Giving you fun fitness tips for optimum well-being
At Express Medicals we know the importance of keeping fit to improve your overall well-being. In support of #WorkoutsAndWellbeing we’re giving you fitness tips for optimum well-being to make fitness fun and enjoyable.
There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of exercising
Do what works for you and most of all what you ENJOY. This could be going for a run outside, trying out a new class, playing sport, resistance weight training in the gym or quick and easy home workouts. Enjoyment and convenience are key factors, if the exercise you do is both enjoyable and convenient you are most likely to stick with it.
For example, a home workout is quick and easy. You can play your own music, be completely comfortable and get everything completed in an hour! Sometimes this consistency of training at home can see better results than the gym.
Remember your body is totally unique
Don’t compare yourself to friends as their body may excel in certain movements and yours will excel in others. You may see others lifting more, squatting more but it’s important not to match them. Focus on what works for you, realise your body is different and concentrate on exercises to improve weaker areas.
Mind muscle connection
It’s incredibly important not to push yourself too hard. For example, by lifting too much weight could be putting strain on other areas. Therefore, when doing an exercise on your first few repetitions ask yourself whether the muscle you intend to work is doing the majority of the work load. This could lead to you picking up a lighter weight. This will see your weaker muscle groups strengthen and prevent your more dominant muscles taking over.
Perseverance
You may feel silly doing certain movements for the first time, but like anything the more you do it the better you become. For example, running on the spot raising your knees high and punching the air admittedly makes you feel like a bit of a lemon. However, the more you persevere the more comfortable you feel and soon it will become second nature.
Stay motivated
When you are lacking motivation to workout think about the positive endorphin rush you will feel after your exercise. ‘When endorphins are released in the body of a person, he or she experiences a feeling of bliss, a flow of euphoria’ (Holloway, 2019).
For more information about Express Medical’s range of occupational health services, visit expressmedicals.co.uk
🧘 Managing stress for a well-being 🧘
Connect with those you care about
Ever find yourself saying ‘I didn’t have time’? Perhaps more often than you’d like… We communicate every day with texts, email or social media, but still crave more meaningful connections.
Our first tip is to understand the importance of keeping in touch with your family, spending time with your children and your loved ones. Relationships that you have with your family provides a huge influence on your health including alleviating stress, helping with mental health illness, giving you energy and providing a sense of contentment like no other.
If you surround yourself with support, you can weather the bad times with less stress and add years to your life.
Get outside at every opportunity you can
Our next tip is whenever you can, push yourself to get outside into the fresh air. If the sun is shining take the kids out and go to the park, organise a picnic, visit a National Trust site and go for a walk. We spend lots of time sitting down, so to counter the effects of enforced immobility it’s a great to move around and get outside.
“There’s no question that cognition, and concentration are improved by minimal levels of physical activity,” says Dr Andrew Pipe, chief of the division of prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. “Walking at a pace where you can have a conversation with someone for 10 or 15 minutes every day can substantially improve your overall level of health.”
Get creative
It’s time to get creative! Simply engaging in creative behaviours (even trendy colouring in books) improves your brain function, mental health, and physical health.
Did you know that the average person has about 60,000 thoughts in a day? Partaking in a creative act releases dopamine, a natural anti-depressant which helps reduce anxiety, depression and stress.
Activities such as drawing, writing, knitting, gardening, DIY and dancing are all included so why not think about a new hobby?
Overwhelmed? Get it down on paper
Writing has been proven to provide calm and order to a highly productive brain. We call it ‘habit stacking’. Simply categorising your to do list can help break down larger tasks and make them manageable. Block out a time each day in your calendar, say 2-3pm and batch tasks together. For example, use this time to go through your emails, or make some phone calls.
Lastly, make sure you play to your strengths – if you are more productive in the mornings use this time wisely to crack on with your priorities.
Focus on you and your concentration
It’s easy to get caught up in your colleagues printing disasters, or to attend that meeting instead of doing that task you said you’d do last week.
Our tip would be to try where possible to alleviate distractions and concentrate on the task at hand. It’ll keep you focused and motivated to keep going. Try and find a fun way of telling colleagues you’re ‘out of office’ and we don’t mean literally! Simple post it stickers with ‘in’ or ‘out’ politely tells your team you’re in the zone, and not to disturb.