FORGIVENESS, KINDNESS & JOURNALLING

You may wonder where the hell I’m going with this but stick with me… studies have shown that the practise of forgiveness (both self and other) reduces the amount of hurt, anger, stress and depression that we experience. In turn increasing our feelings of hopefulness, optimism and compassion.

When we hold onto anger, disappointment or resentment toward ourselves or another we are only hurting ourselves. Over time this can manifest into some sort of physical health challenge.

The frustration & disappointment we can feel towards ourselves is often linked with a misalignment between our intentions and actions. Our inability to consistently make and action the choices that best serve us eg. skipping exercise

Journalling is a tool I love and highly recommend. For me it’s become a daily practise. Simply writing out your thoughts & feelings gets it ‘out of your brain’ and onto paper.

If you make a food or lifestyle choice that didn’t feel good, instead of judging yourself how about firing up your curiosity and intrigue and scribbling in your journal? Try to understand the WHY that led you to the WHAT. How might you support yourself in making a better choice in the future?

We are striving for consistency, not perfection. Life goes on and each day brings another opportunity to make better choices. Be kind to yourself, all is never lost!

MOVEMENT

Movement is crucial for good, and long-lasting health. From age 30 onwards we naturally lose muscle unless we do something to counteract it.

But harder and faster is not necessarily better. As with food so many factors can influence what is best for you personally, including your body’s state of stress or ‘perceived stress’.

The movement you choose should energise and vitalise you, not deplete and exhaust you.

What we do know to be important for everyone…

1) Include movement across your day. We weren’t designed to sit still for hours at a time. In fact research has shown that when people sit for longer than an hour, the production of some of the body-fat regulating enzymes are down-regulated.

2) Maintain, or preferably build, muscle mass through strength training. More muscle mass =

a) better blood glucose regulation

b) increased strength

c) more mitochondria inside our cells, resulting in increased energy, increased fat burning & decreased sugar cravings - ideal.

3) Include restorative movement. Whether it’s walking, yoga, pilates or tai chi - find the style that brings you most joy. Restorative movement activates the parasympathetic state, also known as ‘rest & digest’, which is deeply healing and nourishing for your body and mind.

GOOD SLEEP

We can survive longer without food than sleep - it’s THAT important to our health. Good quality sleep allows the body to repair and enhance brain function resulting in improved mood and memory amongst a multitude of other benefits.

Our body operates a delicate sleep/wake cycle dictated by two important hormones serotonin & melatonin. Unfortunately many factors can upset this critical balance so I encourage you to support your sleep/wake cycle as follows;

1) Practise good sleep hygiene. Try dimming the lights in your home in the evening and aim to switch off all screens two hours before going to bed.

2) As much as possible keep a consistent routine around sleep and wake times.

3) Limit or ideally avoid caffeine after midday & eating in the two hours before you sleep. Caffeine can impact your sleep long after being consumed.

4) Ensure you are getting enough magnesium, especially if you are exposed to stress and/or consume caffeine. Both deplete magnesium levels and you may need to consider supplementing.

5) On waking expose yourself to as much natural daylight as possible. Just 20 minutes exposure stimulates your serotonin production.

6) Manage stress. Cortisol levels directly impact sleep. Resistance training & diaphragmatic breathing amongst many other practises are excellent stress-reduction & sleep-enhancing tools.

COLD BODY eXPOSURE

Exposure to cold has been shown to stimulate the creation of new, healthy cells, reduce stress & inflammation and even improve emotional wellbeing.

Cold body therapy has also been positively linked to quality of sleep, ability to focus, immune response and fat burning.

One of my favourite ways to kick off the day is a dip in fresh water - be that the ocean, a lake, river or natural pool. If none of those are accessible to you a cold water shower is just as invigorating and refreshing.

Try starting with 10- 20 seconds of cold water maintaining a deep steady breathe, gradually building up to 30 seconds to really feel the benefits.

You’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment first thing and motivation for the day ahead.