New Year, New You! (well… sort of)

6th January 2023

Veganuary, dry January… there are so many different health challenges that are designed to try and get everybody fit and healthy in the first month of the year. The thing is, when February 1^st rolls around, you’ve lost a stone but you’ve not even TOUCHED a carb or looked at a bar of Dairy Milk in the whole month of January… that’s when you realise that these diets aren’t viable for the whole of the year. With all that said, however, both your mental and physical health is SO important, especially in these months when the days are darker and so many people suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). So… here are our top 5 tips to keep yourself going through the months of the year when so many people are struggling:

1. Go for a walk!

According to BBC statistics, about 8% of adults who were physically able to walk had not walked for even five minutes continuously during a four-week period, while 46% had not walked for leisure for more than 30 minutes continuously. Walking improves cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, vascular stiffness and inflammation, and mental stress. Why not use 30 minutes of your day to go a walk around the block, or even to take a stroll around Haigh Hall and take in the nature we have there?

• Make friends with your water bottle

It’s not breaking news that drinking water is completely necessary for anyone, let alone the people to want to make health-conscious decisions. Studies show that men need 3.7 litres of water per day, while women need 2.7 litres. It seems like a lot, and it might be a bit of a pain, but drinking your daily allowance of water can help to aid digestive problems such as heartburn, raise your metabolism, significantly affects your energy levels and brain activity, and helps you to loose weight. It’s a no brainer!

• Make sure you get enough sleep

Although it doesn’t seem like a tool that would help you that much, making sure you get your 7-9 hours of sleep actually has massive health benefits, no matter what age you are. Giving you an improved mood, a healthy heart and regulated blood sugar, getting enough sleep helps massively with mental wellbeing as well as physical. However, if you ARE going to get your 7-9 hours, make sure you give yourself enough time in-between being on your phone/iPad/laptop, as the blue light can be harmful for your eyes and restrains the production of melatonin which controls your sleep/wake cycle.

• Practise meditation

Meditation is one of the oldest, most beneficial methods for self-care and mental stability. It quiets the mind, and makes you feel deeply rested. Sometimes just closing your eyes and becoming aware of your breathing can being a deeply calming influence over the whole mind-body organism. Taking some time for yourself is not only good relaxation, but it is good for your mental wellbeing. Helping with managing anxiety and depression management and strengthening the immune system, why wouldn’t you give it a go?

• Eat your greens

Aiming to eat 5 fruit and vegetables every day is a great way to live a little bit healthier. A diet high in vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cancers of the lung, colon, breast, cervix, oesophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas, and ovaries. Vegetables that have the brightest colours such as tomatoes, peppers, beetroots etc. are said to have the most nutritious value. Vegetables are high in vitamin A and vitamin C, as well as folate which helps the body produce red blood cells.