Staying Fit and Healthy at Home

As I write this we have been in lock-down for 6 weeks. I believe it is vital that we all focus on our health during this time so read on for my top tips on staying fit and healthy at home.

There is much evidence to support the fact that exercise is great not only for our physical health, but our mental health too. And I know from my own personal experience how true this is. 

I also know how what we eat, and drink has a huge impact on our mood, our energy levels, our sleep, and our stress levels. 

So, with this in mind, I want to share with you my top tips for staying fit and healthy from home. 

Fitness
Moving your body for just 10 minutes per day can have a huge impact on your energy levels, your productivity, your focus, and your mood so here are my top suggestions for that daily movement:

Home workouts
There are so many options out there that there is bound to be something to suit your own preferences and levels of fitness. Check out YouTube for everything from yoga and Pilates through to weightlifting, and everything in between.

Get outside
Go for a walk, a jog, a cycle ride or even a kick-about in the garden with the kids. Not only will you be exercising but you’ll also be getting some fresh air and some vitamin D, both of which are amazing energy boosters too

Stick on your favourite music and dance
This will put a smile on your face as well as getting the blood pumping and those happy hormones flowing

Use household objects to create a resistance training workout
Tins of beans, bottles of water (or wine ;-)) are great options here…you could even use a bag of potatoes!

Nutrition
The other huge element of staying fit and healthy at home is you diet.

I don’t know about you, but I know that whilst being in lock-down my snacking has definitely increased. And it’s not as a result of hunger…it’s out of boredom much of the time. And I know from my own experience, and that of my clients, that what we eat has a huge impact on our mood, our energy levels, and our stress levels.

Here are my top tips on staying on top of your nutrition.

Be conscious of ‘bad’ habits and triggers
If you know what triggers cause you to mindlessly snack you can think of ways to change what you do when that trigger event happens.

As an example, let’s say you get to the evening and your automatic response is to crack open a bottle of wine and open a bag of crisps to ‘relax’. The trigger is ‘I’m stressed’ and the reaction is opening the bottle of wine and the bag of crisps. So, what else could you do to relax? Have a bath, go for a walk, chat with a friend, meditate, exercise, read a book? The list is endless but by swapping the wine and crisps for another action you are starting to break that cycle of mindlessly opening the wine and crisps each evening…and slowly you will change your habits

80:20 rule
My clients and I follow this rule! We eat whole, natural (unprocessed) foods 80% of the time, and then allow ourselves treats (and processed foods) the other 20% of the time. I believe this is a great way to ensure we increase our energy levels and nutrition (from the whole, natural foods) whilst still also enjoying a social life. It also helps to reduce the risk of binge eating, because you are incorporating the treats you might be tempted to binge on in your diet

Meal planning
I find it really helpful to sit down before my food shop and plan out exactly what we are going to be eating that week. I get the family involved too so that we all know that we have some meals in that coming week that we like. This helps us in 3 ways:

• We only buy what we need so we save money and we don’t waste food
• There is no decision-making needed at mealtimes because the decisions were made when the meal plan was put together
• We are more likely to eat well-balanced, nutritious meals and feel

Meal prepping
This is a great way to ensure you have easy ‘grab and go’ meals when life is busy, or you can’t be bothered to cook! Batch cook some meals or prep some foods, then store them in the fridge for use during the coming days. Good options for batch cooking are soups, chilli con carni, bolognaise sauces etc. And great options for prepping are rice, roasted veg and cooking joints of meat

Colour
One of the easiest ways to ensure you are getting a good level of nutrition, and a good balance of vitamins and minerals in your diet, is to make sure you have lots of colour on your plate. The different colours in foods indicate different vitamins so by ‘eating the rainbow’ you are helping to make sure you get a good balance of these each day.

Stay hydrated
Hydration levels have a huge impact on gut health, energy levels, absorption of nutrients, sleep, and fat loss. You don’t necessarily have to drink pure water to improve your hydration levels (although I do recommend it). You can also increase your fluid intake from fruit and veg, soups, stews, and smoothies. And whilst tea and coffee won’t be as hydrating as water, they do have a hydrating effect, provided your not glugging down a double espresso!