Wellness - what is it, and why is it important? Part 1

Back in the day...when I used to teach NVQ Level 2 Gym for
YMCA...we had a slide that would represent what “Total Fitness” meant.  This included four elements – Physical Fitness
( 5 elements), Nutrition (of course), Medical – including disease
and medical conditions that might affect fitness, and then the odd, and brushed
over “social and emotional fitness”

20 years later, we seem to understand more that each of these
are not simply elements of fitness that we train for, but elements that hold
hands, keep us functioning and each part is as important as the others.

Training for “Physical Fitness” is fairly easy and
straightforward. We apply a training method, look for the visible “gains” and
congratulate ourselves on being able to make recognisable changes. Likewise
changes to diet and eating habits can have an effect within 7 days. Why then
are we now so aware and concerned about the “social and emotional” side of
being totally fit...

Without good solid mental health and well being, we rarely
have the drive or motivation to pursue the other elements of fitness. But, why
is it so difficult to implement, see change and be vocal about what we are
doing. Can mental health be trained? Can we get “gains”?

The good news is yes. Positive steps towards the social and
emotional sides of our fitness can show results that are measurable. 

Much like the fitness notions of “no pain
no gain” or “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”,  the
step into wellbeing is not just challenge to you personally, but it requires courage to be vocal about what you are doing - and for it to be taken seriously, congratulated on , be seen as inspirational and maybe not as chasing rainbows ...

Luckily, as I refer to the first part of my blog, these
elements tend to be linked, to hold hands, to influence each other.  This is great news. Because you can now call
your “Wellness Training” as a fitness programme – people readily accept fitness
programmes, it can be measured! You can see change!

First part, like physical fitness training, is to take
measurements. You can keep these confidential of course. Below are two well know and recognised mental health questionnaires that I used in my dissertation. These psychological
profiles will measure your feelings towards exercise and how your felt whilst
exercises – so, err, sorry, but you do need to do the physical training to go along with understanding how physical exercise affects your well being. 

As you can probably tell, this is just the first step. Please be honest when answering and keep a copy as we will retest at the end of the month. More to come !

		Not true for me		Sometimes true for me	Very true for me
1	I exercise because other people say I should	0	1	2	3	4
2	I feel guilty when I don’t exercise	0	1	2	3	4
3	I value the benefits of exercise	0	1	2	3	4
4	I exercise because it’s fun	0	1	2	3	4
5	I don’t see why I should have to exercise	0	1	2	3	4
6	I take part in exercise because my friends/family/partner say I should	0	1	2	3	4
7	I feel ashamed when I miss an exercise session	0	1	2	3	4
8	It’s important to me to exercise regularly	0	1	2	3	4
9	I can’t see why I should bother exercising	0	1	2	3	4
10	I enjoy my exercise sessions	0	1	2	3	4
11	I exercise because others will not be pleased with me if I don’t	0	1	2	3	4
12	I don’t see the point of exercising	0	1	2	3	4
13	I feel like a failure when I haven’t exercised in a while	0	1	2	3	4
14	I think it is important to make the effort to exercise regularly	0	1	2	3	4
15	I find exercise a pleasurable activity	0	1	2	3	4
16	I feel under pressure from my friends/family to exercise	0	1	2	3	4
17	I get restless if I don’t exercise regularly	0	1	2	3	4
18	I get pleasure and satisfaction from participating in exercise	0	1	2	3	4
19	I think exercising is a waste of time	0	1	2	3	4

		Not true for me		Sometimes true for me	Very true for me
1	Having to exercise is a bind but it has to be done	0	1	2	3	4
2	I feel confident that I can do the exercises	0	1	2	3	4
3	In the exercise environment I feel accepted	0	1	2	3	4
4	I think I was pretty good at the exercise I have just done	0	1	2	3	4
5	Exercise is not something I would necessarily choose to do, rather it is something I feel I ought to do	0	1	2	3	4
6	I know what I have to do in order to perform the exercises	0	1	2	3	4
7	I feel like I belong in the exercise environment	0	1	2	3	4
8	I exercise because I want to rather than because I feel I have to	0	1	2	3	4
9	In the exercise environment I feel supported	0	1	2	3	4

1.      
Biddle, S.J. Fox, K.R., Boucher, S.H.
(2000) - Physical Activity and Psychological Well-being How much activity is
good for health? Annual Review of Public Health

2.      
Prestwich, A. Lawton, R.Conner, M.
(2003) -The use of implementation intentions and the decision balance sheet in
promoting exercise behaviour.

3.       Prochaska, J. O., & Marcus, B. H.
(1994). The Transtheoretical Model: Applications to Exercise.

4.      
Wilson, P.M., Rodgers, W.M. (2002) –
The Relationship Between Exercise Motives and Physical Self-Esteem in Female
Exercise Participants: An Application of Self-Determination Theory. Journal
of Applied Biobehavioural Research. 7 (1), 30-43

5.      
BREQ-2 scoring chart

6.      
Needs Satisfaction scoring
chart

Brake - Tips for weight loss

Brake – Tips for weight loss

B – Beware! Or even Be Aware 😀. That is to think before you eat. Don’t eat on the go. Don’t eat the snacking leftovers. Don’t eat without enjoying your food. Beware of your portion size, guilty reasons and mindless eating. Heighten your awareness of what you eat in terms of time of day, food choices and any feelings you have with what you have eaten or how much.

R – reduce. Eating less is of course the best and easiest way to lose weight. No need for faddy diet or shakes or buying special food. Simply serve your normal portion and then reduce it a little – a quarter or half away of the main part, including the pasta or potatoes. Then fill the space with additional veg.

A – allowance. No, not food portions again, but an allowance and acceptance that we are human. That sometimes we mess up. That sometimes we are not perfect. The key to losing weight is to find something that works and stick at it. If for some reason you have a “bad day” don’t chuck everything in and think it “doesn’t matter”. Just take a deep breath. Allow yourself to have wavered off the course that you want to be on and get back on it. Exercise can help off set your bad day, but really it’s the food that matters – so try to balance out your week of eating and then increase your energy burn with some exercise.

K - knowledge. Get inspired by the millions of exciting recipes that you can find on the web. Find inspiring stories and look at how long it takes people to make change. Be armed with realistic facts and figures. Don’t be a fool for easy weight loss projects. Start with an educated and well informed idea of the basic foods that we need to keep fit and healthy. Go to charity shops and get some of the second hand books. Read. Absorb.

E – energy. Losing weight should not be seen as a punishing trial with low energy and lethargy. We eat food for energy. We burn food for energy. More exercise means you can eat more. Some foods have more energy in one mouthful than others. Think like a concentrated version of food. Energy from food can be realised quickly or slowly. Food stuff with more fibre takes longer – think apple not apple juice. 🍎 so get your energy throughout the day from slow realising foods which tend to be unprocessed. If you do have quick energy foods such as sugar then remember it doesn’t last and you will feel hungry again soon plus it is a high concentration of food in one small mouthful.

Finally – Brake – as in putting the breaks on. Slow down and think about what you are doing. Put a brake on your portion size. Put a brake on and slow down your sugar intake, including alcohol. Put the brake on not caring about what you eat. Put a brake on your negative self talk that says “it doesn’t matter “ – it does. YOU matter. You are important enough to take care of. You are important enough to be the best you can with the healthiest diet you can manage. Take the brake off punishing yourself and be kind. Brakes off for unlimited fruit and veg, plain iced water, beans, grains and legumes. Br brave. Be aware. Be honest. Be kind. Always be kind to yourself. Xx

Ps. This is a story of the hunger monster 👾. When you feel hungry, I want you to see your hunger as an actual thing – like a gremlin 🤖. I want you to picture how far away your hunger is. Is it close by.? Is it a mile away? Or is it grabbing you by the sleeve. You need to picture your hunger in terms of distance and not give in to the craving i mmediately. There is nothing wrong in feeling hungry and in a modern society we sometimes think that the first craving for food is an immediate indication for gratification. Learning to understand degrees of hunger not only helps us to understand appetite but actually prompts the body to start to get ready for food with some super helpful enzymes. Train your monster well 👹

Fit Tips

Be Active - tips to change that might help

B - bend a little. Either your mindset and try something new or start to stretch. The release from long elongated muscles will make you feel calmer, ease tension, feel like you have worked muscles but no stress ✨

E - energise. Remember a time when you had loads of energy. It could be a day at the beach, a night out laughing with friends or it might even be a distant memory of when you were a child. Harness a feel good factor and try to get it into your exercise life again. ☀️

A - aerobic. Basically get them lungs working for 15mins today. Get your boots on a stomp up a hill. 🌬🌬🌬

C - crafty.......yep. Sneak up in yourself. Go now and pack your gym kit in your work bag. Write a positive note to yourself and place that on top. You will see it first thin Monday and will be a crafty one step ahead ....👌🏻

T - Tiger. Find a bit of fierce courage and stop the negative back chat your brain gives you. Imagine yourself as determined and heading straight ahead 💕

I - imagination. Pretend you are that person you would like to be. Act the act. Walk the walk. Talk the talk. It might surprise you that fake it till you make it,is actually a good ploy xx

V - be vicious. If you have made it to the gym despite all the hassles then please. Be a demon. Work hard and don’t worry if you look a red faced messy mess. Sure, gentle excise is the best way to introduce yourself to a healthier lifestyle. But, add a bit of angry energy or beat some stress out even if for a few seconds. You will feel better 💪🏻

E - elation. You cannot underestimate the feel good factor you will feel when you have managed to fit in that hour for yourself. You can smile knowing that you have nurtured your soul, looked after your heart and mind. And, even if at the time you felt like a uncoordinated mass during the session. The post exercise glow will float you on through the rest of the day 😇

Motivation

Motivation to exercise

“If not you – then who?” – was one of the motivational quotes put up in the team dressing room when I was Team Manager for the WWRU (Wales Women Rugby Union) in the late 1990’s. The quote was meant to inspire you to step up to the mark, to not shy away and basically put your body in the line. But it still has relevance today when at this time over the year, in particular, when the lazy days of eating, drinking and generally relaxing down can then have us thinking “I must get fit again” 

My overriding message to you in the first instance is DO NOT FEEL Guilty. Negative self talk is an easy way to undermine our motivation with phrases like “look at the state of you” “how did you let yourself go” “why can’t l look like….”. Stop that now and start today, yes before the “I’ll start in January” vagueness, start saying “you can do this” “keep trying” “you are worth it”

My second message is to see the act if exercise as a gift to yourself. A short period of time in your day where you are going to nurture, value and invest in YOU. You are going to switch off from chores, phones and other responsibilities in order to look after your mind and body. Set yourself a time to do this when you know you can fit in about 20-60 minutes of space, or even snippets of time throughout the day. Make sure that you are wearing comfy clothes that you can move about in but don’t let the barriers of changing outfits stop you having time to yourself. 

My third message is four exercise suggestions – choose the one or two you like the sound of the best. Look at yourself in the mirror and say these words “we can do this”

1. Get out of breath – 20 minutes of brisk walking(esp uphills) or jogging, running, cycling will boost your metabolism, energise you and get rid of any cobwebs 

2. Feel the burn – working your muscles to the point when you can feel the “heat” of the muscle shows that you have found the point of making a change. Pick two exercises from the list below and do as many as you can of each until you feel the muscles “burning”. Switch to second exercise and repeat to same point. Repeat each block 3 times. 

a. Plank and squats

b. Sit-ups and press-ups 

c. Lunges and shoulder press

d. Sumo (wide) squats and side sit-ups

3. Be creative- clear a space in your lounge and set up a dance floor studio to release your inner diva. Get on your favourite music. The key to success here is CONSTANT movement for 20 minutes non-stop. Set your watch or phone and just keep moving. The first 5 to 10 minutes you will feel awkward and stiff but you will soon loosen up and then really start to go for it. Ideally you should have both an inner and outward glow of starlight sweat…

4. Be mean – as an opposing idea to the one above, create your beast mode cave studio. Split into four areas – one heart rate. One upper body. One lower body. One core. Write down two exercises on a piece of paper (use any above or see further suggestions below or in other blog pages). Each area needs one piece of equipment. A mat. A skipping rope or something sturdy to step up on. A heavy weight like a kettle bell, so maybe a brick or stone, heavy ornament like a door stop etc. A bar like object such as a broom if you don’t have anything else available. 

a. Time each area for 40 seconds with 10 seconds changeover

b. Move from each section in rotation doing one exercise at each station on the first round and the other exercise on the second round

c. This should take 8 minutes. Take a 2 minute break and then repeat again if you can. 

d. Mat station – plank. Sit-ups. Press ups. Side plank

e. Cardio station – high knee running, skipping, step ups or jumping jacks

f. Weighted station – shoulder press, kettle bell swings, forward raise – with squat or lunge if you want, full body circle in both directions with weight

g. Bar section – squats with bar on shoulders, forward lunge using bar like walking stick, side steps wide keeping bar in centre of wide squat and dropping to outside arm as you step, finally keeping bar in front on you, hold with two hands squat low, push up then squat gain brining bar to side of body. 

This is of course my motivation too. I am only human. Come back again tomorrow for more tips.