Most people would agree that taking care of
your wellbeing is easier in the summer.
The weather is better, days are longer and it seems as though there are
more accessible options to help you look after yourself.
Outdoor exercise and fun social activities
make getting moving easier; there seems
to be a greater variety of healthy food choices and these appear more appealing
in the summer; and there are more holidays
during the summer which, combined with the lack of pressure from Christmas or
Easter commitments, helps to put everyone in a more relaxed frame of mind than
at other times of the year. Holidays
also serve to provide deadlines for wellbeing objectives, particularly losing
weight and toning up for the beach, and they add much-needed balance to life.
Looking and feeling great during the summer
months is fantastic – we’re not going to argue with that. But what about the rest of the year?
What if everyone could experience the health,
energy, vitality, confidence and satisfaction they enjoy during summer and
carry this with them through every month of the year?
Now that’s an exciting prospect and that’s why today we're beginning a series of top tips to guarantee all year round wellbeing results.
Create a structure for your healthy living year
Many people keep their wellbeing on track
during spring and summer with events, races and charity fitness
activities. There aren’t so many of
these during Autumn and Winter. They do
exist however, so make a schedule of the events that will help you stay
on track all year round, rather than just during peak race season.
You can also set
yourself some challenges to keep you going from October to April. These challenges needn't necessarily be organised events but could be as simple as setting yourself a
daily steps target or exercising a set number of times each week. You can make challenges social to add some extra
accountability and chances are that if you stay on track with your exercise, you’ll
make better choices with your food, and then quality sleep and successful stress
management will also follow.
Plan your exercise calendar
For many people getting active during the
summer is a pleasure rather than a chore.
They run or cycle outside, play tennis, softball or netball and
generally get a bit more social with their exercise, even if this is as simple
as walking with friends or colleagues. When
Autumn approaches these same people tend to migrate back towards exercising
alone in the gym - or at least intending to.
But think about it. If you really enjoy outdoor and social activities, there’s a limit to how inspired you’ll be at the
prospect of indoor and solo activities.
So, during the summer months, give some thought to how you can maintain
at least an element of outdoor training and / or social exercise during the rest of
the year.
Set monthly targets
Sketch out your wellbeing year on a seasonal planner. Write out your
priorities in each area of wellbeing so that you are crystal clear on what you
need to do to feel great and perform well all year round. Summer targets are relatively easy - most people want to look good for their holiday. An Autumn target could be to build resilience for what is usually a busy period, and Winter can be all about managing your energy through Christmas and shorter days. Springtime targets to begin making progress early and save some of the effort closer to summer usually work well.
Healthy
eating: not just a warm weather option
You may find it easier to eat lighter
meals, make healthier choices and avoid comfort foods during May, June, July
and August so make notes of what constitutes your best healthy eating routine
for Summer. Now extend your notes to
cover the rest of the year, writing down specifically where you may need to flex some of your successful summer options. Fruit may be substituted by vegetables, salads by soups and buffets by stews. This type of planning makes your annual healthy
eating routine far more proactive and likely to succeed.
Seasonal
sleep
Your sleep routine might shift a little
during summer and winter but a clear understanding of how much sleep you prefer for different seasons, and any variation in your bedtime and waking times
through the year, will help you plan to get the sleep you need, when you need
it. If you sleep better at certain times of the year than at other times, think about why this might be and aim to replicate the routines that lead to good sleep and implement them all year round.
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