There has never been a better time to seize control of your own health and wellness than right now. Whilst the lives that many of us have grown accustomed to have seemingly disintegrated before us and this is largely out of our control, It’s best to focus on the things that we can actually change and enact positive results in our daily lives. Some of the best places to start are the most obvious; our mental and physical health, including our nutrition. The closer attention you pay to each of these three aspects you will notice how closely related they all are and how they actually feed off each other; how you can’t reap the benefits of any one without the other. Feeding your body the right fuel is imperative for a good physical work out. Similarly, the endorphin rush you can experience after some physical exertion can do wonders to alleviate any stress and tension you may be feeling, thus giving your mental health a helping hand. Let’s begin by taking a look at physical health.
How To Stay Motivated Whilst Working Out at Home.
For many people, finding the motivation to begin and sustain a workout regime alone and at home can seem like a daunting task. The idea of joining a gym may not appeal to you for any number of reasons, ranging anywhere from anxiety to monetary concerns. A home workout plan might be what is needed to get you back on track to staying physically healthy. The home, however, can easily be riddled with distractions and potential reason to not stick to your workout plan. There can be family members, housemates, pets and other seemingly more exciting and enjoyable activities you could be doing. However, with a bit of focused attention and dedication, a home workout regime can be sustained that can equal or even compliment what you can do and achieve at a gym, memberships to which can often prove costly.
Creating your own dedicated workout space is vital. Having all your equipment ready and in one place can help to keep you motivated and keep (some!) of those excuses at bay. Create a realistic schedule that works for you and stick to it. If you are not a morning person, scheduling in workouts at 6am will not do you any good, either physically or mentally. It’s important to start with what you have and where you are, and with honesty. Working out with a friend can help if motivation is lacking, even if you’re not both physically together. The extra bit of accountability and camaraderie can help you start and keep moving towards your ultimate health goals. If time constraints are an issue for you, make sure you plan your routines beforehand. Find exercise that you like and are beneficial to you and your goals and create a routine around them. There are plenty of online resources and apps that can help you with this. By so doing, you can be sure to maximise your time and be more efficient in the long term, thus making it more sustainable for you. If you do really struggle with motivation, focus on how good you’ll feel after your workout. Keep one eye on your reasons and intentions for taking extra care of your health and let this propel your through your routine. Your mental health will thank the time you’ve taken to care for your physical body and you can begin to cement within yourself a greater sense of cohesion through all the elements of your health and wellness routines.
The Benefits of Joining a Community Leisure Centre.
For many people who want to start living a more active lifestyle but don’t know where to start, joining a community leisure centre could be the answer. The benefit of a local leisure centre above say, a gym is that here you will typically find a greater number of sports and activities for you to choose from, which is a blessing if you’re not quite sure what you preferred form of exercise is. It will also stop you from having to fork out multiple membership fees proving a more economical option for you. If you are someone who likes to mix it up and thrives with some variety in your workout routines, then joining a community leisure centre could fit the bill for you. Ask yourself what your exercise goals are; whether you want to increase strength and stamina in the gym, have fun and get fit in in group classes, or join in a team sport. Is access to a swimming pool vital to you? Do you like the idea of having the support of trained and trusted people in the know to guide you on your way? Perhaps you aren’t quite sure where you fit in and want to dip your toe in to the wide ocean of different fitness activities to see what works best for you. The ability to be able to choose between such a vast number of different fitness options gives joining a community leisure centre an edge over, say, just joining a gym, where you will mostly likely struggle to find such an array of options to choose from. You may well have access to a number of indoor as well as outdoor pitches to choose from should you wish to organise your own group, should you fail to find anything available that tickles your fancy.
Keeping healthy means much more than just exercising your body. [1]Another bonus of a community leisure centre may have is access to holistic therapies, such as yoga, massage and physiotherapy, as well as sauna and steam rooms to relax and rejuvenate after a long day or a particularly gruelling workout, so you can ease away the stressors of everyday life.
Why what you Eat is Just as Important as what you do.
So now you’ve got your exercise routine sorted, it’s time to play close attention to what you eat in order to fuel your body properly, ease recovery and maximise your efforts. There is no shortage of information out there on how the quality and quantity of your gut bacteria can affect your mood and your nervous system[2]. So not only will correct nutrition help you with your fitness goals in and out of the gym, it will also help you maintain a sense of calm and clarity when you are not working out. First of all it is important to clarify what your goals and intentions are regarding your health and wellness. If your aim is to loose weight, you’ll be looking to cut calories whilst increasing metabolic function, whereas if you’re looking to build muscle mass you’ll want to increase your protein consumption to aid in muscle growth and to ease recovery. It’s important that you maintain the correct food choices so that your time and energy through physical and mental exertions aren’t in vain. One of the benefits of joining a gym or a community leisure centre is that you will most likely be able to find close at hand someone who can advise you about your nutritional needs and even draft up a diet plan for you should you need it.
Synthesising all the Elements of your Health and Wellbeing.
Whether you choose to work out at home, or join a gym or local community leisure centre, there have never been more options available to us to take control of our health and wellness and make our physical fitness and mental health goals a reality. Whether you’re a seasoned gym head looking to keep up motivation for your home workouts, or completely new to the world of health, wellness and fitness, we’ve never been better situated in a time with more resources available to us to make these goals a reality than we are right now. Taking control of your own health and wellness should be looked upon holistically, with every action you undertake, including your exercises, what and when you eat, as affecting the quality and quantity of exercise you are able complete, as well as how the quality and quantity of the food that you eat can affect your mood and your nervous system. Taking care of your health and wellness means to really tune in to the needs and signs that your body and mind are giving you at any given moment. It is a constant shifting playing field that only becomes apparent when you give each and every aspect due and rigorous attention so that you can be at your best and flourish at any given moment. This, of course, takes time, dedication and devotion, but the rewards are sure to outweigh the initial inconvenience suffered and reward you with the full force of the human experience.
[1] https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/physical-activity/data-and-statistics [2] Huang, T. T., Lai, J. B., Du, Y. L., Xu, Y., Ruan, L. M., & Hu, S. H. (2019). Current Understanding of Gut Microbiota in Mood Disorders: An Update of Human Studies. Frontiers in genetics, 10, 98. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2019.00098
