Keeping well takes effort. It’s not a tick in the box to set and forget.
If only!
Which is why having a routine to include those things you know keep you healthy is so essential.
Naturally, it’s important to keep to that routine too.
But even our most established routines can go a bit haywire when our circumstances change, like having a baby, moving house, starting a new job, or if we get sick.
Create the routine that suits you.
Trying to adhere to someone else’s idea of healthy habits is a recipe for disaster.
It might suit them to get up at 4 am to journal, meditate, drink a green smoothie (homemade, of course) and go for a run before work.
But if you’ve got kids, dogs to walk and a partner you might like to share breakfast with in the morning, that might not be ideal for you.
Developing your routine can take time and a bit of trial and error, starting with giving yourself permission NOT to have to do certain things, like being OK with starting work half an hour later, so you can get the kids to school without the usual scrimmage and stress.
Or scheduling in ‘you time’ for a walk or a swim during the week rather than feeling obligated to put work before everything else
As someone who works from home and is self-employed, it’s taken a long time to unlearn all my workaholic habits in order to maintain my self-support schedule.
But I’ve come to realise the only person responsible for my health, especially now as I’m getting a bit older, is yours truly.
It’s shifted my priorities from work, work, work, to work and time for rest and play.
When we are our own worst enemy.
As a perfectionistic imposter who frets about not doing a “good enough job”, needing to be of service to others and highly driven, I’ve been guilty of self-sabotage from time to time.
Is that ever true for you?
This usually happens when I’ve been asked to contribute to something new, like a presentation or project and like a magpie always looking for the next shiny bright object, I grasp it with both hands and get all excited about it.
Until the grey dawn of reality hits; I’ve taken on something far bigger than I thought it was going to be, and end up in a stressed mess, self-flagellating myself for being so stupid again and worst of all, missing out on all my sanity checks.
How my husband puts up with me at these times is a miracle.
The worst thing we can do for our health is to ignore or abandon what we need to sustain our body, mind and soul.
What not to give up on.
The six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine available to every one of us, help to prevent illness and lower the risk of chronic disease.
These include physical activity, healthy nutrition, restorative sleep, effective stress management, social support and avoiding risky behaviour like smoking or excess alcohol.
All the pillars matter and are foundational to better health, with each underpinned by having access to nature as green or blue space.
But if I had to choose one pillar it would be being active outdoors.
I don’t need a fitness tracker to tell me I need to move more. My body sends some pretty intense signals if I’ve been sitting too long at my desk.
Prolonged sitting is probably our greatest health hazard.
Because we’ve become increasingly sedentary, glued to our computer monitors for too many hours, wondering why we’ve developed eye strain, shoulder pain, a sore butt, mental constipation, and varicose veins.
There are a few other ailments that prolonged sitting produces too, but I want to focus on how to protect yourself from the risks associated with not moving enough.
Make walking your best friend.
Underappreciated, yet invaluable, the simple act of walking does us a power of good in so many ways, and we have the evidence to back it up.
While I go to the gym a couple of times a week to build muscle strength, what I relish is walking in local bushland, in a park or along the beach. I’m so lucky to have all these amenities close to hand, and with dogs who are always up for a walk even when it’s pouring with rain, there are fewer excuses not to do it.
My best days are the ones where I’m out early in the morning with my walking buddies, welcoming in the new day, noticing the crispness in the air as we breathe like dragons and soaking up the first rays of sunshine.
I come home in a good mood, relaxed yet energised, thinking clearly and grateful for the beauty of our natural environment.
The benefits of walking in nature.
More than just a feel-good factor, walking in nature keeps you fitter, lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, lowers stress (cortisol) levels, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, elevates mood, boosts cognition and focus and even strengthens your immune system.
Twenty to thirty minutes walking in a green space is ideal for decluttering your mind and alleviating mental fatigue.
Twenty minutes is enough for cortisol levels to drop.
Even five minutes will aid in improving mood, self-esteem and relaxation
All that lovely fresh air brings the benefits of phytoncides, the volatile aromatic compounds produced by trees like pinene and limonene that boost the number and activity of specialised while cells in human blood called natural killer cells. These little beauties work hard to target and destroy virus infected or abnormal cells in the body.
Making walking in nature a regular habit works to lengthen the immune booster effect to up to 30 days. Bonus!
Walk at your own pace. Walking more slowly allows your body to relax, you take in more of your natural environment, noticing the trees swaying in the breeze or the leaves rustling and the birds singing.
Walking on uneven ground requires focus. You don’t want to trip over an aberrant tree root or stone. But getting used to uneven surfaces is very good for balance, joint stability and of course, muscle strength
While walking at any time of day is great. The early morning light is especially helpful for regulating your circadian rhythm and assists better sleep.
My friend and colleague Di Westaway OAM and founder of Coastrek was involved in a study in collaboration with Griffith University to examine the impact of Coastrek’s 12-week nature-walking program for women.
The findings were significant.
- Mental health boost.
The participants experienced a 5.6% boost in well-being. - Economic value.
Each participant gained an average mental-health value of $4000 equating to a potential $20 million-dollar national saving. - Sustained results.
Those women who continued walking regularly after the study maintained the mental health benefits
Think about that for a moment.
Walking, in a group, regularly, over a 12-week period, improved mental well-being, increased physical fitness, boosted social connection and demonstrated a significant potential economic health saving too.
So, what’s the worst thing you can do for your health?
To lack a daily routine that includes walking, along with the other pillars of lifestyle medicine.
And the best time to start.
Is now.
If you’re a health practitioner keen to learn more about how lifestyle medicine can put a spring in your step and that of all your patients, we’d love you to join us in Hobart for the Lifestyle Medicine Conference #LM26 November 13th -15th
You can register here.
