Winter is a tough time for many of us to keep our health and wellness routines on track, but this year has been a real doozy. They say life happens while we are busy planning other things and I have to say, life really caught us off guard this time.
Not only did we have to contend with our normal winter desire to hibernate and hide under a few layers, we got to throw fear, uncertainty, change of routine, worry, more stress, not being able to go to work, juggling children, work and chores all at once, closed gyms and yoga studios and limited access to some of our normal foods into the mix – wow!
When you put it like that, it’s a wonder any of us have even come up for air yet. So, what do we do and how do we navigate our way out of this unprecedented period and get ourselves back into a ‘new’ normal that’s healthy, vital and beneficial for ourselves? Here are some of my tips and suggestions that I’m using for both myself and my clients. Pick a few that sound good or achievable to you and put them into practice for 14 days to ease yourself into a new routine that works for you.
Focus on what you can do, not on what you cannot
It’s super easy and quite normal to focus on all the things that have gone wrong or all the things we cannot do. And while it may be easy to fall into, it’s not the most helpful thing for us to focus on if we are going to move into a good headspace. If we look at the last few months with a different perspective – one of possibilities or opportunities – we could look and see what we’ve been able to do that we have not had a chance to do before.
Some of us got to do more baking at home and experiment with new recipes, or have found our inner chef that we didn’t know existed. Perhaps we had a chance to prepare food in advance so there was always something to grab from the fridge. Maybe we took up yoga or did early morning stretching because we didn’t have to combat the commute to work, or we have explored some local areas we didn’t know existed and found great walks or places to exercise. By simply looking at what we can do and what went well, we can find some things to take with us into the future that serve us.
Plan for the worst and expect the best
Now I am the eternal optimist, always trying to look for the good or find something that I can feel good about, however I believe we need to be aware of what can happen and how we might manage the ‘worst’ if it does occur – this takes away much of the fear and the ‘what if’ for me. If we did go back to lockdown again, what could we do differently or how could we be prepared for it? I have a lot more exercise options at home and I have kept the resources I used during lockdown. I use zoom for most of my clients now and I still train them on zoom. That way, if something does happen, it does not interrupt our exercise plans too much.
I have also kept up with much more baking and home cooking than before and I have a lot of foods pre-made in the freezer so I can grab something for the family in a hurry and I have a bit more on hand in case I should need it. I also have kept some stress management strategies happening because they are great for us at any time, but imperative if we go back again. Things like having breakfast and water 20 mins after waking, and starting my day with some eggs or raw nuts to help brain function. Managing my screen time to ensure I can get to sleep when I need to, and my brain is not ‘wired’ from all the activity is key for me too. ‘Remain positive but be prepared’ is my motto here.
Remember, it’s not what happens to you but how you choose to respond to it
There are many things in life that will challenge us – we are going to fall off the wagon and we are going to make poor choices when it comes to exercise and nutrition. Let’s just accept those and know they don’t have any power over us unless we allow the past to determine our future. Your power is in the now ,so what you choose to do from right now is what will determine your health, how you feel and where you’ll be tomorrow.
Often people will think they have already been so bad or so lazy there is no point in starting or trying. But if we simply shifted our perspective and instead thought, ‘the sooner I make even one small change, the sooner I am going to feel better and the sooner I am going to be back to where I want to be’, it can change everything. We are the sum of what we do consistently, so choose some small, achievable good habits that you can practice daily, and you will soon see and feel the difference. Some of my little favourites are:
- Drinking water upon waking
- Eating a handful of raw, plain nuts before breakfast
- Perform a stretching routine after a shower or bath
- Read a book (rather than use a screen) before bed
- Practice gratitude for 5 minutes a day
- Exercise for fun instead of a goal
Find one amazing lockdown experience you can bring into your future that works for you
What was it about lockdown that you absolutely loved? If you had to find something, if you really, really looked, what could you see that was amazing that would not have happened if lockdown had not occurred? Did you…
- Reconnect with your partner?
- Find some time for yourself?
- Learn a new skill?
- Find strength and courage you didn’t realise you had?
- Create opportunities where they didn’t seem to be any?
- Stay strong when it would have been easier to fall?
- Get to know your neighbours and community?
Have a look at your lockdown and see where there was a silver lining and see if you can bring this positive thing into your future and draw from the experience. It will give you a sense of achievement and control over a situation that none of us could have ever imagined.
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Lee-Anne Wann is a fitness specialist, nutritionist, presenter and author. She currently runs a health and fitness consultancy business providing companies and organisations with health, nutrition and wellness solutions and content, she also runs a private nutrition practice and was a television host for TVNZ’s ‘Kiwi Living’.