Our Top Tips for Your Wellness Journey

With Blue Monday just past, the chances are that some of us are already struggling to keep to new year’s resolutions; and diet and fitness programs may be almost forgotten or given up on. As with most things in life, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Most of us want to be healthy, or healthier, however we are all at different stages of our wellness journey, and what this path looks like can vary greatly from one individual to the next. 

So if you’ve all but given up on your healthy resolve for 2020, don’t do so till you’ve read our top tips to help you stay on track with your health and wellbeing.  

Positive Outlook 

We get that it can be difficult to stay positive in these winter months before Spring. Christmas and new year are but a distant memory, most days it’s cold and grey, it’s dark when you leave home for work, it’s dark when you leave the office to go home, there’s not much to look forward to till Valentine’s Day (perhaps) or Easter and even then there’s the temptation of binging on chocolate to avoid. But mindset is key to mastering your own life, and if you have a positive outlook and approach every activity with gusto, we can guarantee you will not only enjoy life that extra bit more, you will start to see the benefits and rewards of said activity. 

So instead of dreading hitting the gym/going for a run/eating healthily, find something you like about the activity or task. It can be as seemingly insignificant as listening to your favourite playlist while you do your weights or pound the pavement, tuning in to the trashy TV they show in the gym during your cardio workout, or the satisfaction of preparing a home-cooked healthy meal. Find the plus points for you in everything you do, and you will soon be enlightened as to what the power of positivity can do. 

Setting Goals and Recording 

Whatever you do in life, it’s important to set goals and record your achievements. When it comes to health and fitness, there are a few different milestones you might wish to aim for, and a few different records you might want to keep. Weight or inch loss or getting down to a certain dress size are milestones people have a tendency to obsess over, sometimes to an unhealthy degree. If this sounds all too familiar, rather than setting a target relating to your size or mass, find a physical activity you enjoy doing (this is the most important point with any fitness regimen), and write down a commitment to yourself to take time out and engage in said activity for a certain number of hours or sessions per week. Keep a diary and track how often you do your activity. If you enjoy setting yourself challenges, find a measurable within your activity, or an event to work towards, and keep track of your progress this way. 

If your wellness journey requires some weight loss or a healthier eating plan - because you can need to eat healthier without needing to lose weight - keep a food diary. Meal planning can help you stay on track with food goals, and never go food shopping while hungry- trust us, it will be your downfall!

Little by Little 

There are days when you won’t feel like getting out of bed early to go for a run, and nights when you can’t face hitting the gym after work. But even if you just do half of the session you would normally do, we guarantee you will feel better, and once you’ve made it halfway through your workout you may as well carry on and finish it, right?! What we’re trying to say is it’s better to do a little than none at all, don’t beat yourself up too much… unless you are slacking every time - in which case give yourself a good talking to! 

If your diet needs a massive overhaul, and if you are making any dietary changes it is always best to consult a nutritionist or health professional, rather than making a drastic transformation take smaller steps towards healthier eating. Reduce your overall intake, remove unhealthy items one by one, then take time to find healthy alternatives that you actually like and will look forward to eating.  

Don’t Compare 

No two wellness journeys are identical, so never compare yourself to somebody else. Life doesn’t suddenly become better when you are lifting heavier weights or getting deeper into your yoga poses, and we should all remember this. Our bodies are unique and have different strengths and challenges. Be grateful for your body, challenges and all, for it allows you to lead your life! Instead of comparing yourself outwardly with others, reflect inwardly on how far you have come on your own personal journey. 

Practice Mindfulness 

Mindfulness is a movement that only seems to be growing in popularity, and when you think of how many people move through life with their phone as a constant distraction to what’s going on in front of them, you can see why. Mindfulness means being fully in the moment, living with great awareness and without distractions. More and more people are practising mindfulness alongside their fitness regimen, and we’re not just talking about yoga and meditation here. So next time you are out on a run, why not try being in your environment, with just your thoughts and the noise from your surroundings, and without your pedometer and playlists as a distraction. Tune into your body and mind, and just be. 

Nutrition Fundamentals 

People have a tendency to think that diets = salad, tasteless food and feeling hungry and unsated for much of the day, and if you’ve dieted before unsuccessfully, then you must read this. The fact is, most diets are faddy and by following them we are only setting ourselves up to fail long term. Healthy eating is key, but we have to feel satisfied as well. To achieve this, be sure to eat quality protein at each meal, such as dairy, eggs, lean meat, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, and quinoa but also make sure you are filling up on fibre. Foods high in fibre not only take longer to chew, which gives the brain a chance to register fullness and prevent overeating, they also slow down digestion which prolongs that sated feeling. Fruits, including berries, pears, oranges and melon, and veggies including broccoli, carrots sweetcorn and skin-on potatoes, are a good place to start, but you can also look to nuts, seeds, beans and pulses.