All posts by aletowska

Now is the time to take care of your mental health

Since the UK has been placed in the first lock-down over a year ago, a lot of individuals have been struggling with their mental health…

 

Most of us are aware and know that physical activity has a huge impact on our health. It helps us all feel better sleep better, protecting and improving mental health which has been confirmed by the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee.

There is strong evidence that regular physical activity helps reduce the risk of onset for common mental health problems. It’s very important in treatment and management of various mental health conditions

Becoming physically more active can help build mental resilience, it also can help to manage everyday anxieties and stress. Evidence suggests that less active individuals are almost twice as likely to have depression that those who are active for just one or 2 hours a week. 

By exercising regularly you can enhance your well-being- boosting mental alertness. It additionally enhances brain function, especially in later life

Positives of being active include…

A lot of individuals suffer with having a lack of sleep, long-term fatigue and musculoskeletal aches as well as pains in addition to their mood, anxiety or any other symptoms… Physical activity not only can help you with your mental health, it also can also improve the quality and duration of your sleep. 

The relationship between poor sleep and mental health and well being is known to link, regular activity has been found to increase total sleep time. What physical activity does is it increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor and that has antidepressant qualities improving your mental health and well being. 

You may think to yourself ‘when should I exercise?’

The answer to that is                             

…any time is a good time, exercise whenever suits your schedule (morning, afternoon or evening) and any exercise is beneficial!

For a lot of people it is difficult to start, as they do not know where to begin or how to form new habits

In order to motivate yourself you should think about:

If you require any further help, One You is there to help individuals get healthier and better with free tips, tools and support. 

You can complete an online quiz which will point you in the right direction

Once you complete the quiz and answer all questions, you will be sent information via e-mail which you can have a look at in order to start thinking about making changes and improving your health and well being. As this is only to point you in the right direction, if you are concerned about your health you can also always consult your GP, speak to your local pharmacy or any other healthcare professional with any concerns. They will be able to advise you on what to try, what to do and support you with any issues you may have. 

 

 

Want to get fit for free?

How to save yourself some time and money whilst improving your health and fitness!

A lot of people think getting fit can be hard, expensive and time consuming, but guess what…

IT ISN’T!

You can improve your health and fitness for FREE and save yourself some time too. You actually don’t need expensive gym memberships or any equipment, all you need is your legs!

You might be asking yourself now, how active would I need to be? and how much physical activity I would need to do?

Your first step on your fitness journey would be to minimize your ‘sedentary’ time. ‘Sedentary’ applies to lying down/sitting down for long periods while being awake.

Now is the time to limit the time you are sitting down or laying down for long periods of time.

By starting your fitness journey you can help to prevent and manage over 20 chronic conditions and diseases, including cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression!

The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) Guidelines recommend each week adults do:

At least 150 minutes (2 and half hours) of moderate intensity activity

Moderate intensity activity increases your heart rate, but you are still able to talk whilst doing it allowing you to socialize.

Examples include:

 

  •  Brisk walking                                     
  • Dancing                                                 
  • Gardening                                            
  • Housework & domestic chores   

And 75 minutes of vigorous activity (breathing fast and difficulty talking)

    Vigorous activity involves heavy breathing and a higher heart rate. If engaged in vigorous intensity activity, you could not carry on a conversation. 

    Examples include

     

    • Running                                               

    • Cycling                                                 
    • Swimming                                         
    • Competitive sports                        
    • Circuit weight training                 

     

    Or a mixture of both

    Available apps

    Both of those apps are user friendly and available on App Store and Google Play for downloads for free 

    Couch to 5K app

    The Couch to 5K app can help you get vigorous activity into your routine

     

    Active 10 App

    The Active 10 app can help you with moderate intensity activity

    All you need to do is keep your phone with you and the app will track your activity for you! You can also check back in to track your progress.

     

     

    Moving forwards…

    Once you feel like you want to challenge yourself even more on your fitness journey you can try and fit in two days of strengthening activities on top of the recommended guidelines.

    As the gyms are still closed due to national lock-down, it can be difficult to find the motivation and ideas for workouts, the lack of equipment and weights and not having a change of environment can have an impact on everyone. To help you with those issues there are fitness apps available to make exercising at home easier as well as NHS free ideas. Those will allow you to get an idea of what kind of activity you can do to benefit your health further on your fitness journey whilst the gyms are still closed and to help you during those challenging times. 

    If you require any other medical advice contact your GP or any other healthcare professional who will be able to help you.