[Intro by Alex Noble]
The last sixty days or so have been a bit of a whirlwind. What started as a bizarre situation in which we were confined to our homes, swiftly became the new normal. In some cases, routines were amended instead of dissolved; morning alarms remained a constant, fitness regimes were not forgotten, and work ethic did not wane.
I feel a sense of personal pride because I believe I achieved the above, but I certainly can't take all the credit for staying motivated. The likes of our resident health and wellbeing expert, Rory Warnock (@RoryWarnockWellness) ensured my priorities remained in tact, helping me view lockdown as un-borrowed time and a fantastic opportunity to educate and better myself.
Rory has put together a short guide on rules he follows to enhance headspace health at home...
Always:
1. Look after your mental health.
2. Have a morning routine:
It's important to start your day right. I’ve researched this a huge amount and found the following works well:
Morning meditation or breath practice (look out for my blog on this coming soon)
Journaling; I write four affirmations, five gratitudes and five intentions
Flexibility and mobility work
The above will help start your day in a mentally positive state, as you're immediately giving back to your mind and body.
3. Ensure you are breathing correctly:
Something that may sound so simple, but all of the below are associated with dysfunctional breathing, which can lead to feeling stressed and anxious:
Breathing in your upper chest
Shallow breathing
Fast breathing
Breathing through your mouth
4. Write a ‘to-do’ list:
This will keep you focused and on-track to meet your goals.
5. Try and remove yourself from your phone at least an hour before bed.
This will certainly alleviate anxiety levels, and allow your mind to rest and switch off.
6. Follow social media accounts that help you feel fulfilled or educate you:
There’s a huge amount of garbage out there. Fact.
If you’re looking for health and fitness inspiration, ensure you're following well-educated experts, instead of self-proclaimed fitness experts who have adopted fame via a trash TV. (cough Love Island cough)
Never:
1. Don’t roll out of bed, immediately stumble onto your computer and begin work with your eyes half shut.
Wake up, enjoy a morning routine, shower, freshen up, and then crack on with your day.
And if this requires you to get up slightly earlier to enjoy some self-love in the morning, then I'd say do it!
2. Don't go to bed and spend hours flicking through social platforms:
This won’t allow your mind to wind down and you’ll subsequently have a poor sleep.
3. Don’t compare yourself to other people - Especially 'influencers':
You may see some people on social media doing some crazy and exciting things, try not to let this get to you.
Don't fall down the rabbit hole - if you can follow my six Always tips, you'll begin to appreciate yourself a whole lot more.
I hope these help you achieve a clearer headspace during these unprecedented times but I really want to stress you should try to exercise these on a daily basis, no matter the global situation. They're small changes that can deliver big rewards.
Look out for my fitness at home post, coming soon.
Have a great day!