking
What’s your favorite book?
Cookbooks
What’s your favorite YouTube video?
Cooking videos or “What I Eat in a Day” videos
What’s your favorite daily habit?
Going for a run or baking! Both help to clear my mind and re-center myself, especially when I’m feeling lazy or lethargic.
Christel Chang’s daily routine:
- 9AM – Breakfast
- 9:45AM – Quiet time
- 10:45AM – Watch lecture recordings
- 12:30PM – Lunch and hang out with family
- 2:30PM – Run errands, watch YouTube, or play with dog
- 4PM – Other school-related work
- 5:30PM – Run & strength training
- 7PM – Dinner & hang out with family
- 9PM – Bake
- 10:30PM – Chat with friends
- 11:30PM – Read or watch Netflix
Classes Going Virtual
With all classes going digital, Christel had to transition from lecture-style learning to watching her classes on a computer screen at home. At first, this switch to digital classes made learning much harder to keep up with. After about a month of online schooling, Christel has adapted to online learning by making changes to her daily routine. She now sets aside time in the morning to listen to video lectures and time in the afternoon to complete her homework. By having structured times to complete school work, she has found it much easier to stay on top of her academics.
Trying New Exercises
Christel used to regularly attend pilates classes to get her daily exercise in. Given that she can no longer go to these classes, she began trying other at-home workouts and discovered that she enjoys weight training! Most days, Christel will go for a run and then do weight training at home. Although at first having to switch up her usual exercise routine seemed like an inconvenience, it gave Christel an opportunity to try new exercises and discover her love for weight training!