Wellbeing is a word that gets tossed around a lot, but what is it really? In short, it sums up how you feel in yourself, how much energy you’ve got, and how consistent your mood is over time. There are lots of little bits that add up to make wellbeing and while everybody is different, there are a few key things you can start doing today to help you feel better.

Sleep

We all know sleep is important as it plays such a huge factory is the body’s ability to recover each day, but how can we improve it? The most important thing is locking in a consistent sleep window, which means going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day. Ideally you want to find a 7.5-9hour window and keep those bed/wake times within an hour every day. This is the fastest way to improve your mood, energy and HRV.

Move Daily

This doesn’t need to mean being in the gym for 3 hours every day, it’s simpler than that. A light walk or a short stretch session is enough to count as movement, and if those steps are outside in some sunlight even better! Regular motion helps control weight, keeps your heart and blood vessels strong, and lowers the chance of long-term illnesses like diabetes.

Eat Boringly Good

The body thrives on consistency, so eating the same ingredients regularly helps it to feel safe and run at its best. Building your meals around lean protein, fruits/veg, whole grains and healthy fats is a simple and effective way to instantly make yourself feel better. Minimizing processed and sugary foods will help to get rid of that sluggish and unfocused mood too. If it works for you, you can also try to front load more of your calories earlier in the day to avoid heavy late-night meals as this will improve your body’s sleep quality.

Guard Your Nervous System

Down regulating refers to activities that help the body relax and release stress such as nasal breathing, short meditation, easy stretching or a quiet walk. Doing one of these for 5-10 minutes daily really helps the body to combat stressors that each of face in day to day life and there are now lots of apps out there to help with this and show you how to perform these activities. Also limiting caffeine and alcohol can significantly improve your sleep quality and HRV scores to leave you feeling better each day.

Create 1-2 Non-negotiable Anchors

Changing all of these things at once can feel overwhelming, so the best way to start is to create 1 – 2 non-negotiable anchors that are fixed into your day. This could be “no screens after 10:30pm” to help your sleep, “3 gym sessions a week” to help with movement or maybe “5 minutes breathing before bed”. Whatever they are, make them realistic enough that you can hit them even on a hectic day! These become your pillars and slowly over time when they feel easy you can add more to suit you.

Blog by Tabby Bond – Personal Trainer (TAB Fitness)