Self-care is so important, and it is something we easily put aside because of how busy we are. Lockdown is different for everyone, maybe you are juggling working from home, home schooling as well as all of the usual day to day jobs that need to be done around the house, cooking tea, cleaning, washing, the list goes on!
Or maybe you have more time on your hands, have you been furloughed or on reduced hours and need to find ways to keep yourself busy? This can be difficult for some people, having more time can be boring, lonely, especially when there isn’t much we can do at the moment.
Hold that thought……
We are here to help, whether you are busy or not, your health and wellbeing is our priority and we hope this gives you some ideas to keep looking after yourself during this time and beyond lockdown!
It is so important to carry on doing self-care when we are busy to give you that me time and relax and a great thing to do if you have more time on your hands, what better way than to focus on yourself more and make yourself a priority!
Self-care is different for everyone, we all like different things, this could be giving yourself half an hour to read your favourite book, go for a walk, listen to a podcast or take part in an online health and fitness class (as we know exercise has so many health benefits as well!)
The NHS website shares “If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.
When everything else is so uncertain, looking after ourselves is something we can all do and make time for, after all, why wouldn’t you want to make time for something you enjoy?
If you are busy, focus on what you can do and when you can do it instead of focusing on all the things you need to do that day. Can you fit in going for a walk before you start your day, get out and get some fresh air and be ready to start the day, or maybe mid-day would be better for you, during your lunch break or maybe after work/evening, something to look forward to after a busy day.
Did you know we have launched a new online platform to keep you active and healthy at home? Everybody @ Home is great, it has a range of health and fitness classes, including daily live classes, a range of on demand classes and our lives save to the group so you can catch up at a time that suits you! Perfect if you are busy. From Yoga, to Dance Fit, Les Mills classes (live classes only), to HIIT, plus a range of on demand health classes, there is something for everyone.
Everybody Member Maz shares “Wonderful Yoga Session with Victoria. Lovely inspiring poem to finish.”
Depending on what class types you enjoy, the class durations range from 30 minutes, 45 minutes to 55 minutes so you can factor in a class on a day and at a time that suits you, so if you can’t take part live, don’t worry, catch up on it when you can.
If you have more time on your hands and looking for things to do to fill your day, look at what you enjoy doing and factor that into your day. Again, why not check out our Everybody @ Home platform and factor in some health and fitness classes to your week, it fills the time, keeps you active and healthy plus exercise has so many health benefits.
The NHS also shares “Whatever your age, there’s strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life.
People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing many long-term (chronic) conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.
Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
There is the social element on Everybody @ Home as well, you get to interact with our instructors and other members taking part in the live class, we have a chat function so you can talk to our instructors and each other and you can see how many people are taking part in the class so you know there are others joining in with you.
Everybody @ Home is currently free of charge, if you sign up to an Everybody membership we won’t be charging you until we reopen.
Don’t know about you but I always like making lists and planning so why not do a weekly planner of what you are going to do and when.
Here is a planner for you to use to write down what activities you are going to do each week, self-care doesn’t have to take up a lot of time but the difference it makes to us is amazing.
