Optimizing your health

As we roll into another week of lockdown for Hong Kong we are finding ourselves eating at home a lot more and preparing meals for the whole family. This can be the perfect time to assess our current health status, push the reset button and make some new and improved changes. We don’t often get this opportunity to focus on ourselves so let’s embrace it. Staying healthy doesn’t have to be overcomplicated so here are 5 tips to help get you started!

1. Move daily

Daily exercise and movement is a great way to boost your immunity and overall mood while keeping the body strong. It’s important to find an exercise routine that you enjoy, something that gets the blood pumping and keeps you motivated. Home workouts are easy and can be streamed from a range of companies on the internet or you can purchase a few pieces of equipment and get the family involved in a fun circuit. Otherwise pop on your fit bit and get outside, aiming for 8,000 – 10,000 steps daily.

2. Get a good night’s sleep

I always say, sleep is where the magic happens. It plays such a crucial role into your overall health and can make a big different to the way you show up and function each day. We need around 6-8hrs of good quality sleep per night in order to feel fresh and rested the next day. Your sleep environment and the hours leading up to your bed time should be a focus as well. Try to minimize your screen time and eating 2hrs before bed so the body and mind can be in a relaxed state. Ideally rooms should be around 18 degrees and as dark as possible to ensure a good sleep.

3. Manage your stress, be mindful

Finding small ways to manage your stress and taking some time out can make a positive impact on the body and mind. Experience a walk in nature, laugh with a friend or try doing a 10min breathwork practice can help the body focus on the rest and digest system (your parasympathetic nervous system)

4. Eat whole, real foods

To help boost the immune system it’s important to focus on whole, real foods and limit the consumption of processed, high sugary items. This includes eating lots of fruits, vegetables good quality meats and seafoods, beans, lentils and healthy fats like avocados, nuts and seeds.

Nutrient deficiencies can arise when we avoid certain food groups or not include variety into our meals. By focusing on increasing the good things then we naturally reduce some of the more processed food items (like packaged foods, chips, sugary items and yes alcohol).

5. Meal prep made easy

Sundays are a perfect day for meal prep, baking some wholesome snacks and writing up a weekly shopping list. This will help eliminate the stress of what to cook each day and saves you time if the basic prepping has been done.

If you are stuck for meal ideas Southstream Market has some new ‘ready to eat’ meals including the Bistro salads range, Rei Dos Frangos frozen meals (chicken, codfish and duck) and selection of organic soups.

Want to find out more or ask a question? Click Here to get in touch with Chrissy.