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Keep Calm and Moving
There have been so many changes to the world in such a short amount of time. For most of us our weekly rhythms of work, family time, exercise and stress management have been disrupted. Given current social distancing recommendations, daily exercise might look like streaming an online yoga flow from home, taking a jog outside while responsibly keeping your distance from others, or simply doing some squats between conference calls. Regardless, getting into a groove at home is important for our physical and mental health. Maintaining a regular exercise and mindfulness routine is helpful to relieve anxiety and help build physicial and mental resiliency. Aiming for a least twenty minutes a day is a good target.
Enjoy some of these helpful links to bring some calm and movement back into your routine.
There have been so many changes to the world in such a short amount of time. For most of us our weekly rhythms of work, family time, exercise and stress management have been disrupted. Given current social distancing recommendations, daily exercise might look like streaming an online yoga flow from home, taking a jog outside while responsibly keeping your distance from others, or simply doing some squats between conference calls. Regardless, getting into a groove at home is important for our physical and mental health. Maintaining a regular exercise and mindfulness routine is helpful to relieve anxiety and help build physicial and mental resiliency. Aiming for a least twenty minutes a day is a good target.
Enjoy some of these helpful links to bring some calm and movement back into your routine.
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient meditative practice that has many well documented health benefits. It is easy to do at home and can help promote a sense of calm.
Indianapolis based “The Yoga Studio” is offering free yoga classes and meditation sessions via Instagram stories (@indyyogastudio). Their schedule is posted here.
Yoga with Adriene on Youtube is a free on-demand resource that is great whether you are new to yoga or have years of experience.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is a type of aerobic exercise that involves alternating periods of regular intensity with short bursts of high intensity activity for 30 to 60 seconds duration. HIIT training is very time efficient and offers a great workout in as little as seven minutes. Check out these links to get started:
The New York Times' Scientific 7- minute workout
The workout app "Workout for women" offers free 4-60 minute routines that can easily be mixed and matched for variety and targeted body work. There is something for everyone in this app.
Meditation
The benefits of meditation are numerous and supported by science. Many people start meditating to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and to cultivate peace of mind. But, there are thousands of studies documenting other less-known mindfulness meditation benefits including improved mood, lower cortisol, greater happiness and decreased inflammation.
Headspace is a subscription-based app. During this trying time, the company is offering free access to supportive guided meditations called Weathering the storm. If you are a healthcare provider or an educator, the company is also offering free access to meditations to target your needs as well.
Staying home in this season is our way to care for each other. Hopefully these resources help you care for yourself and find small joys in the new routine.
(This post is not sponsored. Relish Health does not receive anything in return from any link included here.)
How did you sleep last night?
Research is showing that sleep is not only important to our energy level and mood but is also closely tied to our longevity. If sleep eluded you last night, try some of these tips for better rest tonight and in the future.
Yesterday was World Sleep Day. Research is showing that sleep is not only important to our energy level and mood but is also closely tied to our longevity. If sleep eluded you last night, try some of these tips for better rest tonight and in the future:
Cut back on caffeine. Response to caffeine varies person to person, but this drug remains in your system far longer than most people realize. The half-life of caffeine is several hours. This means that your morning coffee is still hanging around at lunchtime, and you may still have a quarter of the caffiene in your system at dinnertime.
Move during the day. People who exercise regularly report more satisfying sleep. Be sure to finish your workout at least three hours before bed to make sure you have proper time to relax and cool down.
Make your room dark. Light can disrupt our body’s natural secretion of melatonin. Making your room dark and avoiding blue light that is emitted from electronic devices before bedtime can help ensure our body maintains its natural circadian rhythm. If you needs some help blocking blue light, try blue light filtering glasses.
Avoid alcohol within three hours of bedtime. While alcohol can make you sleepy, it alters the brainwave activity in your brain, preventing restorative sleep.
Relax before bed. Create an evening routine that puts you in a relaxed frame of mind. Try reading a neutral book, journaling or taking a hot bath. A hot bath with Epsom salts relaxes muscles and reduces tension through the help of magnesium sulfate.
If sleep continues to be a concern let’s talk. Addressing hormones, blood sugar balance and stress management are also important for proper sleep.
Schedule an appointment with Relish Health today.