10 Tips to Stay Healthy

Anyone feeling the strain of working from home, home-schooling, and general cabin fever? Us too! We’ve put together our Top 10 Tips for keeping mind and body healthy during these bizarre times.

1. Sleep  

Sleep isn’t just a way to rest – it’s a bodily function. When you’re asleep your body balances and regulates vital systems including respiration, circulation, growth, and immune response. During sleep, a fifth of your circulatory blood is channelled to your brain which is super important for memory function. So sleeping seriously helps you maintain strength, keep health, and remember stuff!

2. Reduce Stress – Seek out the Happy!

With so much daily uncertainty, it’s easy to feel information overload. Online Click-bait entices you to read the most shocking stories, often hyped up for entertainment value. Check your sources to make sure you aren’t being fed fake news. 

Studies have shown anxiety caused by the news exacerbates our own personal worries, even if they’re unrelated. Consuming negative news increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, linked to inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and other health problems – limiting your news consumption will reduce stress and help maintain a healthy body.

So, why do we continue to watch!? By default, our brains are programmed to look for threats — a bit of leftover animal instinct. It’s called negativity bias. So, hunt out the good news – Captain Tom, BBC’s Uplifting Stories, and reduced pollution levels across the world. Seek out the happiness!

3. Yoga

We had to mention it at some point! Those of you already flowing with us have experienced its magic! The gym’s closed, many boredom-related snacks have been eaten, and you’re climbing walls you’ve become too familiar with. Your mind and body feel cabin fever equally. Yoga can fix this! Fitness, meditation, and fun all in one… even if you do find yourself screaming at the Blessed teacher to please not make you do any more press-ups! Yoga increases muscle, aids bodily functions such as digestion, and increases flexibility. But the real magic is in its ability to ground and connect you, shift any stuck energy, to refresh your mind. Download the Blessed Yoga app and check out our YouTube channel to experience its wonderfulness for yourselves. 

4. Be Social

Please don’t go calling your friends saying ‘Blessed Yoga told me to come and see you’! But technology offers lots of ways to see loved ones without putting people in danger. Organise a Zoom party or join an online class. Use this time for something you’ve always meant to do, but didn’t have time. Mind Body Medical are offering 25% off an online diploma in Herbal Medicine. Instagram’s @sketchbookbybethany is providing watercolour tutorials. Organise your own Friday night Zoom party and turn your living room into a nightclub! It’s easy to feel lonely during these uncertain times, but keep in touch with people!

5. Nourish/ Gut Health

We’ve seen the beautiful rainbows created to show support for the NHS – eating a rainbow is important too! The more colourful your plate, the healthier it is.  

More time at home means more opportunity to cook – seek out gorgeous recipes. Feed Me Momma has a bunch of delicious plant-based recipes to experiment with. Melissa Hemsley’s book Eat Green helps us clear the fridge and avoid waste – cook up something yummy. If you still feel your diet is missing something key, try Wild Nutrition. They offer a wide range of supplements sorted into different health benefits, making them easy to choose from and understand. If you’re local, you can click on the Blessed store on the app and collect safely from the Cowshed. 

6. Drink

Put the wine down, that’s not what we mean! Drinking warm water aids digestion, calms your central nervous system, and decrease stress levels, alongside numerous other health benefits.  Sounds unappealing, but infusing it with fresh herbs, fruit and honey creates a health boost with added benefit. Here are some suggestions:

Rosemary
Protects against inflammation and disease
Reduces stress and anxiety.

Lemon
Boosts the immune system
Helps maintain a healthy complexion

Ginger
Anti-inflammatory, so helps reduce pain.
Natural period-pain relieving properties.

Mint
Alleviates hay fever
Helps relieve anxiety and fatigue

7. Massage

Massage helps calm an anxious mind and achey body. Do this every day; when you wake-up or before you go to bed. Use long strokes on your bones, moving toward the heart. For the joints, use circular motions. Treat yourself to some massage oil, or use what you have in the house. Massage can be a self-care activity, or your partner, children, or friends can help too. 

8. Breathe

Ujjayi breath — the deep, cleansing breath practiced during yoga — can be used in daily life. It relieves tension, builds energy, detoxifies the mind and body, and increases feelings of presence and self-awareness. Head to our YouTube channel to try it out! 

9. Cold Showers!

When we’re in cold water our white blood-cell count increases. These are the good guys, that fight illness and build immunity. Cold water also creates a small amount of stress, which ‘hardens’ you. The harder your body becomes, the easier it deals with moderate levels of stress. Mad as it sounds, regular practice will increase energy levels, promote better sleep, and improve focus. Whether it’s a shower or a dip in the sea, being in cold water is amazing. Checkout the guru of cold water, Wim Hof  and keep an eye out for our future workshops. 

10. Meditate 

Now is the perfect time to practise meditation. Whether you grab three minutes or sit still for hours, you’ll notice a difference almost immediately. Meditation reduces stress, increases focus, and provides clarity. It’s easier to start than ever – there are many apps to help. Headspace is brilliant, especially for beginners, cutting confusion and telling you exactly what to do. Calm has added facts and research studies pre-meditation. If you want to compare the two, click here. 

Trust us – even if some of these sound bonkers, these tips will help keep you sane!

Namaste.