Comedian and “The Real” co-host Loni Love is using her voice to help Americans, including those in communities of color, stay healthy during the pandemic.
“You have platforms like‘The Real’ that’s for a diverse audience that you should talk about things that are going to affect that community,” said the Emmy- and NACACP Image Award-winning talk show host.
She wants everyone to know that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting the Black community. It’s one of the top topics she and her co-hosts talk about on the show, helping viewers realize how serious the situation is.
“We, as a community, we’re responsible for giving the right information, and if they can’t get it from us, where are they going to get it from?” she said. “I’m happy that we’re able to do that.”
Mask on
Love tries not to go out much these days but when she does, she’s very careful with her habits, including covering her hair, and keeping hand sanitizer and wipes in her car, and using them often. She washes her hands and her clothes frequently.
She’s a firm believer in wearing masks during the pandemic. She thinks many people aren’t wearing masks because they want to keep their regular lives.
“But life changes and when life changes, you have to make adjustments,” Love said. “But this is just an adjustment. We’ll get through it. We’ll get through it together when we all try to do the right thing and that is to wear masks.”
Self-care
Love has made exercise a priority, too. She joined online workout classes and enjoys the variety of options, such as the ability to do both 20-minute and hour-long workouts. She works out at least least three times a week.
She’s fueling her body in other ways too.
“I try to put some things inside of my body to fuel my immune system up,” said Love, who drinks lots of water and takes vitamins, such as Vitamin C, as well as herbal supplements.
And even though it’s easy to stay up late during quarantine, she sets a bedtime and aims to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
Mental health
Love checks in on her family and friends often, and has Zoom calls with her single friends who live alone.
“Mental is just as important as physical health, and especially during a pandemic where you’re spending a lot of time alone,” she said. “I try to make sure that my friends are OK.”
She encourages others to reach out as well.
“Even if you just call one person, you’re still helping to spread the information, because that one person will tell another person, will tell another person, will tell another person,” Love said. “And that’s what we have to keep doing.”