Ways To Support Your Body And Mind

Gym kit and here / Sunglasses from Sunglass Hut

Hello hello hello! Today I wanted to write a blog post all about the best way to look after your body this Summer. As someone who gets overly stressed, overly tired and overly grumpy, here are a few things I’m doing to care for myself more.

Sleep - First up, sleep. Recently I havent been getting my eight hours, nowhere near that and it’s something I need to change. Sleep is so important and as I’ve got older I crave it and actually look forward to sleeping, I just never seem to have enough hours in the day to do what I want to do and therefore, get those 8 hours. Making priority lists is a good way to figure out whether you really need to do what you’re about to do, list making definitely boosts my productivity. We definitely live in a nocturnal world and I am trying to let my body sleep more. I’m trying to put my phone down before bed now as the lights make me stay awake.

Fluids - Just like sleep, it’s a pretty boring one but take on more water. It flushes badness out and there’s so much amazing research that shows just how beneficial water is for you. It's so cliche and I feel silly every time I mention water because it's so obvious, but even though I know this, I still fail to drink enough!

Supplements - Speaking of taking goodness in, I was recently introduced to LifeVantage. They have a product which is a NRF2 activator (I didn’t understand either, but after researching) it basically up regulates antioxidant defence mechanisms in our body, this means it’s apparently more effective than taking antioxidants as our bodies own mechanisms know how to kill free radicals much better. The idea is, you buy two LifeVantage products together, NRF1 and NRF2. NRF1 is a product which boosts the effectiveness of mitochondria, which are the energy producing parts of cells. With more energy on the cellular level we have much more daily activity. The analogy can be discussed with a car: NRF2 protects the rust on the car (free radicals). NRF1 gives the engine a turbo boost. If you are interested, this product will be introduced at an event (details here). I have these in my house and life ready to start trying them, I usually just drink green tea for energy but it’s time to give these a try

Nutrients - Ever had a pizza and felt sluggish and heavy after? Yeh, me too. If you read my blog post about why I don't believe in diets, you'll know I'd never give up carbs or pizza, but, sometimes, you can't shake that sluggish feeling after. When I’ve not had enough sleep or I’m feeling stressed, I’m trying to put goodness into my body, such as supplements or good nutrients, so I’ll make a healthy smoothie for example or if I’m out and about, I’ll grab a juice. My failsafe smoothie recipe: spinach, blueberries, almond milk, Manuka Doctor honey, chia seeds, banana and a scoop of Welleco chocolate Vegan protein powder.

Kick Start Your Day - I did a blog post about the best ways to start your day. I think if you can start your day in a good way, then do it because it really helps shape the rest of your day. I always say I wish I was a morning person, I need to train myself to get there. Nothing beats an early start, so you're not rushing, enough time to be genuinely productive and, time to eat breakfast so you're not dashing out of the door like a lunatic with a rumbling belly and half wet hair. I swear by Bloom matcha green tea to kick start my day and energise me. It's something I say all the time but your car is like an engine, it needs fuel and energy to perform the best through the day ahead. It’s much stronger than green tea meaning it boosts your metabolism. I'm really trying to get my fluids as soon as I wake up.

Me Time - I feel like with todays stresses, me time is more important than ever before. Put your phone down, grab a book, take a bath, go outside and talk! Do something that clears your mind, whether that's watching 'trashy' TV for 20 mins, reading a book, calling a friend and having a rant or putting your phone down. Find what works for you. My total zen time comes from doing yoga at my gym (David Lloyd do the best hot yoga classes) or having a bath with all the Jo Malone candles. If you take time to care for yourself, your body and mind will thank you for it.

Prioritise - Nothing eases my mind more than having my life together. It's a tough thing to do but there are simple things you can do to 'sort your life out' which in turn, help to ease stress. Here are a few things I do to limit my stresses. 1. Pre-book, so I pre-book my train to make sure I have seats because I know I have a total melt down when I'm committing if I have to run with 18 bags looking for a seat, or face standing for 2 hours. 2. Prioritize, I make myself a list and prioritise it, e.g., tonight I have to get this done, but the rest isn't a priority. 3. I ask myself, will what I'm stressing over matter tomorrow? The answer is probably no. You are only one person, don't beat yourself up.

Exercise - Just like the above, move more. It's all well and good eating well, (I'm sure you're all bored of hearing me talk about the 80/20 rule now) but moving more is important too. My mantra in life is move more, eat better (not less!). We all know moving more is beneficial for our bodies, but what about our minds? Nothing makes me feel less stressed than busting a spin class at David Lloyd. It totally eases my mind and gets rid of any anxiety/tension going through it. Exercise releases endorphins and even though it's sometimes hard to get yourself to the gym in the first place, you never regret it when you're there. Whether this means going on a run outside or heading to your gym, find something that works for you, I promise though, there's no beating those endorphins!

Do you agree with any of these tips? Do you agree that it's important to support the body and mind?

You might also like:

12 simple health and fitness tips
Why I don’t believe in diets 
How to start your day the best way
A health overhaul, top health and fitness tips
Easy healthy Vegan pancakes
Lots of love, Em x

*I worked with LifeVantage on this post but as always, it's 100% my honest opinion. 

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