For those who know me, know I am a huge advocate for mental health. Yes, a lot of the content and posts that I do points in the direction of physical health and while that is just as important, it always coincides with mental health. I know many people who make the mistake of only working on their physical health, often neglecting their mental health and the importance of it. I always say that you can work on your physical health and fitness as much as you like, you can go to the gym 7 days a week and do cardio 5 times a week but if you aren’t addressing the demons you have going on in your mind, you’ll still be unhealthy. 

When I talk about mental health, I am talking about the WHOLE spectrum. You don’t necessarily need to be suffering from depression or be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, even things such as every day stress affects your mental health. The longer you leave it, the more detrimental it can become. That’s why from high school, I have always made a conscious effort to ensure that not only am I constantly working to improve my physical health and fitness, but my mental health too. 

Don’t get me wrong, the suggestions following below are not ways to cure mental health illnesses or the stresses you may experience from day to day. Regardless of the things you do, you will have days where you don’t feel so great and all you really want to do is lie in bed, eat ice cream and binge Spinning Out for the third time this year. And that is OK! But what I do wish to encourage you to do is be proactive, conscious and respectful towards yourself. Being sad and then purposefully watching something sad or listening to sad music will ultimately make you more sad. DUH. But don’t do that, don’t allow it to consume you and let you waste valuable time that you could be spending working on yourself. Our Egos are big ugly things that are typically the “Devil on your shoulder”. The Ego is something that is often spoken about in Psychology, I have recently been reading (and loving) Jen Sincero’s book “You are a badass” and she likes to refer to the Ego as the “Big Snooze” or “BS” (conveniently) because that is exactly what it is. She goes on further to state that the Ego is, “The shadow self, the false self or the self that makes us act like a weenie, it is the part of us that is driving the bus when we do things to sabotage our happiness”  It is what stops you from going out and doing things your better self wants to do, the self that has no fear and enjoys learning and experiencing new things regardless of the terrifying outcome. It stops you from GROWTH! You just need to have the self-discipline to push past the Devil’s words, and create the happiness and the life you know you can have.

I may seem like I am rambling but stick with me, it is all valid. All too often I see friends and family members, friends of family members, family members of friends allowing the negatives of their lives to consume them. Heck, even I have done it before. We all do. This is because it is easier to wallow in self pity than it is to go out and make a change. There is something intoxicating about feeling low because you feel like it gives you a sort of “leeway” to not do anything. It is assumed that it’s a valid excuse because you’re sad, you don’t have to make your bed because you’re sad or you don’t have to eat healthy today because you’re too busy and stressed. It gives you a reason to not move forward in a positive direction because it’ll take lots of hard work and practice.

I think us, as humans enjoy finding excuses to not deal with the internal struggles we have going on because it is easier. But if there is one thing I have learned over the past few months is that finding distractions, people to fill the voids and unhealthy habits to waste time is only going to extend your healing process and pain for a lot longer. You are only damaging yourself more.

“Feeling the need to be busy all the time is a trauma response and a fear-based distraction from what you’d be forced to acknowledge and feel if you slowed down”

What I am ultimately trying to get at is that as difficult as it is to face what hides below the triggers, you need to do it in order to allow yourself to heal and to grow. You need to have the discipline, respect and love for yourself to be able to face the ugly head on to work on and create the beautiful for yourself. (You can see this lockdown has given me time to think, lol!)

With that said, use these next 2 weeks as an opportunity for growth. Work on the parts of you that you have been so busy ignoring, do things that you’ve always found excuses to not complete and do it for you. That is what I am doing and I am so much happier for it. Let the pity parties stop here, let the Big Snooze sleep & stay sleeping and let yourself receive the things you deserve to receive. 

Here are 6 things I have recently added to my self-isolation routine to improve my mental health:

Reading self-development books 

You are never going to learn to grow if you don’t open yourself to new ideas, opinions and perspectives. Reading motivational, self-development, self-help books all offer you a new perspective on how to live a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life (if you follow what they say). For the past week I have been reading Jen Sincero’s “You are a Badass” self-development/help book and I love it. It is easy to follow, witty and all round helpful. 10/10 recommend. 

There are plenty of options online on what books to read. Decide where you are at in your life, what you want to work on and then narrow your options down to the books that relate and interest you currently. 

Look after myself more (Do more things for me)

I am definitely one of those people to put other people’s needs and wants ahead of mine, it is one of the traits I value in myself – especially when it comes to people I care about because heck, they deserve it. But often that leaves me forgetting about my needs and my wants, so I have really been practicing looking after myself even in the slightest ways which in turn makes the biggest difference to how I feel. Examples of this would be doing a face mask every Sunday, lying in the sun and reading a book or listening to music and using a facial roller every day, twice a day (Gotta keep that skin looking youthful). The more you do these things, the quicker they will become habits and the sooner you’ll start to feel better. 

Doing at least one active thing a day 

Like I said at the beginning of this post, physical health and mental health coincide with one another. ESPECIALLY during lockdown where all we can pretty much do is sit on your butt and watch tv, it is important to move. Get the heart rate going, blood circulating and body groovin’. (Was hoping that would rhyme, poor attempt). Even if it’s something small. One of the major advantages of Social Media is the convenience, there are plenty of at home workout videos to follow on YouTube and Instagram. If working out isn’t your thing, trying some Yoga or Pilates. I just deeply encourage you to try and move about for even the smallest fraction of your day, I know it makes me feel good and productive and it is bound to do the same for you!

Social Media declutter 

Sounds weird, sounds unnecessary but what you surround yourself with and the things you follow are the things your subconscious “manifests” for you. If you constantly follow negative pages or read sad quotes, chances are you aren’t going to ever really be happy because you’re always relating to the dimmer side of things.  So I did a Social Media “decluttering”. Anything that was no longer serving me any positivity and inspiration I unfollowed, whether that be meme pages or quotes, people I knew or didn’t know – what’s the point? Get rid of it if you feel no sort of value coming from it. If you aren’t too keen on the unfollow bit which I admit, I was to a certain extent, the mute button is a great tool and one I take real advantage of and NOT sorry for it! You gotta be thinking about yourself when you do this, not how they might feel. 

Meditate

This one is still a bit new to me. I still find it a bit strange learning how to empty my thoughts and just be in the now. But I have been doing this very casually every night for 5 minutes before I go to bed and I find it really calms me and my thoughts. Meditation is also really lovely for those who suffer from anxiety and stress. It allows you to not think of the future but to remain present, focus on your breathing, learn to relax and relieve you of any stresses you’ve been holding onto for the day. You don’t need to know how to do it off the bat, if you ask me I don’t really think there is a right or wrong way to do it. You just start off small, a few minutes every day and if you want to, you can expand from there. 

“You spend your entire life in your head, make sure it’s a comfortable place”

If there is one other thing I can ask you to do, is check on your friends during this time, even the ones that seem the strongest. You know how the saying goes, ‘Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about’. During this lockdown, it is easy to over think and to over feel, knowing that there is someone there for you can go a long way. Let’s try make this world a little softer for those who need it, including ourselves.

A three months into 2020 and this year is not what I had imagined it to be. AT ALL and I am sure some of you reading this are already nodding along with me. I love the beginning of new things, I love Mondays and I love new years – it is an opportunity to start fresh, a second chance of doing things differently, I guess you could call it a do-over. Opportunities to do new things, old things differently, form healthier habits and finally do things you have wanted to do for years now.

But here’s the thing, nobody talks about the pressure that comes with this “motivation” for a new opportunity to create healthier habits, or how to self develop and work on the parts of you that need to grow. The assumption that because we have been given this opportunity to spend quality time with ourselves and our family, it is almost mandatory to get on this health train both mentally and physically. I am here to tell you that if you feel no different to what you did before this outbreak occurred, if you still have no energy to wake up early or still struggle to drink water and get 8 hours of sleep – that is okay. It is okay and don’t allow society to make you believe differently.

You don’t have to be or feel ready nor do you have to pretend you are doing these things to make a big change. If you are struggling to find motivation to live up to society’s norm of a new and improved version of you, then that’s okay. You just have to keep going, it will come and when it does, it will feel great. In the meantime, just be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to feel these things and make small changes each day that you know will make you feel better. Even if it is just making your bed or doing that face mask you’ve been meaning to do for the past four weeks. You don’t need to worry about anyone else.

I created this post with the purpose of helping lift some of the weight off your shoulders that you have been carrying around so heavily since the beginning of this pandemic. I want you to know that your self-isolation routine does not have to match your favourite influencers or that you don’t have to always do jump squats in order to keep fit. There are many other ways to be productive, find what works for YOU. Things will soon fall into place, just remember you aren’t alone. We are all in this together, quite literally. Lets lean on one another during these difficult times and encourage improvement from all sides of the spectrums.

Here are 4 small steps on how to get out of a self-quarantine slump;

1.Read a book

There are a lot of negative things in the media at the moment and I want to try and encourage you to not get sucked into the worm-hole of politics, conspiracy theories and COVID-19 updates – yes its real, yes it is important to know what is going on but don’t let it consume you. Reading is one of the most therapeutic ways to switch off from the world a little. Whether it be self-help, self-development, fiction, non-fiction or an autobiography, anything that helps you escape from the realities and go into your own world of creation – read that. 

I recently read “The girl on the Cliff” by Lucinda Riley and it was amazing, it took me a week to finish and now I am reading David Attenborough’s “Adventures of a young naturalist” and I am loving it. It is so cute and witty! If you are looking for a bomb self-development book, I recently purchased Jen Sincero’s book, “You are a badass” and I bloody love it! 10/10 recommend and I haven’t even finished it yet! 

2. Find a hobby

I read something the other day that mentioned how this generation doesn’t know how to have hobbies anymore and I couldn’t agree more. Everything is done so that some sort of benefit can come from it, rather than just doing it for the pure enjoyment of the activity. I deeply encourage you to find something you enjoy doing and try and do it at least once a week. It could be journaling, going for walks in the forest or along the beach or taking up rock climbing.

A good opportunity that has come from self-isolation is that we have been given a lot of time to figure out what we like and what we don’t like, in our OWN time at our own pace. So hopefully by the end of this period you would have found a new love for something!

There is no right or wrong, these points are all about giving you ideas in order to help make you feel happier both mentally and physically during this difficult time. 

3. Eat whole foods

This one may seem a bit strange but feeding yourself artificial sugars, preservatives and constantly having take out will in no way make you feel better. Maybe in the moment it’ll taste good but afterwards you won’t feel nearly as good as what it tasted and chances are you’ll make yourself feel guilty for eating badly again and the whole cycle will repeat itself. 

I am a true believer in prevention is better than cure, so instead of trying to talk yourself out of feeling guilty for having take out the third day in a row, rather be proactive and prepare your meals on a Sunday. That way they are ready for you when you are starving (and once you have prepared your meals, it is easier to get than ordering fast food) and plus, it is also cheaper and healthier which both sound like a win to me! It is also one of the more natural ways of ensuring you are getting all the necessary nutrients and vitamins your body needs to help yourself and your immune system healthy!

4. Make self-attainable goals with no expiry date

Firstly, you don’t have to create goals if you feel like you don’t want to. But, if it is something you do want to pursue during this very confusing and strange time then make sure they are for the right reasons. Set yourself goals that are easily attainable for you and your lifestyle, not anyone else’s. It is also important to remember that you don’t have to share your resolutions with strangers on the internet if you don’t want to. This time round, do things for you. 

I find it a lot easier to stick to my goals when I have a friend who has similar one’s to me, we keep each other in check and accountable when it gets a bit difficult to always follow through. So if you don’t want to share your goals, find a friend you can trust and share it with them. Maybe they are wanting to achieve similar things to you.

Always remember that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone else but yourself. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself regarding the norms society has so quickly created and just go at your own pace. You’re doing a good job!

“Every day you re-invent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: Forwards or backwards?”

Friday the 13th of December seemed like the perfect day to get behind the wheel of some beautiful cars and learn a thing or two about road safety!

Many other influencers and bloggers (including myself) were given the opportunity to partake in their Driving Skills for Life programme which included an array of different activities and talks from the people who know what they’re doing – as much fun as the day was, it was an eye opening experience on how necessary it is to help bring awareness to road safety especially during the festive season! 

With that said, LET’S GET STARTED!

To start the day we were welcomed by the very enthusiastic Ford team, there was fresh coffee available thanks to Barmotion and BlendaVenda showed us how we could blend our own smoothie while cycling (Crazy right!?) needless to say, that made all of us giggle and was very entertaining to watch. Never have I seen people blend their smoothies so intently! OH! And let me not forget the snazzy Ford cap we were given to protect us from getting blinded from the event being too lit (ok, I admit that was cringe but I couldn’t help myself)

Once everyone had fuelled themselves with some good coffee and had some fun with the BlendaVenda team, we got down to business. We were formally welcomed and given a presentation from a very interesting and well knowledgeable representative of Master Drive SA. The event was essentially aimed to highlight road safety during the silly season and because I was one of the lucky ones to experience the day in the front seat, I feel it is also my responsibility to bring awareness to the issues that lie at hand.

Did you know that the Driving Skills for Life Programme hosted by ford is not only free but is also an international programme? These people clearly mean business! 

There were so many important points I took away from that presentation, so many interesting facts and some that kind of had me going “you can’t be serious!?” like how eating your fries in your car is actually illegal according to the law. I know right, that made everyone in the room give out a little laugh. 

Here are some pointers that caught my attention;

Seatbelts

It’s common knowledge for the driver and the passenger to wear their seat belts but if your passengers don’t wear their seatbelts is it their responsibility or theirs if they don’t wear their seatbelt? As the driver it’s yours. 

Your car, your responsibility. The lives of those in your car are now in your hands and as scary as that sounds, it is the truth. Those people are trusting you to get them safely to the next destination so it is your duty to ensure that they are strapped in. 

Many people don’t wear their seatbelts at the back of the car because they think they’re protected by the front seats but that’s not true. Did you know that when an individual gets into an accident their body mass and their bone becomes 30x more than what it normally is. That means 30x more weight and pressure being added onto whoever is in front of you or even onto the windshield. So next time you have passengers, front and back – make sure they have their seatbelts on before setting off to wherever it is you are heading to!  

Want to know how to save fuel?

Let’s start off with this fun fact: Did you know that every 3 minutes you spend idling your car it is known to be the equivalent to driving 1km at 50km/h. WHAT!? You might say but it’s true! That’s why if you are expecting to stop and idle for more than 20 seconds whether it be during traffic or at a red robot, it’s better to switch off a warm engine. (And before those tech junkies come at me, no switching your car on and off does not damage the starter switch or decrease it’s life; it’s there for a reason. Technology is amazing)  

We were also taught to save fuel, you need to change gears between 1500-2500 rpm (you can thank me later when your road trip bill is less than usual) as well as keeping your car as light as possible, the heavier it is the more fuel used. 

They did a study where the Ford members drove from the ford dealership in JHB to a set destination for a week driving at the speed limit and maintaining the correct distance (which is 6 seconds behind the car when you have poor visibility and 3 seconds behind a car when you have clear visibility) and you know what, they only lost 1 minute and 12 secs. 

Now I want to ask you, do you think it’s worth risking your lives and the lives of others on the road to get to your destination a minute or so earlier? I think not. Drive safely and responsibly!

Mirrors

This may seem like a boring one but it’s always the boring points that are most important. 

First of all, if you get into your car and you cannot see the road out of your review or side mirrors, you need to fix that, like yesterday already! 

It is important to always check your mirrors and make sure they are positioned so you have the best view of the road and cars behind you, there is a reason they are there people! Use them! 

We were taught a little trick: For your review mirror, you should be able to see the top of your left ear and with the side mirrors you should be able to see the handle of your back doors and if you are in a 3 door car, then just the sides of your car.

Texting and Driving

Did you know more collisions are happeninnot because of drinking and driving but because of texting and driving?

All too often I see people on Social Media filming themselves driving or of the beautiful sunset that they’re driving past and honestly, there is nothing that is so important that you should feel the need to take your attention off the road to take a cute video of the sunset and if you feel a bit offended reading that, you are part of the issue! It’s not worth risking your life and the lives of those around you. 

Ignorance is NOT bliss and Knowledge is Power. 

After the very impressive and interesting presentation hosted by Derek, we moved onto the 5 activities that Ford had set up for us which i’m not going to lie, some of them made me nervous but they pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to learn and do things I wouldn’t normally do! 

Sleep Suit Activity

This was the first activity I participated in that took place inside. 

Initially I had no idea what to expect with this activity. I thought we were going to get put into some suit and I would fall asleep immediately but logically, that would teach us nothing so I had a bit of a ‘Jeanna moment’.

First off, each individual got the chance to try on the weighted suit and weights attached to one of their arms and the opposite leg to that, then the individual would walk out a mapped out area responding to the trainer who had a Stop or Go sign to tell them when to move. Then they repeated the activity using some goggles to distract them that would allow them to see and then all of a sudden not see. I found it really interesting how when the goggles blacked out, some individuals continued walking (guilty) which is the equivalent to someone continuing to drive once they have fallen asleep! 

The objective of this activity was to highlight the importance of getting enough sleep before heading out on a long trip, or even just in general. Many people fall asleep behind the wheel due to lack of rest and they may just be travelling short distances. On that note, If you are planning to go away with some friends or family, it is important to take breaks often, have a rotation system of drivers so everyone gets a sufficient amount of rest and if you feel like you need to sleep and you are behind the wheel, pull over and sleep! 

Reaction Board – Drunk / Drug Driving Activity

This one was probably one of my most favorite of the day. It was so simple, yet so effective and surprised almost everyone! 

How it worked: Each individual would engage in a thirty second attempt to hit a lit button that would randomly light up, the goal is to hit as many lit buttons as possible first time round and see how close you could get to it the second time but the second time there was a twist! 

The second time round individuals did the same thing but wearing goggles that simulate being drunk or under the influence of some sort by blurring your vision intensely! When participants were wearing these ‘drunk goggles’ their scores were typically half (or less) of what they had scored previously in the first round. Quite often the individuals would be confident in knowing where their buttons were but then when moving in the direction toward the button, they would completely miss it. Showing us how driving under the influence impairs one’s ability to react to situations adequately! 

In the first round I scored 33 and the second round I scored a WHOPPING 8. So moral of the story, don’t drink and drive! Your reaction time isn’t nearly as good as you think it is.

SkidPan Activity

I’ll be honest with you, I was very distracted by the beauty of the Mustang that I initially didn’t hear what we had to do but once I was snapped back out of dreamland we got onto our next activity. 

How it worked: There were two Ford Vehicles, a Ford Mustang (drool) and a Ford Kuga ST (also super gorgeous in your soccer mom car kind of way) which raced against each other in what is the slowest race you’ll ever watch, through a course of cones set out for each car. Each driver was asked a question before ‘racing’ off and at the end of the course had to park in either parking A or parking B depending on their answer to the question. 

The objective of this activity was to reinforce the safety tips we were taught during the presentation at the beginning of the day while having the pressure of racing to the correct answer and trying to focus on what you are doing so you don’t crash into any of the cones. This was so show how distractions could have an affect on your driving abilities! 

Gravel Braking Activity

Honestly, I was most nervous to do this one out of all the activities but I mean to the point where I put it off and put it off until I was the last one and had no choice but to go but once I did it, I wanted to do it again! Strange how the mind works isn’t it? 

How it worked: A series of barricades were set up to portray that of a ‘road’ and at the end of the barricading, cones were set up to illustrate that of a ‘bus’ which was in front of us. The individuals had two different attempts to do this. Driving the effortless Ford Everest, the first time we drove as fast as possible towards the bus (aka the cones) and when the instructor signalled, we had to slam on the brakes and swerve the wheel to the right to avoid hitting the ‘bus’. Once we passed it, straightened out the wheel and continued on driving, going back to the start. The second attempt was a bit more daunting, we did the same thing as the first but this time we weren’t allowed to touch the brakes, demonstrating the Ford Everest’s ESC (Electronic Stability Control)

The objective of this activity was to highlight was to teach us how to handle a vehicle on loose ground during an emergency maneuver. 

4 X 4 Off road activity

As our last activity, we had the opportunity to experience the driving capabilities of the Ford Raptor by maneuvering over hills, holes in the ground and driving almost on the side. This is definitely not something I was expecting to enjoy! 

As you can tell, we all had an incredible day out with the Ford team – learning and driving some beautiful cars. As our day was coming to a close, we arrived back to be treated to some delicious food supplied by Rocky’s BBQ and the ever so delicious gelato thanks to Barmotion as dessert. 

I hope this post has opened your eyes about road safety and the importance of being aware of your surroundings while driving as much as it did for me! Please share with your family and friends, you could save someone’s life.

Very big thank you to Ford and their members for showcasing such an important yet fun day, bringing awareness to road safety. 

Ford hosts their Driving Skills for Life Programme all over the country, so if you are interested in learning more, check out their website and get in contact with them. I would 10/10 recommend!

I am both shocked and appalled by how quickly these last six months have gone! I feel as though January was just the other day and now I am writing my first blog post for December! Holiday Season is just about in full swing for almost everyone (and if it’s not for you, let’s pretend it is cause lets be real, you deserve the break too!) and what a better way to start it then by kicking it off with some healthy habits!? 

I’m a firm believer that you determine how your day is going to be from the minute you wake up, the thoughts in your mind and how you allow yourself to feel about the day ahead. Let’s be honest, we all know of someone that wakes up 10 minutes before they have to leave the house causing them to be rushed, late and a little damn frazzled – I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to start the day and sometimes we just need to be exposed to new ways on how to do something. Here are 3 things I do to start my day off;

Wake up early

Now, I know what you are thinking “I am on holiday, the last thing I feel like doing is waking up early” and thats completely fair. Allow yourself a week to recharge, sleep in, mosey around the house and do things that will give your body the break it deserves and when you feel it is right – you can implement this step into your routine. I have never been the type of person to wake up late, even if I tried! So if you are like me, this step may be a bit easier but if you love your sleep and you aren’t so much a morning person then inevitably it will be a little more difficult. However, once you get into the habit of it – it is a game changer! Waking up early allows you to have time to wake up, breathe and think about what you want to achieve for the day and the things you need to do – if you know that you often rush and don’t have time to have breakfast because you wake up late and just jump out of bed, chuck on some clothes so you can get to your next destination on time – maybe it’s time to re-evaluate and try something new! 

I always find that your morning determines how the rest of your day is going to be. I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up earlier then I need to and I find that it really helps set up a productive day for myself. We all love to sleep, but we also love not feeling rushed. Sometimes compromises have to be made, even if that means waking up 15 minutes earlier then what your alarm is set – it’ll make a world of difference. 

Drink warm lemon water

Whenever my body is feeling a bit run down and in need of a good boost, I often turn to warm lemon water. I usually make it 20 minutes before I eat which will help kick start your metabolism and digestive system. Lemon water also has so many other health benefits such as keeping your immune system strong, ridding the body of toxins and luckily for us, it doesn’t taste half bad either! 

Read and take time for yourself

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is get up, make myself some herbal tea and breakfast and sit down and read my book – I enjoy reading self development books, especially before the day has started. I find that it is a motivational and encouraging way to start the day. You don’t even have to read a book, I know many people don’t enjoy reading but luckily we live in an age where we can easily have access to audio books or even podcasts, you find what works for you and do that. Another thing is that you could go out onto the balcony or garden and have a cup of tea or coffee. Just something to give time to yourself, focus on you and be mindful of the present, away from your phone and chaos of the day ahead.

As you can see, it is the small changes in your routine that will make the biggest difference. Often people thing that you have to make the most drastic changed in order to be productive but in fact, it is quite the opposite actually. Do one small thing each day and it will lead to big results!

You may be wondering, ‘Jeanna, why are you making a post about how to be active on a rest day, isn’t that contradicting the purpose of a rest day?’ – no, it’s not. 

A rest day does not mean sitting on the couch, binge watching your favourite series with unlimited amounts of treats scattered around you, a rest day means giving yourself a break from your usual workout routines and allowing your body to recover accordingly. It is essential in giving your body the break it needs, inability to do so will increase the chance and eventually lead to injuries, fatigued muscles and can hinder your progress. 

Walking

Walking is a great way to release some endorphins and get the body going on an ‘off’ day. Grab you mum, pup and a cup of coffee and take a stroll along the beachfront. It’s also a great way to get the blood flowing and helps get rid of built up lactic acid from the hardcore week in the gym. 

Hiking

OBVIOUSLY I would put hiking in this blog post. Who doesn’t love a good old hike along the mountain? Name one person! It’s a great way to get the heart rate up, look at the views of your city and spend some quality time with family and friends. I definitely don’t do enough hikes but when I get the chance, I absolutely adore it and what’s so great about this is that hiking has other benefits besides just physical one’s, if you go with a small crowd out of peak time, it is a really great way to be mindful and take in your surroundings, reflect on the week just passed and what’s to come for the week ahead. 

Doing new and exciting activities

Planning and organizing activities that  you wouldn’t normally such as going SUPing, Kayaking, heck even paragliding! It’s a great way to get up and out the door and something a little different from the normal everyday routine – even if it’s to get out and play a game of tennis and catch up with an old friend.

Markets

I’m a sucker for a good Saturday or Sunday morning market. The local music, authentic food, homemade projects – there are so many things to look at that by the end of the market you’ve probably been walking around and browsing for a good few hours, much deserving of a good glass of wine to end off the day!

Before I started going to uni, exercise was a huge factor in my life. I worked out at least 5-6 times a week and thrived off it, but with uni comes sacrifices. Adjusting to the workload and the demands that were apparent made it difficult for me to try and balance my life accordingly, making time for things that I enjoyed such as working out. Luckily, I have found a routine that works for me that allows me to have time to fit in a sufficient workout, but I do know how difficult it can be to try and find time which is why I want to share with you what I do/did to remain active even when I can’t workout. With that said, this post isn’t just for those who are in university or school. This post is for everyone who lives a busy life too!

Walk

Walking really is a great way to burn a few extra calories and bring that heart rate up if you do a good amount of distance. Being a student we are basically stuck to our chairs at home or the seats in lecture halls, so I would highly recommend getting up and walking when you have a moment, even if it means walking to class rather than driving! Not only will it help in getting those limbs moving and circulation going, it also helps with your mental health. I find that being stuck inside the whole day really makes me go a bit crazy and often leaves me feeling overwhelmed, so going for a walk outside, getting some fresh air and taking in the surroundings is just as important to me along with getting a little sweat in!

Make the time

As a full time student, I know your time is limited and you may be shouting at me through your device saying “BUT I HAVE NO TIME” and although that may seem like a valid argument, it’s not. There is always time, you just have to make the time – not find it. If that means you have to wake up an hour earlier to get a 45 minute workout in, then that’s what you have to do. If it means having to sacrifice getting home an hour earlier, then what’s what has to be done. It’s difficult and there will be days where it’s easier to just sleep in or go straight home after a full day of uni but you’ll feel so much more productive once you’ve gone to gym and it’ll set you up on a positive note for the day ahead. I’ve personally never heard someone say they’ve regretted going to the gym even if it was difficult getting there! Always remember that you don’t even have to get yourself to the gym, some of the best workouts I do are home workouts that only take me 20 minutes. It’s important to move your body in any way!

Improvise

If you’re at home and have enough time to fit in a workout but don’t have enough time to get to the gym and back, improvise! Find something heavy, such as a rock and do some weighted squats, lunges – obviously be careful, we don’t want any broken toes in the process but instead of finding excuses, find ways to make it easier for yourself to get a workout in. Another thing I like to do is use dish clothes as gliders for my ab workouts. Simply place them on the tiles, making sure there is nothing in the way and do some mountain climbers, ab skaters etc. Simple yet effective and that’s what we go for when our time is limited as a student!