Welcome to The Healthy Habits Challenge
Week 7
Welcome to week 7 of the Healthy Habits Challenge. This week we talk about increasing our level of physical activity, mindful eating and sleep hygiene. If you would like to boost your overall wellness pick any of the following healthy habits and gradually start to integrate it into your daily routine.
Healthy Habit #19
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week to help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
If we break this down it’s :
- 21 min per day, 7 days per week or
- 30 min per day, 5 days per week.
Broken down this way, it might seem a bit more manageable for some people but understandably not everyone.
When it comes to increasing physical activity in our lives I always like to recommend taking it slow.
For example, don’t pledge to workout 7 days per week for 2 hours at a time when you haven’t been exercising much or at all for the past year.
Rather simply start adding 30 min of exercise per week at a time.
If you haven’t been exercising for a prolonged period of time for whatever reason it would probably be best to start with light exercises like walking, stretching or yoga.
There are many resources out there for yoga. One that has gained a lot of momentum during the pandemic is Yoga With Adriene but there many others such as Ottawa-based Yoga with Kassandra.
If you generally exercise but have been in a slump since the gyms closed, like me, I highly recommend looking into Girls Gone Strong. They have put together an amazing workout resource.
I was very happy when I found the Girls Gone Strong workout resource since I absolutely hate putting together workout plans! If you want something more customized, many trainers are still offering their coaching services online.
Remember to be kind to yourself and don’t beat yourself up if you get off track.
Healthy Habit #20
Mindful eating is not about WHAT we eat but HOW we eat.
It’s about being consciously aware of our eating experience in a non-judgmental way.
“Mindful eating supports [the] practitioner’s sense of who they are by assuring them that they are OK in a nonjudgmental and self-accepting way. It encourages them to appreciate food rather than restricting it and starving, by having a beginner’s mind and patiently appreciating each moment with full awareness. It encourages them to trust in their own decisions rather than being restricted by rules about what and when to eat. Mindfulness encourages practitioners to live fully in each moment and appreciate their life as it is.”
Joseph B. Nelson (2017)
Here is a link to a guided meditation on mindful eating.
Healthy Habit #21
Wake-up at approximately the same time every day. Having regular sleep and wake cycles are very important for our mental and physical health.
Lately, I’ve been struggling with getting out of bed so I decided to post this one today as a gentle reminder to myself and anyone else who is having a similar issue.
For some reason sleeping more than 8 hours doesn’t give me more energy. I actually end up feeling more tired during the day. Which only makes me want to sleep-in more the following day. And the vicious cycle continues.
If you are like me and have a history of sleep issues, I recommend checking out my blog series on sleep issues.