Whoever you are, whatever your situation, these 7 simple things can easily make anyone feel better

Happy Healthy New Year, beautiful people!

So…the Christmas lights have come down, everything looks a bit duller and less sparkly, days are colder and darker…is it any wonder so many of us feel so demotivated and bummed out in any January regardless of what’s going on in the world?!

Of course many personal trainers love to and probably are already capitalising on this, but the good news is that there are are so many easy simple things you can do to give yourself a lift all on your own.

Here are my top 7 that I hope you find as helpful as I have.

Dance to Your Favourite Music

Whether you’re into pop, rock, musicals, thrash metal or techno it doesn’t matter as long as it listening to it makes you happy!

Music has the power to lift our moods, lower anxiety and give us the same endorphin release as many antidepressants.

Combined with dancing around with no inhibitions (the crazier the better) you’ve got yourself an instant feelgood AND bonus workout!

So make a playlist of whatever you like, whack it on and watch your mood elevate 🙂

Get your Nutrients In

Starting a post-Christmas diet/detox/plan in January, can be for many people as traditional as Christmas itself!

I’ve previously written how you can avoid the trap of the ‘New Year New You’ cliché and one very simple strategy you can start today is to plan at least one nutritious meal per day.

Whether it’s your breakfasts, lunches or dinners, knowing that one is already taken care of for the week and that it will be as nutritionally dense as possible gives you one less thing to think about.

You can check out my current favourite quick lunchtime salad recipe on Instagram here.

My personal training clients have reported back to me how much time and stress meal planning has saved them. So if you’re not already, start planning with just one meal and see how it makes you feel.

10 Minutes of Yoga

I cannot recommend Yoga and all the awesome benefits it will give you, enough. A feeling of calm, lowering of stress levels, a brilliant stretch, less aches and pains, more mobility, improved mental clarity, better sleep…need I go on?!

Yoga played a massive role in my positive pregnancy and I now make an effort to fit it in whenever I can (usually when my beloved is watching our baby!)

Just 10 minutes each day can make all the difference. The wonderful Gemma Sprack (one of the best instructors in the UK) has a selection of brilliant short online classes (and a bunch of FREE ones) suitable for all abilities.

So whether you’re brand new to Yoga or already practice it, this is certainly the best way to get started – check them out today!

Unplug

(Once you’ve finished reading this, that is!)

We’re currently all exposed to more screen time than ever before, so arranging either a cut off point at the end of the day or a break away from all screens at some point during the day will do wonders for your energy levels and mood.

You could set a timer for 20 minutes or even longer. My articles on how our phones can actually hinder fat loss and why turning them off at night improves our sleep might also be useful here.

Move Around

I guess it wouldn’t be right if a personal trainer left out how important it was for you to get some activity in!

Exercise is a natural antidepressant and you certainly don’t need a gym membership or to destroy yourself to the point of exhaustion, in order to reap the benefits.

So use any opportunity to get outside in the fresh air where you can, even if it’s just for a short walk.

And if you fancy a workout, you can always try the newly regenerated Boot Camp classes that I handed over to my wonderful colleague Jason last year (currently operating online, STILL suitable for all fitness levels – and when they return in person they are STILL outdoors and undercover protected from the rain, snow and mud!)

Be Present

Being present is essentially doing one thing at a time and being completely mindful while you’re doing it. I’m personally still working on this (having previously tried to do as many things at once as possible and losing it when funnily enough, none of them get done!)

Whether it’s washing up, brushing your teeth, playing with your little one or looking out the window giving something your complete undivided attention, even for a short while will slow your heart rate, reduce your blood pressure, create mental clarity and lower your stress levels.

This is also another way to Meditate as it centres your attention on the very thing you are focusing on.

Meditation itself is actually quite straightforward and doesn’t have to be complicated or whacky.

If you’d like to see more, check out my dear friend Nigel Lowson’s page with some simple guided meditations that benefit everyone who tries them.

Plan a Really Special Dinner

While eating out is not an option, making the effort to make a really wonderful dinner at home can certainly be just as special and leave you feeling all warm, fuzzy and proud. You can even dress up if you like!

Whether it’s for you and your other half, your whole family or just you – it doesn’t matter, what’s important is that YOU made it! And you don’t have to wait for a special occasion, what better time is there to celebrate being alive?!

My blog is full of recipes for starters, mains and desserts so whether you fancy pizza, curry, Thai or lasagna just search “recipes” in the search bar 🙂

And if you’re already doing this and ever fancy a night off from cooking, check out the stunning and absolutely delicious range of meals from Mitch’s Kitchen! They’re all cook from frozen, are 100% plant based and so indulgent you certainly won’t miss takeaways!

I also found them an absolute life-saver during the early months of having a newborn baby 😉

Final Thoughts

I believe the year that was 2020 only confirms how none of us know what is going to happen from one hour to the next.

So what an opportunity to be grateful for all we do have and to live in the present moment as much as possible.

I hope you have found this article useful, and even if it helps just one person feel a bit better then my mission is accomplished.

I wish you and your loved ones a happy healthy New Year with much love, gratitude and joy x

Southampton Personal Trainer Gen Preece Boot camp

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