You've changed
Life has changed so much - and will continue to change for some time yet. As we humans are creatures of habit we don't always like change - Why? Because adapting our minds and bodies to new ways is hard work. That’s why starting a new eating plan or sticking with a new exercise routine can be difficult, and is one of the many reasons why life in lockdown has been harder for some.
I use a term Life Fit. Being Life Fit is the ability to be able to quickly adapt to a situation and environment with ease. It's being physically and emotionally healthy and having a good community around you. It means you're resilient and can bounce back quicker in tough situations.
We all experienced the lockdown differently and when it came to our health and fitness it seems we are emerging from our lockdown lives at polar opposite from where we started. Some were able to kick into great new habits, others had to shift to less healthy habits.
Personally, and ironically, I am in the less healthy camp. It’s true! I suddenly found myself moving much less than usual and eating more comfort food. My ‘new normal worklife’ shifted from active sessions with clients to mostly online sessions and this meant more sitting and less active time for me. This was compounded by a significant rise in my screen facing time and other added emotional stressors such as with those who were also juggling kids at home. It became very hard to try to fit in any downtime or personal time for health routines.
But that’s where Life Fit came into it for me - to adapt I shifted focus to my mental health and finding small pockets of time for head space in readiness to deal with these stressful times. A short 10 min walk by myself, some quick and simple deep breathing exercises when the stress levels were highest. I also focused on intentionally getting into some therapeutic activities with the family like gardening, fun active games like dodgeball and getting outside in the sunshine to calm the nervous system. It certainly hasn’t been the time to overwhelm ourselves with too strict a regime during an already stressful period so I focused on fun, and wasn't too hard on myself.
And so now I find myself asking… what do we keep from life in lockdown and what do we go back to? With our daily lives slowly resuming some normality, what can we keep that was good and what do I change for the better? I’m going to keep the extra time for family fun, I’m going to keep a lighter schedule but I’m going to go back to being more aware of maintaining a healthy strong body. We’re going to change our digital life to more disconnected lives - and even turn off our phones and WIFI every evening. And I personally am going back to my restorative movement plan, which is essential to staying on top of the injuries I sustained in my accident years back, as this is something I let slide a bit over the last 2 months, and I’m certainly feeling it!
Here’s a plan I'm starting with:
I’ve started measuring my blood glucose daily, because your blood sugars will tell you a lot more about your health than your bathroom scales will. Prolonged elevated blood sugars can create chronic inflammation which can exacerbate existing conditions or lead to chronic health issues, so for me proactively monitoring these means I can work on preventative plans. Worth noting that stress, poor sleep, inactivity and less than ideal food choices can all raise your blood sugars. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you want to try this, most devices can be bought over the counter.
The return of restorative exercises to improve function. The lack of movement has meant I can feel pain and restrictions in my body movement creeping in. Tightness through my shoulders, neck and lower back in particular from onset of sedentary needs. Old injuries are starting to create instability through lack of use and while it is tempting to go out all guns blazing and do a more higher intensity exercise plan I know from experience this will end badly as my body needs to be restored to what it was pre-lockdown before I attempt any exercises that are too dynamic or with heavy loads. So kicking off with gentle restorative exercises, foam rolling and stretching is key to restore function and eliminate pain.
Looking at my new working set up to be more dynamic. It seems living life more online will continue for both work and connecting with family so I'm adding variety to my screen set up to keep the body moving. I’m making a standing work station, creating a dedicated screen time area at my desk with a swiss ball, using my coffee table for more floor sitting and some laying on the floor on my belly for casual chats. Ensuring we reduce prolonged poor posture at the screen with movement variety will ensure tight muscles don’t set it that may create pathways to injury. Regular variety of positions is a must not to mention regular screen breaks. Variety is the spice of life!
Your body’s forever changing - so are you. Avoid feeling guilty about any good habits you let slip during these highly stressful times. When things settle down for you then you can get back on the track you want. For now just focus on getting the basics back - eat as well as you can, get as good a sleep as you can and get regular movement, in nature ideally, as much as you can. This ticks a lot of good boxes but most importantly try to do something daily you find fun.
Thanks for reading!
