Transitioning out of lockdown how to give your body and mental wellbeing the best support
With the roadmap out of lockdown announcement and the end of restrictions in sight, now is the time to create personal goals and plans enabling smooth transitions back into normal life. Creating these plans can help us to navigate the changing times with our goals and expectations moving forward. This will help set routines to establish and maintain personal goals to create the best you! The importance of designating time to furthering mental and physical health is a personal commitment to help yourself be the best you. Moving forward from numerous lockdowns and regulations changes personal continuity and goals at this time will be hugely advantageous in creating continuity and a stable environment moving forwards.
Managing both mental and physical health is a necessary step in the passage out of restrictions, by setting achievable personal goals this can aid motivation and health. Setting reachable goals are key to prevent disinterest and loss of momentum. Setting tasks can be as simple as a small list of daily tasks to create personal accountability and fulfilment from day to day life, to a wider list of goals over a timeline with larger scope. This can be detailed at fitness plan to establish and maintain fitness goals. Exercising is a great addition to aid mental health as it naturally boosts energy levels, motivation, relive stress and allow for better sleep.
Physical health goals can incorporate exercise and diet, to make optimal changes. With the move out of lockdown and the dates for venues such as gyms reopening taking care of our body’s will aid a smooth transition. At home workouts can be highly effective even in small spaces, such workouts can be furthered through the addition household items such as homemade weights made from bottle of water, stairs for step up routines or sofas for leg press exercises. Small amounts of home gym equipment that can be purchased can make a huge difference to your routine such as resistance bands, dumbbell weights and gym balls. Utilizing outside spaces such as gardens or parks for walking, running or cycling is allowed with the easing of restrictions, this can be used to best align with normal workout routines.
Motivation can be a difficult thing especially when starting, training programs can allow for a structured and set guide this can be self made plans, paid app services or free programs such as Couch to 5k. Using established guides can reduce the level of uncertainty in exercise, the structure can help to provide an easy plan to follow enabling a long term habit to be established.
Physical heath in relation to food and nutrition is not just centered around numbers and food types but also on listening to your body and providing it with fuel for general life and exercising. The importance of enjoying food as well as its function can be highly useful for mental health taking time to make a nutritious meal catering for mind and body. Goals based around food and nutrition should aim to include fruits and vegetables, fibre, a variety of foods and plenty of fluids as stated by the NHS. When following or making any type of diet plan it is important to follow heath guide lines as provided by NHS and scientific bodies.
Managing Mental wellbeing is an important consideration year round, now coming out of darker colder months as as well as a pandemic it is an ideal time to make healthy steps to maximize upcoming reduced restrictions, more daylight hours and better weather. When thinking of our mental wellbeing we should consider it just as important a priority as getting enough sleep, eating well and getting some exercise. Mental wellbeing can mean different things to different people , the NHS recommends; connecting with people, physical activity, learning new skills, kindness and to be present in the moment.
Music can be a great addition for fitness or for mindfulness exercises, this can aid motivation and enjoyment. Selecting the correct playlist will help set the tone of the activity, this can be from relaxing yoga playlists or pump-up high intensity workout playlists. these can be your personal playlists or pre-made playlists.
The key to setting attainable goals is to set realistic goals in the first place. This is important so that there is not a loss in motivation if goals are too difficult, failure often occurs when we set goals that are too difficult to achieve or motivations change. A good way to keep momentum is to start with smaller achievable goals once these are reached increase the goals set, this allows for feeling of success and fulfilment creating a stronger and more long-lasting change. Rewards based goals is a way to maintain momentum by creating a set end goal and a reward system of little things to motivate through to the end.
Set achievable goals
Mental well-being goals; get out of the house every day, make the bed, meditate, journal, make a healthy meal
Exercise goals; stretching, home workout, outdoor workout
Create timescale and pathway to achieve goals
Setting a timescale will aid motivation and set expectations, this allows for realistic outcomes preventing loss of motivation due to not reaching expectations. Preparation is important, need to purchase additional gym equipment? Pre preparation of food to remove temptations, finding new walking routes in your area to maintain variety.
Motivational rewards, milestones
Rewards systems are a good motivator to maintain drive and progress. Rewards can be big or small trying a new meal, purchasing some new gym clothes.
Keep positive mind-set, setbacks don’t have to = Failure
Everyone moves at different paces this is important to keep in mind to best prevent comparisons and loss of motivation for feeling like your achievements aren’t good enough or aren’t happening fast enough. Loss of routine or taking a break is not a failure it is merely a small setback adjust the plan and start again.
Keep going
If you managed to set and start a goal keep pushing the small actions you make every day accumulate and the changes and successes you will see in a week, a month, and a year will be worth it!
Cold water immersion is a proven natural way to help your body recover faster. This is because the cold water causes your blood vessels to constrict helping with swelling and inflammation. The cold also lowers the temperature of the damaged muscle tissue and numbs the nerve endings which can bring much needed pain relief without reaching for the Ibuprofen!
