By Haley Cinotto
The new Austin Recycles App is the easiest and fastest way to get important alerts and reminders about your City of Austin trash, recycling and compost services. The app is available for Apple and Android devices, so download it today! #KeepingYouCollected
It’s the weekend! You know what that means… more indoor activities! Hey, we’re here to help make it fun. Check out some ideas you can do if you want to change things up this weekend while you’re social distancing. Stay safe out there, folks!
Workout
“Not having enough time” is no longer an excuse to delay exercising. With gyms being closed, people are having to find other approaches to staying fit. If the location is safe and free from crowds, try running at a park or on a trail to prevent growing stir-crazy from spending so much time at home. Another option is working out at home. A lot of fitness companies like Beachbody, Peloton, Le Sweat, are offering multiple fitness programs free for a limited time. Take advantage of the unlimited supply at-home videos on YouTube where you can partake in virtually any activity from aerobics to yoga to Zumba.
Read all those books you’ve been planning to read
Photo: Unsplash
Staying at home is a perfect time to pick up a book you’ve been keeping on the shelf and haven’t gotten to yet or to revisit an old favorite. If you’re looking for the next good read, consider joining a virtual book club or starting your own. Ever debated if the book or movie is better? Read a novel that has translated to the big screen or to a TV series for additional fun. You’ll never get bored!
FaceTime a family member or friend
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
Right now more than ever people are likely to experience feelings of loneliness and isolation. Making time to talk with others about how you are feeling can make you and them feel better. For those who aren’t as tech-savvy, Phone calls and emails are the easiest. However, video chatting apps like FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and Facebook Messenger have the amazing ability to allow you to see and hear each other during communication. Try writing in a calendar the days you talk to each loved one so you won’t forget the last time you communicated. They need you more than ever!
Watch a movie
Running out of things to binge watch while sheltered at home? Well, get the popcorn ready. Last week, both HBO and AMC announced they are now offering tons of streaming content for free through its HBO Now and HBO Go apps. Amazon prime is also teaming up with the SXSW festival to stream the movies that were originally planned to debut at this year’s event free for 10 days. If you don’t like watching movies alone, Netflix created a new way to watch with friends through “Netflix Party.” This new feature synchronizes the videos and even adds group chat to your favorite show. How cool!
Photo: Unsplash
Learn a new instrument
We don’t exactly know how long we might be in isolation, why not learn a new skill or two? From piano to guitar to singing, or whatever instrument you desire to learn, a quick search on YouTube can start you off. Going from complete beginner to expert on YouTube alone might not be easy. Websites like artistworks and imusic-school are great places for additional resources. Fender is even offering new users a 3 month free trial of instructor-guided lessons. No instrument? No problem. Simply Piano is a useful app to kick start your lessons with an onscreen keyboard. With a little time, patience, and consistency, you can improve your skills!
Support your local businesses
Austin restaurants are adapting to social distancing requirements by adding takeout and delivery options even spots that don’t do it typically. If you can, take the night off from cooking to support workers and business owners located nearby. By purchasing gift cards, it will help keep them in business during these uncertain times. Through third-party delivery service options such as Favor, Uber Eats, and DoorDash, Austin residents can partake in cuisine from most restaurants in town at a touch of a button. Delivery workers are especially vulnerable to contracting coronavirus. If you can afford to tip more, delivery workers would appreciate it.
