Christmas is coming and often people lose sight of their health and fitness goals around this time. “I’ll start afresh in the new year” is something I often hear and in my experience, putting off what is essentially just taking care of yourself can be a running theme throughout the year.
Self care via hydration, exercise, nutrition, relaxation and sleep isn’t something we can get away with “putting off”. There will always be a consequence. In the new year I meet clients on a daily basis who are stressed out, burned out and desperate to lose the weight they’ve gained over Christmas.
Christmas can be a very stressful time of year and so taking care of yourself should be a priority. Here are the five key pillars of health and wellbeing I mentioned. Check how you’re doing in these areas and then see if you need to make any changes;
- Hydration – how much water do you drink? A general guideline for an active adult is between 2 and 3 litres a day but this may be less if you’re particularly small or more if you’re extremely active. Here’s an online calculator which generates the exact amount for you https://goodcalculators.com/water-intake-calculator/
- Exercise – how many times a week do you exercise and what type of activity do you do? The Department of Health and Social Care has recently revised their exercise guidelines “Each week adults should accumulate 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity (such as brisk walking or cycling); or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity (such as running); or even shorter durations of very vigorous intensity activity (such as sprinting or stair climbing); or a combination of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity a week”. They have also recommended 2 or more resistance training sessions per week to gain a range of physical and mental health benefits, and to reduce the risk of many non-communicable diseases.
- Nutrition – how balanced is your diet? Do you eat plenty of vegetables, especially brightly coloured and dark green vegetables? Do you eat plenty of protein to preserve muscle mass and promote growth and repair? Do you keep sugary, salty and processed foods as an occasional treat or are these items a daily occurrence for you? I prefer Public Health England’s refreshed version of a healthy eating model which replaces the somewhat outdated, “Eatwell Plate”. They have now called this the “Eatwell Guide” https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-eatwell-guide/
- Relaxation – what are you doing to relax? This could be meditation, listening to music, playing games, catching up with loved ones, having a massage or simply relaxing in a bath at the end of each day with a cup of soothing herbal tea. It’s important to consider how much time you spend doing these things and even if you allow yourself time for this. It’s the 4th pillar of health and wellbeing and it’s just as important as the others.
- Sleep – 7-8 hours per night is generally accepted as the ideal amount of sleep for an adult but this is an individual thing. Some people do well on less and some people need more. It’s up to you to find the optimal amount and then strive for this every single night.
If you’re looking for present ideas and know someone who strives to take care of themselves but struggles among the stresses and strains of life, here are some options for you to consider. Any of these options can easily be conducted remotely too…and valid until 24th December 2020 (sorry for the infographic typo!)
