Whitney's Tip for Staying Well During Lockdown - Part 2

With COVID Lockdown's still affecting half of the country, we asked our Wellness Ambassador, Whitney, to give us some more tips on how we can stay healthy and well during this tough time. Here's what Whitney had to say: 

1. Get outside as much as you can 

Under the current Stay At Home orders affecting half the country, it can be easy to spend all our time indoors. But we can still go outside for daily exercise and, If you're lucky enough to have some backyard space, you can get outside even more.

With just the simple action of getting outdoors we are benefiting our bodies in so many ways, including; reducing inflammation, pain, and stress; reducing cortisol levels; increasing our mood; and improving blood flow, energy, and sleep.  
 

HERE'S TWO EASY WAYS TO GET YOUR DOSE OF THE OUTDOORS:

  • Ocean swim. Even just a quick dip is a surefire way to hit the reset button and boost your energy levels. A swim in the ocean will help reduce your stress levels, promote muscle relaxation, and can trigger the release of dopamine and serotonin.
  • 10 minutes of exposed sunshine. A little bit of exposed sunshine every day is good for us - but be sure to not spend too long in it without sun protection. Soaking up some sun is a natural mood booster that increases Vitamin D levels, regulates Melatonin levels, lowers blood pressure and induces relaxation.
 
 

2. Create boundaries on how much social media and TV you consume

While this is a good thing to do for your wellbeing at the best of times, it is especially important right now.
Let's face it - the news at the moment can be overwhelming and unsettling. Too much exposure to the  uncertainty and negativity in the news can have detrimental impacts on your mental wellbeing, including increased stress, anxiety and cortisol levels. 
Similarly, spending too much time on social media can also impact your mood and mental wellbeing quite severely. Hours of endless scrolling and comparing your life to others can leave you feeling unworthy, disheartened or unsatisfied. 

HERE'S MY ADVICE IN CREATING NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA BOUNDARIES:

  • Clear out your facebook and instagram news feeds! Be conscious about what you are filling your feed with and how it makes you feel. Unfollow or Unfriend anyone that makes you feel bad about yourself, or who doesn't add anything positive to your life.
  • Start the day without it. Try banning yourself from your phone, TV and radio for at least the first 30-60min of your day. Use this time to start your day with more wholesome activities - maybe cooking yourself a nice brekky or going for a morning walk? 
  • Turn it off before bed. Turn off your phone, the news and any other technology an hour before you go to bed. Try winding down by reading a book, journalling or meditating instead.
  • Turn off notifications for social media and news apps. Notifications prompt us to mindlessly open these apps way more than we need to. For some people, it might not be possible to switch their notifications off all the time, but trying it for at least one full day a week (maybe Sunday's?) can be a great start.
  • Start Small. Like anything, you should start small with your limits on news and social media. Once you have your smaller limitations down pat, you can try and impose more.

 

 

 
 

3. Eat mindfully and with intent 

With all this extra time on our hands it can be super easy to turn to food and start to eat out of boredom. For some of us we can also turn to food as a comfort when we feel stressed or down. This isn't always a bad thing, but if it becomes consistent it can begin to negatively impact our health in obvious ways. 
Instead of eating out of boredom, why not use this extra time to start getting creative in the kitchen, explore wholesome foods, and learn how to eat more intuitively. 

HERE'S MY ADVICE TO EATING MINDFULLY AND WITH INTENT:

  • Sit down and enjoy. With many of use leading busy lives, it can be easy to rush through meal-time. This lockdown might be the perfect excuse to take time out to actually sit and enjoy your meals with no distractions (this means no phone!). 
  • Think before you eat. Ask yourself if you are really hungry or is it emotional hunger/boredom?
  • Think about what you eat. Eat foods that energise you and make you feel good. Ask yourself what is this food giving me? Is it nourishing my body? How does this food usually make me feel? 
  • Chew slowly and actually taste the flavours. Don’t inhale your meal! Put your knife and fork down in-between mouth fulls and properly chew your food.
  • Don't overeat. Tune into your fullness levels - stop when you’re satisfied and understand you can always go back and eat more.
  • Remove negative thoughts about food. Guilt manifests as physical stress, which has a domino effect on the mind and body. If negative thoughts creep up before or after you eat, just breathe them out. 
 

More about Whitney: 

Whitney wears many hats as a Personal trainer, Muay Thai Trainer, Health Coach, Yoga teacher, Breathwork Practitioner, Youth and Women’s mentor and Your Biggest Cheerleader! She hosts Self-Love Retreats and Workshops and runs an online group program called ‘Beyond Your Body Image’.
Whitney is passionate about guiding people of all ages to a healthy relationship with their body, and working with youth in creating the next generation of empowered women.
Her vision has stemmed from her own lived experiences and journey with eating disorders, body image issues, depression and the loss of her father... in which she has been able to turn into her greatest gift.
Find out more about Whitney and her workshops on her website or on her Instagram page.