Getting My Glow Back: Health Kick Check Up II
May 3, 2012 in Health
Okay, so the month of April is officially over but I’d like to continue my healthy run into May (if it’s okay with you?). I was really making some good progress until about Week 3 when things started to unravel. The weather got really cold and rainy and I found myself crawling back into bed and ignoring the determined little voice in my head trying to coax me to the gym.
Anyway, I’ll check in with a progress report and would love to know if you managed to get all the way through April with no slip ups or were more like me and overall did well but had the odd bump along the way.
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Photo by Amanda Mabel
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MOVE
I had a week of bad behaviour on this front when the temperature plummeted and took my motivation with it. I also slipped out of my yoga routine and wow did I feel the change in my mobility and flexibility. With limited time, I think I start to panic that I don’t have enough time to move, but really it only takes 10 minutes to do something worthwhile for your body. I think I’ll do a few stretches right before bed, it’ll help lengthen my muscles from the tension of the day and calm my mind at the same time. What’s your favourite way to get moving if you have a short amount of time?
COOK
With the help of my lovely boyfriend, cooking has been the easiest of the five sectors to continue with. It relieves so much stress knowing that there is a plan and all the ingredients are on hand to prepare a nutritious meal. Over the weekend I made large dishes based on whole grains that served as healthy comfort food over two nights. Leftovers are seriously underrated and I’m definitely going to prepare more than we need when we have the time on the weekend to make Monday and Tuesday dinners quick and simple. Do you rely on leftovers at all?
PREVENT
Well this one gets a gold star now that I’ve seen the dentist and got the green light from her. I have had all the check ups that I need for the next six months and feel pretty chuffed that I can forget about those appointments for a while now. I am thinking of taking a multi-vitamin every morning just to ensure that I’m doing the best I can in terms of preventing anything from bringing down my immune system this winter. Do you take any vitamins? Which do you recommend?
RELAX
As some of you may know, I have two occupations at the moment – I write and do freelance social media project management in the mornings and teach singing in the afternoons/evenings. Unfortunately, things are ramping up on both fronts simultaneously and it’s getting my work-life balance a little out of whack. No complaints here but I really do need to knuckle down and make relaxing a priority. I think I’ll book a massage for tomorrow!
ENJOY
I have been a social butterfly these past couple of weeks, to the point where I am just counting down the hours until Sunday where I am entirely commitment-free. This will be the day that I read for an hour, chat to T over coffee and breakfast, create a new inspiration board for the studio and start brainstorming a few new goals. Me time. As much as I enjoy seeing friends and being around amazing people, it does take a lot of bright and bubbly energy, so sometimes the moments with a quiet, calmer energy are just what the doctor ordered.
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What health changes have you made recently that you have noticed benefits from?
Did you join me on Get Your Glow Back April? Want to kick through May with me too?
Oh gosh, I totally need to get my glow back. My goals for May are:
1. Get my back better.
2. Cook well all month and stick to paleo 100%
3. Try to get into yoga three mornings a week – I can’t run at the moment because of my back
4. Work out my work/life balance. I am looking for a new cashflow job and working out how to make my career dreams come true and sometimes balance doesn’t apply there. I bought your eBook to help me along!
5. To get my social life back. I have been a hermit the past three months and it’s not fun. I want to get back to enjoying life!
Wonderful goals Hannah! Work/life balance is tricky and often not achievable when you’re starting your own business on the side. It’ll come with time though. Just remember to allow yourself some down time to let the creative juices flow! Please let me know what you think of my eBook – I’d love to hear your thoughts! x
Glad you’re going well with your health kick! :) ‘
With regard to the mulitivitamins/minerals, a massive long term study in the US was just completed and the results showed that long term, the only vitamin or mineral supplement that had any significant benefit was calcium. The calcium supplements which include Iron, Magnesium, etc are particularly good since they further improve bone strength/prevent bone deterioration and maintain your iron/haemoglobin levels (Important for menstruating women). Note that this study only covered vitamins and minerals so I’d still recommend other things like fish oil and glucosamine.
What an interesting study Myfanwy – thank you so much for sharing. I am always a little iron deficient so definitely need to check out supplements that include iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! x
Nice to hear a progress report! And thanks for the reminder about fitting little pockets of exercise in – I have so many assignments at the moment that I’ve stopped even aiming to go the gym. Ten minutes in the morning is exactly what I need to keep the blood pumping.
Also, I started taking multi-vitamins about a month ago when I got a really sore throat. I haven’t been sick since (which with the lack of sleep I’ve been getting is amazing) so I’m definitely a convert. I’m also loving morning juices to get a bunch of nutrients in one hit.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Long training sessions can seem too daunting and hard to schedule in, don’t they? Short bursts are still great to get everything moving and much more achievable when you’re busy. Love nutrients hits like juices and smoothies first thing and glad to hear the multi-vitamins are working for you! xx