Tag Archives: healthy recipe

Why a New Year’s resolution to avoid Ultra-Processed Foods is ultra difficult

You know it must be January because the number of runners outside have multiplied, the gyms are full to their sweaty breaking points and knabbing a space in any yoga class is harder than landing tickets to Glastonbury. Although that’s not to say that there is anything wrong with starting the year with some good intentions to get fit and healthy. But it can be hard to know how to do it while navigating yourself through the wealth of wellness-related information we are fed by social media. Especially because the free advice we are given doesn’t often take into account the realities of our daily lives. And if a new fitness regime or resolution to eat better isn’t easy to adapt to, it’s difficult to stay motivated and stick to it long term. Nonetheless, every year we hear that our eternal ‘wellness’ and so, happiness, is promised by religiously following another new workout or fad diet.

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How recovery days can keep you active outside this winter

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As we head into winter and the weather becomes more predictably cold, wet and windy, it can get a little bit more difficult to motivate yourself to get outside to exercise. After all, when the roads and pavements seem to be permanently covered with fallen leaves, even a short venture out can feel like you have gone on a cross-country trek. Not to mention that you will likely return home far soggier than you expected and will then have to dig out copious amounts of foliage and twigs wedged into every tread of your shoes. Luckily, the physical and mental health benefits of exercising outdoors are so immensely rewarding that many people don’t just put up with the bad weather. They are willing to do it all again. And provided you have the right kit and can be comfortably weather-proofed, there is nothing to stop you from enjoying the great outdoors all winter.

However, there is another key factor that is often overlooked but it is actually an essential part of staying fit and healthy when the elements are testing your limits. Focusing on it can make the difference between being able to stay active outside this winter or having to nurse a cold while you wait indoors until the spring. One of the best ways to build up your strength and resilience is to prioritise your recovery days more.

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3 key steps to keep your mental health in top form

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With the cost of living crisis affecting virtually every household in the UK, Mental Health Awareness Week couldn’t come at a better time. Although not everyone recognises the importance of being mentally healthy. Especially those that already consider themselves to be in top form. Because we all know how important it is to keep ourselves physically healthy but how many of us give the same attention to our mental health? Which is really odd because most people will experience mental health issues at some point in their lives or at the very least know someone else who has. And although there is now far greater acceptance and awareness of mental health issues it doesn’t mean that we are any better at knowing how to safeguard our mental wellbeing. Fortunately, there are 3 key steps that you can take that will help build your resilience and will ensure your mental health continues to stay in top shape.

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The strange truth about the ‘dead-zone’ of a marathon

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If you read any running magazine or book about how to run a marathon, you will find out that it is pretty basic. You spend several weeks training and building up your mileage while practicing your nutrition and hydration strategy until you taper off in time for the big day. Next you show up for your event on the start line totally focused and prepared as you wait for the claxon to go off. Then you run past the start line, start your smartwatch and keep going while drinking and eating as required until you reach the finish, stop your watch and relax. That about covers it, right? Well…

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Outrun your race day nerves

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For many people the commencement of Spring has been readily greeted with open arms because it marks the start of other good things to come. First, the changeover to daylight savings time means there are now more hours of daylight to enjoy, in weather that has mostly improved. With Spring temperatures now occasionally dipping into the double digits we can also spend more time outside without having to be swaddled in heavy winter woollies. Then there’s an abundance of seasonal produce now available on supermarket shelves which is welcome in most kitchens. Even though this new Spring veg has to compete for the appetites of those with too many leftover chocolate eggs. And lastly, the start of Spring also means that the Summer is not so distant in the future and so we are just a little bit closer to long summer holidays and lazy days ahead.

But not everyone is quite at ease as we begin a new season. There is another group of people who will are feeling slightly more nervous and even a bit anxious about the Spring. Some of them even wish that time had stood still for little longer. Because these people are now having to face up to something they did many, many moons ago. And just like Brexit, it was totally unnecessary. Alas, it was also self-inflicted. This group of people is made up of runners who intentionally signed up to run in a Spring event. And they all have the appearance of deer caught in the headlights of a double-decker bus, while the countdown to their race day rushes towards them at breakneck speed.