Aislinn Coffey, Style Editor

Keep moving … with Milena Jacksic live online Platinum Pilates class via the Zoom app. Book online at www.platinumpilates.ie for details for three virtual classes daily.

Avoiding … the biscuit barrel by walking daily for 45 minutes and tracking weight using Lose It! app. 

Following … Dr Doireann O’Leary, the front-line Cork-based GP’s straight-forward advice on staying fit and social distancing @dr.doireannoleary as well as Dubliner (though London-based) Anne Marie Gee’s sustainable fashion, over-40s beauty and store-cupboard cooking tips @catwalkgee. 

Watching … Period films on Netflix. Emily Blunt’s Young Victoria, Emma Thompson in Sense & Sensibility, Antony Hopkins in Howard’s End and Colin Firth in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

Listening … to @ritawilson’s #quarantunes on Spotify. Compiled by Rita while she and Tom Hanks are in isolation Down Under.  

Siomha Connolly, Digital Editor 

Baking … The act of making something from scratch, closely following a recipe (preferably hand-written or from a book rather than on a phone or laptop) is an act of self-care and stress relief, offering a gentle escape from the hectic fast-paced living that we’re used to. I’ve recently taken to baking banana bread using a recipe which was passed on from my sister and am looking forward to trying this NYT recipe for chocolate chip cookies over the next few days. 

Reading … Isabel Allende’s A Long Petal of The Sea. Allende has a way of writing about difficult times of war, poverty and crisis that is both harrowing and soothing. She doesn’t shy away from the facts (the devastating illnesses, battles and crimes that killed many, in this instance Spanish Civil War into Second World War) but shows that even in times of adversity it is love, solidarity and friendship that keeps us going – a timely reminder that we could all do with hearing.

Listening … to podcasts. Having never really taken an interest before now (except for Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton’s The High Low) I’m finally getting into them starting with author Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail and DJ Annie Mac’s Finding Annie.  

Penny McCormick, Deputy Editor

Reading … I’ve just finished two thrillers by Australian author Christian White (The Wife and the Widow and The Nowhere Child) which both had interesting twists I didn’t see coming. If you like Jane Harper thrillers, then these will appeal. They were recommended by an Australian friend who sent them to me via thebookdepository.com.  For those of us who prefer print, rather than Kindle, as more bookshops close, I recommend this site – books are usually cheaper and delivery is fast and free; www.thebookdepository.com

Dancing to … Earth Wind & Fire September and Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling.  I’ve just been sent and advance copy of The Dance Cure by Dr David Lovatt, a professional dancer turned dance psychologist. Lovatt believes that just ten minutes of dancing per day can release endorphins and release stress levels. The book is published by Short Books on April 2. 

Practising …  Yang Sheng, otherwise known as the self-treatment aspects of Chinese medicine. I’m getting back to my gua sha jade tool (If you don’t have one a jam jar lid does the same thing), which has been languishing in the bathroom cabinet recently. Gua Sha has been used to treat a whole range of conditions from fever to chronic coughs and migraines and has been proven to increase immunity. I use mine together with the The White Company’s excellent Overnight Renewal Treatment Oil, currently on sale at €31.20 and I recommend The Hayo’u Method for those who want to find out more; www.thehayoumethod.com 

Embracing  … daily cleaning routines. Milton is my new favourite scent but if it threatens to overwhelm me, I’m also burning The Shelbourne’s new candle Exotic Woods, specially created by Cloon Keen, which combines cedar and rosemary. It’s available from The Shelbourne gift shop, €35; www.theshelbourne.com

Read more: How THE GLOSS Team is Coping with Cabin Fever