After almost a year of pandemic and national lockdowns, our daily routine has changed radically. Following the initial shock, we’ve adapted to WFH and almost fully transitioned to life indoors. How has that impacted our wellness and what can we do to make each day feel a little different?
In this quick guide, we’ll go through what we mean by wellness, its key elements and a few wellness tips and tools to support your overall wellbeing and shake up your routine a bit.
What is wellness?
According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness encompasses the ‘active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health’. That’s right, it covers just about any aspect of our life. Because of the restrictions we’re currently facing, we’ll focus on what we can actively change. That includes our daily habits, nutrition, exercise and the best ways to look after our immune system and gut health.
Top 7 wellness tips from team bulk™
Making small but effective changes can seriously benefit our everyday lives. As most people have settled into a WFH routine, it’s very common to feel like each day looks a lot like the previous one.
Having lost activities that break up and give a sense of pace to our day like commuting, going to the gym and any outdoor activities, we can find new habits that can help us block out the day instead.
Here are the wellness tips from team bulk™ to help you fight groundhog day syndrome.
Time blocking & journaling
Even though you might know precisely what you need to do for the day, it can be so liberating to put your thoughts on the page and add a physical to-do list. Journaling is a straightforward way of freeing your mind from recurrent thoughts and concerns and can stimulate your problem-solving skills. If you’re not doing that yet, it’s a valuable habit to develop.
On that note, while you’re doing a bit of life admin, make sure you put in some time for yourself – you’ll feel much better for exclusively dedicating a part of your day to self-care.
Go big on breakfast
This one might sound like an obvious one but according to a 2017 survey, almost ⅓ of Brits doesn’t have enough time to eat a proper breakfast. If you’re WFH, not having enough time for breakfast just doesn’t apply to you anymore.
This is an easy way to support your body with the energy it needs right from the beginning. If you’ve saved time from commuting, you definitely have time to start making great breakfasts. Still in a rush? A complete food shake like bulk™ 1 is a quick and easy way to get your macros and micros in one balanced go.
Get that sweat on
Whether you were an active gym-goer or you’re just getting started, getting a workout session in during the day can give you an energy boost and put you in a great position to get a good night sleep. If you have a selection of favourite at-home workouts, why not switch things up and add an extra challenge with new accessories like resistance bands or release a bit of tension with foam rolling? Just because you’re at home, you shouldn’t aim low.
In a similar way, if you get a chance to spend some time in nature, it can be a serious mood booster.
Balanced nutrition and hydration
One of the advantages of WFH is that we have a bit more time to prepare our meals. That’s a great chance to try new recipes and put a spin on our tried-and-tested favourites. You can boost breakfast shakes with a bit of extra protein or vitamins to add a kick to your classics.
In saying this, try not to forget the basics. Water is our biggest ally against cold winter days even if we spend most of our time indoors.
Boost your immune system
Whether you’re feeling run down or not, winter can be a particularly sensitive time for our health. Getting the right amount of vitamin D, C and zinc is one of the most effective ways of supporting our immune health.
Look after your gut health
If your gut feels good, so will you. A straightforward way of taking good care of it is supplementing with probiotics to support good gut bacteria and glutamine to promote a healthy intestinal barrier. You might even see benefits as the gut plays a role in skin, immune and the rest of the body. Available in convenient tablets, flavoured and unflavoured powders, they’re an easy addition to any routine.
Sleep and stress management
Having a solid nighttime routine is the perfect way of ending your day on a self-care high. You’ve already done such a great job earlier on with your amazing breakfast, so why mess it all up now?
If you’re not into reading or leaving your phone outside of the room (guilty as charged), this could be a great time to take a look at your new shiny journal and see what you managed to get done and maybe write down what you’d like to do tomorrow. Seeing results on the page and freeing your mind from future concerns can help you feel more accomplished, calmer and therefore improve sleep quality.
Dealing with a lot of stress? Adaptogens such as Ashwagandha and relaxing formulas containing ingredients like magnesium can support you with mood and stress management in a natural way. As a result, that will also help you rest better.
Our wellness favourites
We wouldn’t leave you with some of our favourites to pair up with our tips. Here’s our round-up of the best wellness products on site right now.
What are your go-to winter wellness tips? Share your favourites with the community by tagging @bulk. We’re curious to find out how you get on with your daily routine.
