Some thoughts to help you feel good during these challenging times
September 2020
These are challenging times to say the least. One moment we were locked down completely, then we began to open slowly in May! That feels like years ago already. Now, we are opening up or closing down. It is our current reality. It’s difficult to know what we should do and in which direction we are going. Business owners, gym owners, are caught in the middle - open - close - open-close! What should you do? Those decisions are yours to make, although difficult regardless of what you choose. Confusion, inconsistency, and persistent change makes it difficult for anyone to have a path forward. These times are stressful.
One way forward for your health, is to find something you CAN do and be consistent. This will help your stress levels, EXERCISE and EAT WELL! Okay that sounds, too hard right now, but it really isn't. You can ‘exercise’ by walking around your block, walking up and down stairs, or standing more. All of these done with incremental increase will increase your health. Moving raises your endorphin levels in your body, making you feel happier. Moving and raising your heart rate, will benefit your health and fitness! If done correctly, you won’t feel sore, or so sore that you have to stop, delaying the progression of working out.
The other part that goes with exercise is being consistent in your sleep patterns. Consistent in the time you go to bed and get up. Set those times first! Sleeping between 6-8 hours is where most of us find that our needs are met. Very few of us need more than 8 hours. If you are sleeping more than 8 hours, you should consider that you are oversleeping, which is working against your positive mood.
When it comes to nutrition, be mindful, mindful of munching. When you allow your eating to be mindless, you eat a whole bag of potato chips or the whole bag of chocolate squares. Okay, that might be me, but I know there are others that do the same thing. If you turn the television on and sit down with a whole bag of anything, even if it is considered healthy, eating mindlessly is not beneficial. Whether you like salty or sweet items, portion it out and move away from the bag!
These are not hard steps toward better health and fitness, but can be if you are alone in your efforts. You want help, meet me on Facebook at CathyClementsBiz and see what my community is doing.
