Ginny's top 3 tips for establishing a healthy routine
I know everyone probably thinks I go on and on about ‘getting into a good routine before it gets cold and dark’, however I cannot stress how important this is! During the warmer months we are naturally more active and tend to choose salads and lighter meals, however this is all about to change. As we head into the cooler months it is going to get very hard to get out of bed when it’s cold and dark and we will start to crave hearty and heavier meals. Therefore, while we still have a bit of time up our sleeve we need to start healthy routines and habits NOW. I have put together 3 tips to help you;
- Get out of bed
This sounds like such a simple concept, however it can be one of the biggest barriers to exercise. I often have people ask me ‘how do you get up so early all the time’ or ‘you must be a natural morning person’. I am about to let you all in on a little secret… I am about as far from a natural morning person as you can find and love to sleep in and snooze!!! Below are some of the strategies I use to overcome this challenge;
- Commit 100% mentally: If you go to bed thinking ‘if I’m really tired I don’t have to go’ or ‘I could always exercise in the afternoon’ you have not committed to getting up and will most likely sleep in. Tell yourself ‘I am 100% committed to getting up in the morning because I will feel so much better’.
- Get your active wear out: Being organised and setting out your active wear will help enhance your commitment to getting up early.
- Exercise with a friend: If you commit to exercising in the morning with a friend you will also be enhancing your commitment to getting up early.
- Put your alarm out of reach: Don’t get caught in the 5 minute snooze that turns into a 1 hour snooze (I have been there and done that!), therefore put your alarm out of reach so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off! You are being cruel to be kind!
- Get enough sleep: Generally, you need 7-8 hours sleep every night, therefore if you need to get up at 5:30am make sure you are in bed by 10:30pm at the latest.
- Ease your worries: Its all very well to go to bed early, but if you are worrying about the million things you need to do, you wont sleep. I suggest writing a list of everything that needs to be done so that you can help put your mind at ease.
- Regular exercise
In a perfect world we would exercise everyday for 30-60 minutes however, the truth is the world isn’t perfect and this is very difficult. A more realistic aim is to exercise 4 days in every week. I also strongly recommend you knock this over 3 mornings per week and one morning at the weekend. Exercising in the morning not only alleviates the risk of thousands of excuses during the day about exercising in the afternoon, but there is nothing better than heading to work feeling fresh, energised, accomplished and fuelled with a well deserved nutritious breakfast. If this isn’t possible, try to fit it in whenever you can!
3.)You are what you eat
I often have comments such as ‘you would never eat badly’, however another secret to reveal… I actually have a terrible sweet tooth! I’m only human, as all of you are and we all have our unhealthy cravings. I would never recommend cutting out your favourite food, we all need rewards from time to time. Try to make a healthy menu plan and do a big shop on Sunday afternoon so that you eat well during the week, then don’t worry too much over the weekend and enjoy your favourite food - its all about moderation! Lastly I would suggest reading up on Anna’s 5 healthy eating tips, plus follow her blog for some healthy, delicious and nutritious recipes.
Try and stick to these 3 principles and you will have your healthy routine and habits formed in no time and before the cold and dark period sets in!!