How to create good health in a lockdown 'mind, body and soul'.

Most people were happy for 2020 to come to an end after COVID-19 swept through the world changing the way we lived, worked and even viewed health. Starting 2021 with another lockdown prompted me to write this blog looking at health and wellbeing under our current circumstances.

After working with clients through lockdown and facing the same challenges myself to stay healthy physically and mentally, I wanted to give you some support information which can help keep you balanced mentally and physically. My aim is to help you consider how you can take control of your health and wellbeing by making your own lifestyle choices.

Here are some simple exercises and habits that can be included into your lockdown lifestyle and routines.

Eating and drinking

First, try to be mentally present when choosing when and what to eat. By that I mean, ask yourself whether you’re really hungry. If you have to think about it for too long, you’re probably eating out of boredom. Have a bottle or glass of water available at arm’s reach throughout your day. Your signals for thirst and hunger can be often mixed because the same part of the brain is sending the signals. Have a few sips of water and see if you still feel hungry?

Try to not eat comfort food to relieve stress or boredom as I did in the first lockdown. Save your treats for the weekend and do not fill your cupboards at home with the things you do not want to be grazing on daily. The temptation is too great! Find healthier options such as trading crisps for nuts, milk chocolate for dark chocolate or fruit. When I first embarked on losing weight through a healthier diet many years ago, I switched white sugar for brown and the same with bread and pasta. It meant I could eat the same meals whilst intaking better energy fuel with a lower calorie count. Those small changes also helped my palette begin to change for the better. It's all the small changes to eating habits that have led to a positive and longstanding change in my diet over the last 10 years.

Exercise and sleep

With gyms closed, many people are struggling to adapt as their routines have been turned upside down. Some people are working from home whilst others are unfortunately not working at all. Some people are training with online trainers like myself whilst others undertake the task by themselves. Some people have given up training or exercising altogether.

We all know that exercise makes us feel better mentally and physically and has important health benefits whilst a lack of exercise and undesired weight gain or weight loss can lead to physical and mental health issues. Stress, worry and lack of sleep can arguably have the greatest negative affect on our health and wellbeing, leading to depression along with wait gain through comfort eating or weight loss. A few simple actions can make a huge difference. Adding some regular exercise into your day will really help. I add a daily walk to the shops into my routine, usually before I break my fast. A 15-30-minute walk will get your body moving and burning some calories, as well as giving you a break from work or daily tasks. You can add it to your lunch time routine or even add it to your morning routine if you’re an early bird. Once you integrate this small habit you can progress to going for a jog instead of a walk or a quick workout depending on your goals.

Breathing and meditation

Bruce H. Lipton, PhD is an internationally recognised leader in bridging science and spirit. Stem cell biologist and bestselling author of 'The Biology of Belief ', Dr Bruce Lipton explains that stress hormones shut the immune system down in order to conserve energy to run away from the threat. This is the way we were designed in order to survive. Nowadays, just watching the news can be stressful with stories of the state of the world in unrest and financial concerns as a result of ongoing lockdowns. The lack of social interaction also has a damaging effect on people mentally. Strengthening our immune system during these uncertain and disruptive times is especially important. I recommend you take a look at my blog 'Strengthen your immune system in 15 minutes' in which I explain a breathing practice I use daily. Adding 15 mins of meditation into your routine can help keep stress at bay and keep your mind clear and focused. I advise starting your day with a short period of meditation or breathing practice. You can of course practice at the end of your day if you feel stress levels rising.

Moving and stretching

Many people are not physically as active during lockdowns. We are spending more time sitting down than ever before. Many years before becoming a Personal Trainer I would pick up injuries frequently through what I thought was ‘training’. Luckily, a great Osteopath, Norman Baker, explained "The body is deigned to move, your body doesn't like staying still". My lifestyle back then was spending hours sitting at a desk job or hours on the sofa. Your muscles are always working even when you’re relaxing, so they will get tight and shorten if you allow them to by not moving effectively and regularly. By sitting down for prolonged periods of time without moving we are creating imbalance through underuse of certain muscles and overuse of others. This can lead to issues with posture. Through my own research and personal experience, I am a believer that posture plays a massive part in our health and wellbeing. I would not recommend weight bearing exercise if you spend hours sitting down or even standing unless you implement some stretching into your routine to stop the body adapting a negative posture.

Two great and simple Yoga postures (Asanas) Upward and Downward Facing Dog can help combat some of the most common bad posture issues. Upward Facing Dog loosens and stretches the posture muscles on the front of our body (superficial front line) as seen being performed in the image below.

Practicing Downward Facing Dog has a positive effect on the posture muscles on the back of our body (superficial back line) as seen in the image below.

I combine the two in the morning, moving from one to the other with breathing incorporated. Even just performing 6-12 repetitions of transitioning from one posture to the other will have great benefit. You can also hold each posture for 5-10 long breaths for a static stretch at the end of a long day. There are regressions and progressions of these postures that can help aid beginners and advanced alike.

Be kind to yourself There’s no longer a regular commute for many people to go to work or to social gatherings or events. This means we are typically being less active so we are using less energy and less of our own fuel, which is a problem if we keep eating the same caloric amount or greater. This will inevitably lead to weight gain for most people and could possibly lead to stress. Try not to over train or overeat; try to find balance in your new routine. Don't train to fatigue on one day and not be able to train for the rest of the week. Instead aim to do a small amount of quality exercise daily. Aim to make exercise, even a daily stroll, a part of your routine for the mental and physical benefits. Don't beat yourself up about eating everything in the kitchen you shouldn't have. Try to keep the kitchen junk-food-free and enjoy a treat in moderation. Find alternatives to satisfy your cravings that are lower calorie and healthier. Don't spend too much time watching and listening to things that elevate your stress levels. Do the things that make you smile and laugh, do your best to be happy and healthy.