Here are 5
must-dos for staying motivated and on track when time isn’t on your side.
1. Work out why
Understanding what drives you to work out and what you want to achieve will
help keep you focused on your goal.
2. Map the way
Struggling to make regular runs or training session? Giving yourself a goal
will really help. Work out what you need to achieve and by when, and make a
training plan that helps you get there.
3. Have a laugh
If you’re somebody who lacks motivation, training with a group or a friend
means you’re more likely to look forward to sessions than dread them. When you
enjoy it, working out becomes more of a hobby, and sometimes the accountability
means you don’t allow yourself to miss the session.
4. Prep, prep, prep Plan your week in advance and review it each Sunday night. Always put in one more session than you need – if you plan four sessions and only do three, then you’re still winning. Get your kick ready and packed each evening instead of rushing around in the morning.
5. Be realistic Start small when it comes to goals and ensure they are actually achievable – you’re less likely to fail that way. Progress takes time and it’s unrealistic to expect huge changes immediately.
It’s no secret that stress is bad for your health. Long-term exposure to anxiety is linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other conditions.
But new research shows negative emotions may alter your bodies immune response, leading to increased inflammation.
The results showed that those who experienced negative moods several times a day, for extended periods of time, tended to have higher levels of inflammation in their blood.
It is hoped that further research may lead to psychosocial interventions to break the cycle that can lead to chronic inflammation and disease.
Meanwhile, hit that yoga class or meditation session.
We have
been told over and over again that 10,000 steps is a healthy and achievable
daily goal. But why 10,000? It might surprise you to learn that the magic number
is actually the relic of a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a
pedometer.
Public
Health England recently released new guidelines suggesting that the ‘active 10’
– three speedy 10 minute walks per day – could be more advantageous than the
10,000 steps goal.
If losing weight is your aim, it’s worth noting that while increasing your step count can lower your body fat, not all steps are created equal. The higher the intensity of the workout, the more significant your weight loss will be. Not only will you burn more calories overall, but metabolic rate increases and remains high for hours after.
Regardless of your goal, experts agree that you reap the rewards when you get your heart rate up. Research suggests it could reduce your risk of early death by 15%.
To make
your 10,000 steps go the extra mile, try alternating between walking and
running and working inclines into your day.
We’re
living in a society where our to-do lists are never ending, and we’re expected
to do it all: work, raise children, keep up with social engagements, go to the
gym, cook meals, clean the house – the list is endless. We often get so
caught up in our commitments that we lose touch with how our bodies feel and
what they’re telling us.
We need to
let go of what our minds tell us we ‘should do’ and start listening to what our
bodies tell us we need. Here are just a few ways you can aim to reconnect with
your body’s natural cues:
Give yourself a break from exercise if you’re feeling fatigued We all know those days when we feel truly exhausted after a hectic week, a sleepless night, a stressful event, and going to the gym is the last thing we feel like. Instead of forcing a terrible workout, it might be a good idea to take a break and spend that extra hour relaxing or catching up on sleep.
It’s not
about avoiding exercise whenever you ‘don’t feel like it’- regular exercise is
important and can be a great stress reliever. However, on those days when
you’ve already over-worked yourself and are feeling truly sore or tired, it’s
important to take a day off to rest if your body tells you to. If you still want
to be active in some way, you could always go for a walk in the fresh air, or
do some slower-paced yoga.
Respect your injuries One of the worst things you can do when you’re experiencing an injury is to ignore it and keep going at full pace. Exercising with an injury can cause serious damage and will only worsen the injury, which means more recovery time and potentially putting your health at risk.
If you’re experiencing a serious injury, be sure to visit your doctor who will be able to advise you on the best way to proceed. Most minor injuries take a few weeks to recover at least, so you should avoid exercising or placing strain on your injury at all. Once you get back to the gym, start out slowly and build your way back up – it’s unrealistic to expect to get back at full form.
Prioritise sleep when you’re feeling run-down With so much going on in our lives, it can be difficult to get as much sleep as we need. While the number varies for different people, experts suggest adults need around eight hours of sleep a night.
When we
get run-down and our immune systems are compromised, getting enough sleep is
absolutely key to helping our bodies fight infection and keep us healthy. If
you’re feeling ill or low on energy, try to prioritise your sleep.
Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues Due to the effects of diet culture and our modern lifestyle, our relationships with food is complicated and many of us have lost the connection with our hunger and fullness cues; we either ignore hunger pangs when our bodies crave energy, or continue to eat past the point of feeling satiated.
Being
tuned in when our body needs food, and when it’s had enough, is key to our
physical and mental health. If you’re suppressing your hunger instead of having
a snack or meal when your body tells you to, you’re depriving yourself of
the energy you need to live. This can lead to crashes in your blood sugar,
mood, and much more serious consequences when driven to the extreme.
Alternatively, regularly over-eating when you’re not hungry, either out of
boredom or for emotional reasons, can lead to disease and weight gain.
Work to
distinguish when you’re actually hungry or full, or when you’re under- or
over-eating due to emotional or environmental reasons. Eating is intuitive,
therefore you’ll be surprised by what your body is actually telling you when
you start to listen to it.
As any
parent will know, a consistent exercise routine is one of the first things to
go after you have children. With shifting priorities, less time to yourself,
reduced sleep and less energy, it is entirely normal for new parents to find
themselves exercising less.
While it
is common for your usual exercise routine to slow down or even come to an
abrupt halt, it can still be possible for parents to incorporate some form of
exercise into their week. Regular exercise is essential to the well-being of
everyone, parents included. It has been proven to have a positive impact on
depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. It relieves stress,
improves memory, results in better sleep, and boosts overall mood.
How can I do more exercise as a parent? While finding the time and motivation to exercise as a parent is tricky, there are a few ways you can include more in your daily routine. The important thing to realise is that your definition of what makes up exercise has to shift after you have children. Change your perspective, and exercise and activity aren’t as hard to achieve as you might think.
1. Be active throughout the day One of the most efficient ways to fit exercise into your day is to make it a part of your usual daily activities. For example, instead of taking an hour to go to the gym, you can be active in a number of different ways such as walking to the shops instead of hopping on the bus.
2. Exercise more efficiently One of the skills you pick up very quickly as a parent is time management and making the most of every free second you have. You need to exercise more efficiently with the time you do have – an effective workout doesn’t need to eat up a large chunk of your time, it can be done in 20 minutes. For example a HIIT routine is high in intensity and speedy.
3. Invest in home gym equipment If you are working out at home, it might be worth investing in a few items to help you out. Equipment doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive – a workout mat, resistance band, skipping rope and a set of dumbbells are just a few things that could help you do the job.
4. Make exercise a family affair One of the most effective ways of squeezing in exercise is to involve your children. Not only will you get more exercise, but your children will too. A few ways to exercise together are to walk/cycle/run around your local park (an idea might be that you run while you kids cycle so you move at a similar pace), play ball games together such as football, or go swimming.
Did you know that between 75 and 90 percent of all doctor’s office visits are due to stress-related complaints? For this reason, it is important to understand the many different ways in which stress impacts our health and wellbeing. This infographic guide from the team at Study Medicine Europe shows how stress affects the body and also offers some practical pointers on stress management.
How Stress Affects the Body
When we feel stressed, our brain triggers a “fight or flight” response which pushes the body into survival mode. Once in this state of high-alertness, the stress hormone, Cortisol, can temporarily modify or shut down functions that get in the way, such as your digestive or immune systems or even your growth processes. This is why you may experience symptoms such as headaches, heartburn and stomach aches when you feel stressed.
The Impact of Chronic Stress
Chronic stress refers to when your stress system is continually activated over a long period of time. This overuse puts a lot of pressure on the body and increases the risk of certain illnesses. Studies have found that people who suffer from chronic stress are more likely to suffer from particular conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and burnout.
Combating Stress
We all know that it’s important to look after our physical health, but sometimes we forget about the importance of taking time to look after our mental health. Part of being healthy is learning positive ways to manage stress. Some ways to do this include learning mindfulness, being able to recognise your stressors, and making lifestyle changes.
Learn More About the Negative Health Impact of Stress
If you are curious about the science of stress and would like to find out more, why not check out the below infographic. This handy guide looks at how stress work and lists out the many ways it can affect our health. It also outlines some things you can try to reduce stress in your own life.
There’s some promising evidence that suggests a heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diet could cut your risk of developing problems with memory and thinking.
The diet is balanced with an emphasis on fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish, with limited consumption of meat, sugar and saturated fat.
Try the MIND way of eating. This diet, developed to help brain function, combines the Mediterranean diet and the blood pressure-lowering DASH diet. It’s packed with vitamin E, which may protect against plaques in the brain; omega 3, which could improve brain cells’ ability to communicate; and vitamin B, to help prevent memory loss.
Base your meals on these to give your brain the nutrients it needs:
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale
Other veg, such as red peppers, squash, carrots and broccoli
Nuts
Berries
Beans, lentils and soybeans
Wholegrains
Seafood
Poultry
Olive oil – in fact studies have suggested that the antioxidant found in olive oil could reduce plaque formation that is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
Have an MOT
Early detection of any health condition increases the chance of a cure, so have a health check for ‘hidden’ problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and glucose intolerance that don’t produce obvious symptoms.
Watch the booze
Alcohol contributes to anxiety and depression, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, weight gain and liver disease. You can assess if you are drinking too much at drinkaware.co.uk.
Cut back on salt
Salt contributes to the age-related increase in blood pressure. Avoid salty foods, don’t add salt at the table, and check labels to select products that have low salt/sodium content.
Cut back on sugar
Excessive sugar intakes are linked with weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, stroke, dementia and some cancers. Public Health England suggests adults should have no more than 30g free sugars (7 sugar cubes) per day. Wean yourself off of sweet foods, and check labels to find products with the lowest sugar content.
Track yourself
The amount of physical activity carried out by middle-aged men in particular, is worrying low. Only 20% do light-to-moderate exercise, and 60% are totally inactive. Use an activity tracker or pedometer to monitor how much exercise you’re doing.
Lagom is the latest export from Sweden. But what does it mean and how can it help us to live a healthier lifestyle?
Lagom means ‘just the right amount’. It’s not about denying yourself things, it’s simply about considering them and making sure you don’t eat too much, or too little.
So if you’re typically a binge eater or exerciser, who then follows it by weeks of doing nothing, adopting a more balanced, Lagom lifestyle could work for you.
Go green
Magnesium can improve how quickly you fall asleep. Up your intake with leafy greens, such as spinach.
Picture the scene
Visualising a relaxing place, such as a beach, has been shown to help insomniacs drop off 20 mins earlier than normal.
Eat right
Eating more fibre leads to better and deeper sleep, while meals high in saturated fat and sugar have the opposite effect.
Be consistent
Having a set time to go to bed and get up helps to regulate your body clock.
Breathe easy
Breathing exercises relax your mind and body making it easier to switch off.
Take a tech break
Looking at your phone or laptop before you go to sleep could be stopping you from falling asleep and affecting your sleep quality. The blue light from screens can interrupt your melatonin production, which helps control your sleep/wake cycles.
Never exercise before bed
Heavy workouts release adrenaline, elevate cortisol levels and raise body temperature – not good for sleep.
