10-16th May 2021 is Mental Health Awareness Week. The team at CrossFit Shropshire Gym, Fitness and Nutrition Shrewsbury have been posting some tips for you on social media, to help keep yourself safe and well.
For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, everyone is invited to #ConnectWithNature. Evidence shows that nature is good for our mental health. Connecting with nature can help prevent mental health issues. The benefits of nature have never been more evident than during the pandemic, when 45% of us reported that being in green space has been vital for our mental health.
Below I am pleased to offer some tips to help you:
Workplace Mental Health Tip
Talk and connect to your colleagues and your line manager. A quick check-in is worth its weight in gold, it does not have to be about work, just call and say hi. Share what has been going on, COVID has affected everyone in lots of ways, sharing this with a colleague might help you and them too.
The way we all work is likely to be different than it was 12 months ago. It might still be changing, so we will need to keep adjusting. Don’t expect everything to quickly return to what was normal. We have a long journey ahead. We may not be able to go back to our old ways of working for some time – and if we are lucky, this could give us an opportunity to do things differently, and better. Look out for yourself, look out for others and take each day and week at a time.
Mental Health Tip
It is important to have regular check-ins with yourself (How am I coping? Could I do more to help stay mentally healthy?) and check-ins with your team and manager (How are we working? Is there anything we could do differently to work better together?). This way you can address issues as they come up and start to plan and prepare for the journey through 2021 together.
Everyone is finding their own path and things might not always go to plan. It is important to be kind to yourself and to be kind to others as we all find our way.
How to make fitness fun in Shrewsbury
Here are some tips on how to make fitness fun. If it is fun then you are more likely to do it. If you do it then you will get fitter and healthier.
1-Do what you love to do.
Exercise can be a grind to you mentally, especially when you are doing something that you do not like. If going to the gym and knocking out rep after rep is just not working for you then why not find an exercise method that really appeals to you. Work with a coach who knows exactly what you like and need and let them do the hard bit. Let them plan the sessions so they are fun and doable and you turn up, train have fun and get fitter.
2- Mix it up
Carrying out the same training sessions each time will very quickly get boring, and boredom doesn’t do much for your enthusiasm. The answer to make it more fun is to mix it up by adding some variety. By this it doesn’t mean that you have to change activity completely, it could be that you replace a long run with an interval or fartlek (speed play) sessions. That said, it might be that what you need is to really need is an entirely different activity, so why not swap running for gym sessions? Working with a PT in a gym is great as they make it fun and they will ensure you will train in a smart way too.
3-Train with a friend
One way of alleviating boredom is to exercise with a friend or a group. Ask a friend to join you on your next run. Get them to join you at a fitness class, or just ask them to join you on a leisurely stroll. If you are lacking in the active friends department then joining a good coaching gym is the best way to find some like-minded exercisers so you can give a boost to not only your fitness but also your social life.
4-New kit.
Buying new kit always gives people a little pick me up. Working out in the same old gear isn’t going to do much for your motivation. A new training top, some new trainers, a nice piece of wearable technology so you can monitor your progress, can all add up to extra motivation as you’ll be keen to try out your new gear.
5-Audio Books and Music
find a fantastic audio book or podcast and go for a run and listen to it. Many people find motivation in listening to the subjects they love while exercising.
You could also put together a playlist of your favourite songs, listening to music while exercising is a great distraction and can help you to go longer and faster too.
We hope you have enjoyed reading these tips and you are all safe and well. We are here to help you if you need us.
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