If you've lost your usual motivation during lockdown and quarantine, that's OK.
With so many people sharing their new workouts and run times, it can feel like you're the only one who's feeling flat. But you're not!
Most people are just trying to get through each day stuck at home, let alone achieve new goals. Here are a few healthy moves you can make even when you're feeling stuck in a rut.
We all work a lot, but some of us don't realise the truly devastating effects of having a sedentary work life. There are things you can do to stop your work from shortening your life span though, and they really work!
Heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression: You're 90% more likely to suffer from one of these diseases if you sit for more than 8 hours a day. With studies showing most Western office workings sit for more than 9 hours a day, the risks are terrifyingly real. Unfortunately, hitting the gym for an hour after work doesn't combat the negative effects of sitting all day either. The damage is already done to your arteries, cortisol levels, fat metabolism, and mental health.
It’s not all bad news though! There are effective ways to combat the detrimental effects of sedentary work. These tips are based on evidence-based strategies we know really work - now it's up to you to try them!
As soon as you get up and walk a few metres, your body’s metabolic processes get kicked into gear. Your cortisol levels decrease as your body’s stress levels lower. If you go for a fast walk, endorphins kick in, and the mechanisms in your muscle that stimulate fat metabolism are enhanced. The curves in your spine are also restored to normal, and the ciliary muscle in your eyes relax.
Benefits: Decreased back pain, increased fat metabolism, decreased stress, increased ‘happy’ hormones, decrease eye strain, decreased headache.
After eating, insulin is excreted by the pancreas to balance blood sugar levels. Due to an as yet unknown mechanism, when we sit for long periods, our bodies produce increased amounts of insulin. This puts you at a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you sit constantly and consistently without getting up.
Great news! By getting up and out of your chair, the pancreas is less stimulated to produce insulin. So go out and eat in a park and walk back to work (or even outside your office building)
If you’re working on something particularly stressful, your blood flow becomes restricted to the intestines in the fight or flight response. This makes digestion harder, and causes food to sit stagnant, causing gas and bloating. No thanks! Take just 10 minutes on you lunch break to get away from work, and combat the stress response. It will help you digest your food!
Recent research found those who sat for very long periods of time are twice as likely to develop diabetes and heart disease, than those who move around throughout the day.
They’re not just trendy, they really work!
A recent study showed a 32% decrease in back pain in those with standing desks.
We also know standing helps stimulate the metabolic processes, making fatty deposits in your arteries (artherosclerosis) that leads to heart disease less likely.
Standing and moving helps stimulate production of endorphins and prevent the stress response to be activated when it’s not needed, like when you’re at work.
Studies are also finding you’re more productive, can make faster decisions and have better mental acuity when standing.
You have to work, and your work involves an office. I get it. But modern science is proving traditional work lives are really detrimental to our health. These 3 small changes can really make a difference to your health; both mental and physical - so why not give them a go?
To get the free 1 page guide on the top 5 foods to supercharge your health for winter (and help you stay healthy while at work) Click the button below:
Most of us don't usually think about digestion until it gets our attention with tummy pain or uncomfortable bloating. ugh!
In winter; overeating of heavy, rich foods can leave you feeling horrible. Never fear! You can escape the bloat!
It helps make your system more alkaline, stopping acid reflux and helping your stomach dissolve your food. It also helps flush your liver, and stimulate peristalsis - the contraction of your intestines that moves food through your digestive tract.
Tip: It's a warm, fuzzy way to start the day, and less stimulating on your nervous system than coffee.
In tablets, yoghurt, kombucha or sauerkraut, probiotics help keep your body’s delicate ecosystem of bacteria flourishing. This prevents ‘bad’ bacteria overtaking your system causing things like thrush. Probiotics also help boost your seratonin levels and mood! Read how.
Tip: Try adding a curried sauerkraut to hot pumpkin soup this winter. I recommend the Amala Curry flavour by Be Nourished.
These super foods are fibrous and help everything in your system keep...well...moving along. Try sprinkling some on your yoghurt or blend them up in a smoothie.
Tip: Chia puddings are all the rage; get a recipe from my interview for I am Co. You can even make hot chia puddings in winter!
Exercise helps aid digestion by increasing your body's blood flow, which your digestive tract needs to function. Try to make time for 30 mins of exercise a day (walking around the block counts!)
Tip: Yoga and indoor workouts work too if you don’t want to brave the cold in winter.
When your body is stressed, you get stuck in a ‘fight or flight’ nervous system response. Your blood flows to your extremities and primes your muscles to help you run away from a bear, but it takes blood away from the digestive tract. Sadly, your intestines can’t function properly with low blood supply, and the movement of your intestines slows. Bits of food sit, unmoving in your intestines, causing gas, bloating and even IBS. Learn how to combat this here.
Tip: Try to avoid stressful situations (eg. a meeting with a difficult client) when your digestive system needs extra help like after lunch.
If you're stuck in a rut and want to live a happier, healthier life, contact me to get your personalised Wellness Action Plan now!
After a busy day at the office, unwinding in front of an episode of your favorite Netflix show is hard to resist. Unfortunately, the backlit screen, the moving digital images and the stimulation of a particularly violent episode of Game of Thrones (for example) keep your brain working overtime. Sure, you might fall asleep in front of the screen, but it’s likely to take longer and your mind won’t have the time to unwind in the process. Wellness pros recommend avoiding screens two hours before bed to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Try This: Sleeping longer is key too. It turns out that your body doesn’t run well on six hours a night, so grab a nonviolent book and head to bed half an hour earlier this week. In a month, try going to bed another half hour earlier, and soon you’ll be getting eight hours of shuteye.
Health and wellness is now a multi-trillion dollar industry, so everyone is jumping on board. With many unknown companies dishing out health advice to the masses, it’s hard to know who to trust. As a Physiotherapist and personal trainer, I’ve heard the crazy myths and recommendations some of these wellness writers share, ranging from odd to dangerous. These journalists are wonderful writers, but when you’re seeking out health, fitness and wellness advice, here’s how to determine if it’s from a trusted source.
A safe and accurate article with recommendations should have links to journal articles, or be written by a registered health professional with industry knowledge and experience. Trusted journals will be found on Google scholar, and include titles like BJSM (British Journal of Sports Medicine) and the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Each article, even if it’s written by a health professional, should recommend you see a trained professional in addition to its recommendation.
For example: If you’re reading an article on calf pain and its soul recommendation is a massage, you should definitely be cautious. If you calf pain is originating from a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) a massage could be incredibly dangerous and even fatal. Always see a health professional in addition to reading any article.
Have you ever read a health statistic that says 19 out of 20 people find…A study group of 20 people is miniscule, and advising people to behave in accordance with the results of a study including twenty people is ill-advised. If you’re taking the advice of an article that cites statics, check that they’re reliable and valid enough to influence your behaviour.
Health, fitness and wellness all depend on the body, and each and every one of us is different. No article should recommend you must 100% adhere to their guidelines for a certain outcome unless it’s been proven over and over again in evidence-based studies.
Eg. 'Don’t stretch before running because it causes injuries' vs. 'Don’t smoke because it will cause cancer.'
It’s clear which one of these ultimatums has been proven over and over again (For more information on how to stretch check out my newest guest post for Fitfluential)
The internet is full of health and wellness advice thanks to articles, social media and the ever-popular hashtag: #fitspo. Before you launch into a program of lunges to rehabilitate your knee pain (ouch!) check the legitimacy of your source, who wrote it and where they found their information.
Whether you’re enquiring about weight loss, rehabilitation, injury, training techniques or training plans, always see a health professional in-person for a reliable recommendation in conjunction with anything you read online.
