Drink More, Breathe Deep

At this time of the year, we've spent a lot of time indoors, with central heating and are probably more sluggish and inactive than in the warmth of the summer.

If you're feeling tired and low in energy, there are two important things that you need that you might not be getting enough of.

Water and air.

It's also something that's been mentioned by other people today and my nutritionist, last week mentioned that I was dehydrated. Admittedly, I go through phases of drinking more and then finding that I've gone through the day and not had anything to drink since the morning. So, I'm back into paying attention to how much I'm drinking.

Increase your water intake, rehydrate your body and mind and see if it improves your overall wellbeing. That doesn't mean more tea and coffee but plain water, herbal teas or diluted fruit juice. Small quantities throughout the day rather than large quantities in one go. Keep a bottle or glass of water to hand at all times and drink it throughout the day.

Start the day with a few deep breaths to get the oxygen flowing around the body. Breathe deeply into the stomach, ribs and top of your chest, not just the usual shallow breathing that we do when we're not thinking about it. If you can get out into the fresh air during the day, so much the better.

Holiday Intentions

The schools here go back this week and many people are now back from holiday. If you’ve managed to get away for a few days break or even had your summer (what summer) holiday – did you managed to take some time out while you were away?

I’ve often found that holidays can be a great opportunity to not only take a break from your business or job but to think about the things that are really important to you, spending time with family and friends who you don’t have as much time for when the nose is to the grindstone, time to exercise and eat more healthily … or perhaps not if you’ve been over indulging. When we get a chance to get away from our day-to-day routine, it can be a lot easier to take a few steps back and step off the treadmill for a while. As well as New Year, holidays can be a time when we decide to make changes to our lives – whether it’s to exercise more, work fewer hours, go for a career change or get a promotion. The trouble is that when you get back to work and back into the daily routine, it’s easy to quickly forget all the good intentions, as the memory of the holiday quickly fades.

Write them down, before you forget them (see Getting Accountable – 18th Aug). Even if they’re not something you’re in a position to do anything about right away, there are probably one or two small things you could do now to make a difference or at least get you moving in the right direction. If you want to get fit – book time for exercise in your dairy. If you want to work fewer hours – commit to a starting and finishing time and stick to it.

Another opportunity for change. Don’t let the enthusiasm and intention fade away without trace.

Your Health - Exercise

This is the first in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you or give you that boost with those New Year Resolutions.

What does being healthy mean to you? Is it about being the correct weight for your height and feeling good? Is it about being able to run for the bus or climb a flight of stairs without getting out of breath?

Here are a few questions for you.

• Are you a healthy weight?
• Have you recently had your cholesterol and blood pressure checked?
• When was your last dental or eye check-up?
• How many times do you exercise each week?
• When did you last have a full medical exam?

It's important to look after yourself physically to better enable you to deal with the mental and emotional side of things and your body will recover better from illness and stress. Know your limits and work within your own physical capabilities while building up your strength and stamina. It’s well known that fit and active people have stronger immune systems, live longer and are less prone to illness in later life and don’t get sick so often.


Action:

What difference could you make to your health this week?

• Exercise at least three times this week – go for a walk, cycle, swim or take an exercise class.
  
• Take the stairs instead of the lift/elevator.
• Walk instead of taking the car.
• Don’t forget about your mind too. Quizzes, crosswords, memory tests and puzzles all help to exercise your mind.
  

Exercise at your own pace and get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes each time. If you're overweight check with your doctor before taking any strenuous exercise.

Have a healthy week and pick one thing to improve your fitness this week.

Get Fresh Air AND Exercise

Your countryside needs you. I was out yesterday volunteering with the local wildlife trust again, clearing scrub to allow the Downland plants to recolonise the area.

Much of the English countryside has been farmed for many years and so it isn’t in it’s natural state. Grazing of sheep, cattle and ponies has an impact on the variety of plants and animals that inhabit a particular area. Grazing here on the South Downs has resulted in the chalkland fauna and flora, much of which would disappear if it wasn’t for the grazing and the work of volunteers keeping the scrub down.

Most local councils and wildlife trusts do not have the funding and resources to manage the land, so they rely on the work of volunteers and there is always far too much work to be done and not enough volunteers.

If you’d like to get involved, it only involves one day a month and most working parties don’t work over the summer. You get out into the fresh air for a few hours. Work hard, there are always a variety of tasks for different physical strength and abilities. It’s very rewarding even if you only feel your scratching the surface of what needs doing. We started at 10.00am and were finished by about 2.30pm but carried on chatting, admiring our handiwork and sitting in the sunshine for another hour.

If you work for a company – why not organise a day out for your team. Most companies these days get involved in the community as part of Corporate Social Responsibility so why not do something worthwhile and make a difference to your local countryside.

Local Wildlife Trust Volunteering
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
RSPB Volunteers

OK ... I'm sorry this is very UK centric but I hope that our European/International members can find something similar in their area.

I found this for the US - National Wildlife Federation

Feel free to add any other useful links to this post.