Physical Health

Taking the stairs might be old news, but it does work. Opting for the stairs over a lift or escalator at any chance you get adds up. The incline also helps to get your heart rate going. It might seem like a small habit to switch in your daily life, but little differences add up. You'll have built up a boosted step count before you know it. 

If you work in an office, chances are you spend most of your workday in the chair. And with work taking up a big chunk of the week - It's a good idea to get some extra movement in where you can. Walking meetings have seen a rise in popularity since the pandemic began. Many claim it offers benefits such as improved focus, productivity and creativity. 

You can also attend virtual walking meetings by dialling into a call from your phone. It might seem weird at first, but this new way of working can add a big boost to your daily step count- and it could see some surprising work benefits too. 

Wiping, scrubbing, cleaning and mopping might not feel like exercise. But those small steps add up to a big total at the end of the day- and you might even get your heart rate going too. Cleaning is also therapeutic for the mind. It helps us wind down from racing thoughts, and it also means we can reap the benefits of a clean environment in our emotional worlds too. So next time you're dreading the usual stint on the treadmill- opt for a refreshing summer clean up instead.  

 When temperatures start to rise, the nights get longer, and social events become ever more frequent, it can be difficult to maintain your usual fitness routine. 

You might find yourself in a motivation slump, short on time and falling off track with your goals. Try not to let this dishearten you. Managing work, physical well-being, finances, relationships, and personal commitments takes time and energy. Things are always changing, and, naturally, these changes will somehow impact your routine.

Motivation comes in peaks and troughs too. Some days it will be easier to head out on your run or post-work workout than others. When you become aware of this fact, you can more easily anticipate these moments— and prepare for them. There are ways to keep up your routine and stick to your usual schedule despite interruptions. Below we’ve put together some tips to keep you motivated over the summer season this year.

Often the most challenging part of any exercise routine is getting started. Once you get the ball rolling with a couple of minutes of your chosen activity, you’re more likely to get in the flow and feel engaged with what you’re doing.

Motivation tends to come after you’ve started your activity. You just need to take that first step. Make this step as easy as possible for yourself by preparing everything you can. 

Pack your workout clothes the night before, go to a class at the same time each week or make your run the first thing you do in the morning. Preparation eliminates distractions and navigates a path of least resistance to your goal.

 Keep in mind why you started. Was it the mood boost you get afterwards? A goal to get stronger? Or maybe you’re training for an upcoming event. Either way, remembering your why can often provide the little boost needed to get you where you need to be. Focus on how you’ll feel after your workout and the plus that you’ll be a small step closer to achieving your goals. 

 Even if you don’t play your best game or you don’t lift as heavy weights as you usually do, you showed up—and that’s a victory worth celebrating. You might need to cut your activity short because of other commitments, or maybe you drop a day to enjoy an evening in the sunshine instead. Don’t let one bad day become a bad week. 

Beating yourself up about missing a day or two isn’t worth it when you look at it over a long period of time. The main thing that counts is consistency, so pick back up from where you started and try again. 

Feeling demotivated to go and plough through your usual routine? Mix things up and get active by trying something new. It could be making the most of the sunny days with a long hike, finding a local park run or taking a new class you’ve never tried before. Typically when engaging in new activities, your focus is higher as you’re required to pay more attention to the novel task. You might not have completed your usual routine. But you got up and moving—and that’s the main thing.   

Get a group together or ask a friend to join you in an activity. If your routine is starting to feel more like a chore, finding new ways to mix it up by doing it with a partner can keep the enjoyment flowing. Plus, social connections boost mood and mental wellbeing, so you’re improving your health in other ways at the same time. 

 Stress is not a new problem. However, today it is office politics, traffic jams, overwork and late nights that cause levels to rise. Whereas cave dwellers burnt off stress through the physical activity involved in fight or flight, today we often cannot physically fight or run away from the things that cause us stress. As a result, we are increasingly all wound up with nowhere to go.

Physical resilience is what we need to keep on going, however tough the pressures are. Without the right levels of energy and stamina, it is very difficult to consistently employ the mental coping skills and strategies you use to deal with stressful or high-pressure situations.

 When stressed, we tend to reach for quick fixes—stimulants like coffee or foods high in fat or sugar—but this diet compounds the problem. Chocolate and coffee give you an initial boost, but then leave you weary. Salty crisps dehydrate the body and brain and bring on fatigue. High-fat meals raise stress hormones and keep them high. 

To beat stress you need a strong body. That means a powerful immune system boosted by plenty of vitamins and minerals. The best source is food rather than supplements, so eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and if you need to snack during the day, try pumpkin or sunflower seeds and fruit. 

There are 350,000 different forms of edible plants on this planet. How many do you eat in a week? Variety is essential as different types and colours of food contain different vitamins and minerals; so eat a rainbow. Variety is actually good for you as your body can become stressed by trying to break down the same food time and time again. 

If you want to deal with stress—drink water. The brain can only operate effectively if its cells are properly hydrated. Being properly hydrated will therefore improve your concentration, focus and mood and help you to cope better with stressful situations. A good rule is to take a few sips every 15 minutes.   

Caffeine stays in the body for six hours before it starts to deplete, all the time triggering the release of stress hormones (adrenaline). Sugar, nicotine and alcohol also stimulate adrenaline – a hormone preparing you for fight or flight. Chocolate contains sugar and caffeine – a double hit! 

Get a group together or ask a friend to join you in an activity. If your routine is starting to feel more like a chore, finding new ways to mix it up by doing it with a partner can keep the enjoyment flowing. Plus, social connections boost mood and mental wellbeing, so you’re improving your health in other ways at the same time. 

Make physical activity a family affair. Family exercise builds healthy bodies and healthy families. Getting kids of any age to exercise with their parents doesn’t have to be a tough sell. The trick is to pick fun, creative activities that get the whole family up and moving.

It doesn’t have to be a formal, structured exercise. Going to the zoo, bowling or cycling can bring the family together actively. Research shows your children will be about six times more likely to enjoy physical activity if you serve as a role model.

Everyone in your family should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days each week (can be made up of ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there). 

Limit everyone’s non-active time to less than 30 minutes per day. 

Make outdoor activity a house rule and “set house goals”.

Plan – sit down as a family and plan the week.

Be creative when choosing activities. Play fast-moving action games like tag and explore opportunities your community offers – walks/runs make great family outings.

Plan family holidays around hiking, skiing or camping. Take along a ball or Frisbee for rest stops.
Create a reward system — gold stars for every activity completed. Track progress toward goals on colourful refrigerator charts.

Choose an “activity of the week”.

Teach them the “2-floor” rule — never take a lift fewer than three floors (if the stairs can be found and are safe).

If it is because they think they are out of shape and unfit they will need your support to be brave enough to give the exercise a go. They could well be self-conscious about how they will look when exercising so it is important to make sure that they know you are all in it together, regardless of how good or bad any of you are.

It may be that they are not keen on the activity you have chosen make sure they are included in all decisions before you settle on a sport to take up as a family.

If they are simply lazy then have a little patience with them and ease them into it little by little.
It is as important to get your partner fully on board, as it is your children. So that is why it is quite so vital to make sure you understand why they are reluctant if that is the case. 

Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity and gives you more energy to do the things you enjoy in life

Lowers the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood. Studies have shown that regular walkers have less LDL cholesterol – the fat in the blood linked with heart disease – and more HDL cholesterol which is better for you

Tones up your muscles and strengthens your bones

Helps to control your weight

What level of walking is needed to benefit health?
You can start slowly and build up gently. If you can only walk for a few minutes and then you need to rest that’s fine. Ideally, you need to include about 30 minutes of moderate-paced walking per day if possible. 

You can start slowly and build up gently. If you can only walk for a couple of minutes and then you need to rest that’s fine. Ideally, you need to include about 30 minutes of moderate-paced walking per day if possible. 

Always maintain good posture and body alignment – the head should stay as a natural extension of the spine with the chin parallel to the ground and eyes focused on the horizon. The chest is lifted with shoulders back and relaxed and with the arms swinging naturally by your sides.

Maintain a natural stride and walk with a rolling heel-to-toe foot action
It is strongly advised not to walk alone but to arrange to go out with a friend or partner. If you do walk alone take a mobile phone or leave a note of where you are going, what time you left and what time you expect to be back.

Be cautious if wearing a headset because it can make you less aware of what is going on around you.

If you decide walking is something that interests you, then investment in a good pair of hiking boots would make sense.

Carry some water to stop dehydration especially if the weather is hot

Start with short easy walks – perhaps one, two or three miles

Work your way up to something more adventurous, perhaps increasing the walk length to five miles over easy terrain. From this base, you can then build up your experience and set out on routes that require more effort 

Being active provides long-term benefits for your heart health and general health. It helps control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health, helping you to look and feel great. Studies suggest that being physically active in middle age can increase your life expectancy by two years, the same benefit as giving up smoking.

You can reap the benefits of being more active from all sorts of physical activity – any increase will be good for your health

 Following a varied routine will reduce boredom and will work your body in different ways. To develop all-round fitness you need to do a variety of exercises that build your strength, flexibility and stamina. 

 If your motivation to exercise is low, finding someone to exercise with can be a good boost. 

Print off our weekly chart and keep a record of your total minutes of activity. Place it on the fridge or cupboards in your kitchen or anywhere you will regularly see it. 

 There will come a time, in even the most motivated person’s exercise routine when he/she will miss sessions and cannot keep to the planned schedule. If this happens set your date for restarting your programme ASAP. 

 Spontaneous exercise may depend on having walking shoes or a change of clothes available. Have them at hand or in the back of the car so if you need to change your schedule you do not need to miss out on a session of exercise. 

A 15-minute brisk walk at lunchtime or leaving home 10 minutes earlier to walk to the next bus stop all counts. 

The possibilities for physical exercise are endless e.g. gardening, household chores, decorating, walking, using the stairs instead 

Every month that you manage to keep your sessions going treat yourself to something you’ll enjoy.  

Make a list of the factors that could stop you from exercising and plan how you will overcome them in advance. Winter weather, time restraints, injury, and boredom are common problems. 

Studies have shown that there is a 20% - 30% lower risk of depression and dementia for adults participating in daily physical activity. 

We are all aware of the benefits of taking part in physical activity and eating well - your risk of heart disease reduces, your joints improve, and your overall health develops as a result.

However, have you ever considered the positive effects that physical activity can bring to your mental health and well-being?

 Many studies have highlighted the link between a healthy body and a healthy mind. Here, we have listed several mental health benefits from engaging in regular physical activity:

Improve your mood - Studies have shown that regular physical activity can give your mood a boost. Experts say that low-intensity aerobic exercise – for 30–35 minutes, 3–5 days a week, for 10–12 weeks – is the best exercise to boost positive moods.

Managing stress & anxiety - Being active allows you to keep your mind focused on a task separate to your stressors. Exercise also releases cortisol - the hormone that allows our bodies to manage stressful emotions.

Self-esteem - Being more active and achieving your goals can boost your confidence and make you feel better about yourself.

Build relationships - Taking part in group or team activities can help you meet new people with similar interests and build new relationships with like-minded individuals.

To stay healthy, adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week or 10000 steps per day (use a pedometer to track your progress) through a variety of activities. Here are a few top tips on how to incorporate physical activity into your day-to-day life:

Set yourself a daily target - Make yourself accountable by telling your friends, family and colleagues about your wellbeing goals. Whether it’s reaching a steps goal, achieving an hour of walking or eating a designated number of calories, ensure that you track your progress.

Healthy commute - Incorporate some physical activity into your daily commute. If you take public transport, get off a stop earlier and walk the remainder. Why not swap your car for your bicycle? It’s good for your health and the environment!

Join a gym/class - Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual workout classes have become readily accessible via personal devices. Encourage your friends to take part to bring a social element to the experience.

At home - Some people find it more comfortable, convenient and safe to incorporate physical activity into their lifestyle while being at home. Activities include; working in the garden, mowing the grass, raking leaves, and picking up rubbish.

At work - There are plenty of ways to achieve your daily physical well-being goals while at work. For example, go for a walk on your lunch break, take the stairs instead of the lift to your floor or stand up every item you answer a phone call.

Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s common for us to neglect our physical well-being to accommodate other areas of our lives e.g. work, family, and caring responsibilities.

As mentioned in this guide, there are plenty of ways of incorporating more physical activity into our daily routine and as a result, your mental health will benefit too.

In today's fast-paced world, staying healthy is more crucial than ever, especially when we spend so much time at home due to various factors such as remote work or quarantine measures. It's easy to fall into unhealthy habits when our daily routines change, but with some conscious effort, we can maintain our well-being and vitality even within the confines of our homes. 

Here are five practical tips to help you stay healthy and active at home

Establishing a daily routine is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle at home. Plan out your day with a proper balance of work, relaxation, exercise, and meals. Allocate specific time slots for activities such as workouts, meals, breaks, and leisure activities. Having a structured routine will not only improve productivity but also ensure you make time for self-care and physical activities, helping you maintain overall wellness. 

Incorporate Regular Physical Activity: Physical activity is vital for both physical and mental well-being. While it may be tempting to stay sedentary while working or watching TV at home, regular exercise is crucial for staying healthy. There are numerous options to stay active indoors, including bodyweight exercises, yoga, online workout classes, or even dancing. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week to keep your body and mind in top shape. 

Being at home can lead to more snacking and indulging in unhealthy foods. To maintain good health, prioritize a balanced and nutritious diet. Stock your kitchen with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid excessive consumption of processed foods, sugary snacks, and sweetened beverages. Meal planning and cooking at home can be enjoyable and rewarding, allowing you to take charge of your nutrition. 

The home environment can sometimes be stressful, leading to anxiety and other mental health issues. Incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine to reduce stress and promote emotional well-being. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, or spending time in nature (if possible) can help you relax and regain focus. Limit exposure to negative news and create a serene space in your home where you can unwind and rejuvenate your mind. 

Sleep is crucial for overall health and helps the body and mind recover from daily stress and fatigue. Establish a consistent sleep schedule and aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Avoid electronic devices before bedtime, as the blue light emitted from screens can disrupt your sleep cycle. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading a book or taking a warm bath, can signal your body that it's time to wind down and prepare for rest. 

Staying healthy at home requires discipline and a conscious effort to prioritize your well-being. By implementing these five practical tips—creating a structured routine, incorporating regular physical activity, prioritizing nutritious eating, practising mindfulness and stress reduction, and getting adequate sleep—you can maintain good health and thrive in your home environment. Remember, small changes can have a significant impact on your overall health, so start incorporating these habits into your daily life today. Stay healthy and stay happy!