By Carlyle van Rensburg
So, what exactly is Lifestyle Design and why is it important? It’s like goal setting, but with more chance of success, is more concise, clear, and most importantly, more holistic.
Why is it important, simple, it creates a happier and healthier YOU!
I have realised that Health & Wellness is not just about physical activity and a healthy balanced diet, but in these uncertain times, it has more to do with the well-being than the health aspect.
Daily stresses and anxiety will always find a way of sabotaging your lifestyle choices, hence the reasoning behind focussing on mental health and addressing your happiness. By addressing and resolving the small daily barriers that arise, you improve the chances of achieving your desired RESULT.
My approach to Health & Wellness requires that you take a holistic look at it and that you address the most important aspects of your lifestyle and briefly explain the reasoning behind it.
SLEEP ROUTINES & MANAGEMENT
Sleep is the time when we recover both mentally and physically, our body resets and rebalances chemicals and hormones and allows us to make better, and healthier decisions. When we become sleep deprived, we tend to emotionally eat due to feeling unhappy with ourselves and life in general. We may also lack energy and become lethargic when we don’t get quality sleep, this may result in us eating foods high in sugar, stimulants and carbohydrates that give us the boost to get through the morning or that dreaded last few hours of the afternoon.
Sleep is fairly unique, but the majority of individuals require at least 7 hours of sleep to function efficiently and maintain good health. This relates to 7 hours of good sleep and it’s important to understand that sleep is more quality as opposed to a quantity focus, and the simple way of knowing if you sleep well is not - yes, I get 7 hours of sleep! Instead, ask yourself, how do I feel in the morning when I wake up and throughout the day?
HEALTHY BALANCED NUTRITION
Understanding nutrition and the importance of seeing food as fuel is a must, addressing things such as meal preparation and portion distortion makes healthy choices easier. Meal preparation definitely helps with having healthier snacking options as if you have healthy snacks at hand, you will limit the chances of heading out and making that bad decision.
Portion distortion is simply the basic understanding of calories and how they differ between different foods. We are definitely not saying count calories as this is not required, we are just saying be mindful of foods high in calories that may not be aiding in your happy and healthy lifestyle.
HYDRATION
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink, well there are many drops to drink we just don’t drink enough water; this may be due to being too busy, not having water with us, or just the lack of knowledge of how much and when we should drink.
Water is the life source for humans, and we do not appreciate the importance of water and its role in our daily lives, flushing the system, limiting dehydration, and mental clarity and just making us happier and healthier.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Managing all aspects related to stress and our ability to handle stress are the building foundation of happiness and health. By implementing simple yet effective aspects of routines into your Lifestyle Design Program you can set yourself up for success.
One major stress in most people’s life is time management, and the constant feeling of not having enough time, and not getting the basics done. By implementing healthy balanced eating, physical activity and sleep you may become more efficient which would result in you having more time to do what you need and more importantly - what you want to do.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Last but not least we need to incorporate physical activity, this once again is basic, and we don’t need to implement a hard-core training routine into your lifestyle. Simple training is all that is required to maintain a basic level of fitness and strength but if there are ailments or injuries that prevent your movement you need to make sure you address these matters with specific training and stretching.
It’s important to do both resistance and cardiovascular training and that you focus on the whole body when doing the activity. A strong healthy body will be more resilient to injuries and illness and in the event, you get an injury or if you are ill, you will heal quicker.
SUMMARY
By implementing these simple changes into your life, you wouldn’t only live a happier and healthier life, but you will also age gracefully over time.
Everyone should prioritise their happiness and health, and you need to first create and then focus on your perfect Lifestyle Design.
Contact Carlyle on 0222 4444 33 to discuss planning your Lifestyle Design Journey, this may be for you personally, for your family or within your corporate environment.
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