Some quick fixes for a healthier you

Hopefully you're one of the lucky ones who have had your life routines changed in a positive way from the COVID situation.  If so then I'm truly happy for you on that.  For others it has increased the pressure at work, created uncertainty of work stability, pressure at home juggling family life, socially and financially. 

In that case it feels like we have less time, less fun, more pressure, less sleep and more broken sleep due to feeling anxious or stressed or burnt out.  Having later nights "de-stressing" with snacks and alcohol, making worse food choices, the increased social issues that are polarising us. No surprise then this isn't everyone's favourite year so far.

But before fixing the world, let's start with ourselves. This can happen pretty quickly and we all like fast results right? So here's a strategy for you to try on your journey to healthier habits.

Have you heard of Time Restricted Eating (TRE)? It's exactly what it sounds like. You restrict the timeframe of when you eat. And No. It's not fasting.  It's just a small adjustment to your meal times. The idea is eating within a 8-10 hour window. So breakfast could be at 10am, lunch at 2pm and dinner at 6/7pm. Easy right? No changing of foods or drink. Simple. Try it for 2 weeks. I bet you notice the difference. 

Why? Because we tend to overeat. Does a snack after dinner with a glass of wine at 8pm or 9pm sound familiar? This all adds up but not only that, it affects the quality and quantity of our sleep. Poor sleep = weight gain and increased risk of disease. Good sleep= physical and mental recovery and better metabolic health. 

Yes, if you have the headspace for adjusting your food choices to a more nutrient dense diet, then the results will be even better.

The other reason this works is because you tend to go to bed a little earlier as you don't want to be up and getting hungry again at 10.30/11pm.

So for those who might be doing that already or want to have another easy win for better health try this- get outside and get the sun on you. Yay. Super simple but yet so powerful for your health. The sunshine helps regulate your sleep but also positively affects your mood, immunity (which I'd say is pretty important right now) as well as your gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome consists of...are you ready for this.... bacteria, fungi, viruses, worms and protozoa. Yep, and they are affecting how you eat, what you eat, when you eat, what you absorb and how well you digest and eliminate your food. These guys are all happier with some sunshine. 

So get outside, whether it's to read your emails, listening to a podcast, sitting and doing nothing, do a cartwheel - It doesn't matter, just get outside every day. Preferably earlier in the mornings for less intense sunshine and without sunglasses (as long as the glare isn't too strong), as this helps set the stage for restorative sleep for the evening.   

The outdoors is proven to be healing in so many ways it's amazing. Like anything though, build up to it. Don't go and sit in the sun for an hour and burn. That's a big no no. A few minutes might be enough to start with if you rarely get outside.

And of course movement and exercise has a very similar positive impact on mood, immunity and your gut health so throw a nice dose of that in.

The world might not be full of rainbows and unicorns but by adding in these simple yet powerful changes you'll be feeling better, hopefully looking better and have better energy to be able to perform at a higher level. 

Thanks for reading!

Rich