Health & Wellbeing

Disclaimer - Feeling good really does feel good!

Your health and wellbeing is vitally important to leading a positive life and it should be treated accordingly, with respect. From your physical health to your mental health, they are equally important in helping you to lead your best life. Everybody will go through a spectrum of amazing and wonderful times, all the way through to difficult and hard times throughout their life. Whether you are going through good or bad times, these will be enhanced and affected by your overall health and wellbeing. If given the choice, would you rather deal with life’s events already feeling the best you can or feeling the worst you can? We much prefer to take on this world and all its incredible challenges feeling the very best we can and the best way of doing this is being attentive to your own health and wellbeing. Respect yourself and improve the quality of your own life.

There are areas in your life that you can work on which will help you improve your mood, health and ultimately your  quality of life. Remember, we are all unique and have our own preferences and needs. Some people will be able to train to run long distances, others may swim, whilst some may use TheraBands for resistance exercises. Find what works for you! Taking a bespoke approach to your own health and wellbeing can help you discover the best methods that bring the most benefits specifically for you.

Physical fitness & being active

Humans are built to move and we reap the benefits when we do. In general, moving is amazing and can facilitate improved health. You do not need to be the next David Goggins (but if you can, why not?!) but keeping a regular exercise routine will positively affect your overall mood, energy levels and physical health.

Start small, add on, win big.

Discovering the exercises that are right for you is your next step. This could be as simple as going for a walk, starting a new hobby like cycling or working towards a personal best in a maximum lift. Sometimes it might be a bit more complicated than that and you may have to find ways to adapt so you can exercise. However and whatever it is that you do, make sure you’re moving and being active.

Here's a fantastic and positive list of reasons to exercise from the NHS website (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/):

It’s medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:
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● up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
● up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
● up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
● up to 20% lower risk of breast cancer
● a 30% lower risk of early death
● up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
● up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
● up to 30% lower risk of depression
● up to 30% lower risk of dementia

“The one constant that has supported me my whole life has been exercise. It has and continues to be more potent, reliable and positive than any drug or therapy a medical professional has or can give me. There has been a lot of adaptation and compromise over the years due to chronic pain and other physical issues but the benefits I get from exercise are too important and vital to ignore; pain, anxiety, depression, C-PTSD, mood, energy levels, strength and flexibility are all hugely affected.”                                   Mike W

Do you have any questions or potential barriers stopping you from doing physical exercise or being active? Email us at info@enfold.org.uk as we can use our experience to point you in the right direction. You could speak to the amazing team at The Chapel Gym, Corby, to see if they can offer advice. Also, MIND have put together a pdf pack about physical activity and the benefits on mental health which is a fantastic explanation and support pack - https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/2934/physical-activity-and-your-mental-health-2019.pdf

Diet

This is an area that again, will be bespoke to the individual, their body type and whether or not they have any comorbidities where certain foods and drinks could have adverse or unwanted effects. Gain an understanding of your own situation and the condition/s that will be affected by your diet and then use this as your baseline.

When it comes to an actual diet and what’s best for you, only you and your body can begin to figure that out. Speak to your doctor, a dietician and qualified fitness professionals that have your best interests in mind. Read or listen to personal accounts of people in a similar position to yourself to see if they have advice or suggestions that helped them.

As a general suggestion avoid too much sugar, caffeine and alcohol as all these substances can have a negative affect on both mental and physical health.

A great tool that can help you discover how food and drink affect you is a food/mood diary. Record how you feel, mentally and physically, to see if certain food or drinks cause any negative effects. If they do, look at finding a more beneficial alternative to this food type or remove it from your diet completely.    The right diet for you is a tremendously powerful tool and can literally heal or disable you. Do your part, help yourself and get healing.

“It took me 34 years of eating the wrong food and feeling all the negative effects from it before I realised it was actually the food I was eating that was making me feel so much worse than I needed to. The way I eat now has helped reduce inflammation in my joints, reduced some pain in soft tissue and joints, improved my gastro problems, increased my energy levels and it helps with mental fog. As well as all these benefits I am healthier and a lot happier too. Eating the right food for me has changed my life.”             Mike W