Beat the January Blues – Wellness Tips from the Healthy Supplies Team

It can be tempting to reach for a caffeinated drink when you first wake up, but many people believe that starting your day with warm lemon water is far more beneficial for your health. One of the Healthy Supplies team recommends making hot water infused with fresh lemon slices your first beverage each day.

Not only does it combat the natural dehydration that occurs overnight – it’s also full of vitamin C, an essential dietary nutrient which helps protect cells from the damaging effects of rogue cells called free radicals. Vitamin C is also thought to support weight loss and improve skin quality. Sounds like the perfect way to start your day!

Exercise isn’t supposed to feel like a punishment! Find an exercise you love, and enjoy it for the endorphins it gives you rather than the number of calories that you burn. Studies show that if you exercise doing something you love, it will be easier to continue to do it. Let’s face it, it’s harder to motivate yourself if you hate your workout.

It’s common every New Year to be bombarded by companies trying to sell you exercise plans or diet plans, which can feel overwhelming after the festive period (when companies bombard you with messages to feast and enjoy the excesses of Christmas). This can lead to unhealthy eating habits where we cycle through seeing food as good and bad, and exercise as a punishment – something we need to do to atone for the ‘sin’ of eating too much. This can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise and body image.

If we start changing our mindset and finding activities that we actually enjoy, we can start seeing exercise as something that makes us feel good mentally, as opposed to something we need to do to burn calories. Try going for a walk in nature, or swimming in your local pool. Try a new class at a gym, or take up cycling.

One of our team is a big nature lover. He recommends trying to connect with nature at regular intervals. Walking in a nearby park or forest, braving a dip in the sea or even pottering around in your garden, if you have one. Studies show that being outside in natural light can greatly benefit everyone, especially those who suffer from SAD (seasonal sadness disorder).

Science confirms that ‘forest bathing’ (the term used for visiting a forest to breathe the air) is brilliant for your health and wellbeing, too: research has demonstrated that it significantly reduces the stress hormone cortisol – and not only that – it also has a wonderful blood pressure-lowering effect too!

Outside activities can help improve our physical health, as well as relaxing us and enabling that all-important ‘me time’. Anyone who’s anxious about meeting up with people inside because of the Covid pandemic may feel safer going for a walk with friends outside, where air flow is far better.

Gardening is also a great way to get back to nature. Not only will you benefit from being outside, but you can also get immense personal satisfaction from growing your own fruit, veg and herbs!

Every human has around 100 trillion gut bacteria inside their digestive system, working in harmony with us and bringing huge benefits for our health and happiness, as long as we treat them right! Together they form the gut microbiome, an ecosystem within our body whose level of efficiency is set largely by what we eat.

One of our team makes sure he prioritises his gut health:

I’ve been reading all about the gut microbiome and how important it is for our physical and mental health to foster friendly bacteria in our digestive system. It’s been shown that eating calorie-rich, processed rubbish can be catastrophic for these little fellas and lead to depression, obesity and inflammatory conditions such as leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome. Many nutritionists agree the key is to eat a wide variety of different plant foods, especially those high in beneficial plant pigments. So I’ve been chomping on beetroot, cherries, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and so on. An added bonus is that it’s almost impossible to overeat when your diet consists mostly of fruit and vegetables, as they’re mainly water, and you’ll be full up long before you can pile on the pounds.

Keep in touch with supportive family and friends can be key to good mental health. When you feel down, it can be tempting to push people away – but reaching out and sharing how you feel with your nearest and dearest can help.

Life in a pandemic has meant that we can’t see everyone as we normally would, so it’s important to get creative. Why not schedule a group video call, or run an online ‘pub quiz’? Have a catch up with your family on the phone. Try streaming a movie at the same time as scheduling a facetime call for a makeshift cinema experience. If gaming is your thing, try playing online with your friends! Covid might have altered the way we socialise, but it doesn’t mean we have to stop being social altogether.

Socialising not only keeps us from feeling lonely, it also helps sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increases your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer.

We’re talking candles, bath salts, relaxing music – the whole shebang!

Not only is a hot bath super relaxing, but scientifically, baths can be good for your physical health as well as your mental health. The hot water can be great at relaxing tired or aching bodies. Essential oils and steam are also great at easing blocked or stuffy noses. Lavender oil is great for aiding sleep as well as helping many skin conditions.

Other oils that are fantastic for a peaceful, luxurious, restorative soak are chamomile oil and rose oil. Anyone who enjoys a cuppa of Earl Grey might also really love a few drops of bergamot oil too!

Just remember that as oil and water don’t mix, oil will rise to the surface of the water, where it can come into contact with the sking. Applying pure essential oil to your skin is a bad idea, as it can irritate skin in its pure form. For this reason, it’s always better to dilute it by adding a few drops to a tablespoon’s worth of carrier oil such as olive oil or some melted coconut oil.

For many people, this is a hard one. Time is our most precious commodity, and it often feels like there’s never enough of it in the day. But setting aside even 30 minutes where you can take stock, step back and concentrate on your own needs will do wonders for your mental health. Use this time to do something that you love doing. It might be streaming your favourite show, reading a book or discovering a new podcast. You could even follow Olympic diver Tom Daley’s example and do a bit of knitting!

Sometimes there’s nothing better than simply lying down on the carpet (or on the grass in the park if it’s warm enough) and emptying your mind of the day’s clutter. Our jobs, families and the hyperspeed pace of modern life can really overwhelm us if we’re not careful, so giving our grey matter an opportunity to slow down every now and then is very important for our mind. This time can be made even more relaxing with aromatherapy – why not invest in a good quality oil burner and some wonderful essential oils?

House plants don’t just look aesthetically pleasing, they are also really good for our wellbeing. Surrounding yourself with plants helps our mind and our bodies. According to the Royal Horticultural Society website, house plants offer both psychological and physical health benefits. Indoor plants are thought to help improve moods, reduce stress, increase productivity and help combat fatigue and headaches. Indoor plants also help improve air quality and increase our sense of wellbeing.

Research conducted in Taiwan showed that elderly subjects living in houses with houseplants breathed better quality air and had superior blood pressure readings than those living without houseplants. An interesting study from Bulgaria also reported that while students under Covid quarantine couldn’t get out and experience public green spaces, simply being able to experience greenery in their own homes and surroundings was associated with reduced depressive/anxiety rates.

This paper from 2014 even reported that microbes given off by plants could even help us avoid outbreaks of harmful pathogens! We love plants so much that we have a living wall of them in the Healthy Supplies office!

Its a rule we all know, but rarely live by. Most adults need 7 or more hours of good-quality sleep on a regular schedule each night. But it isn’t just about getting over 7 hours, its about ensuring you get good quality sleep – where you wake up feeling nice and rested. Poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions including obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy too. Lack of sleep can also undermine your immune system.

To improve your sleep, try and get into a good routine. Set an evening alarm to remind you to start winding down. Try and avoid looking at your electronic devices less than an hour before you sleep, as ‘blue light’ from phones, laptops and TVs really disrupts circadian rhythms (the natural cycle of waking and sleeping) by negatively affecting our levels of melatonin, the hormone that controls our sleeping pattern. Try having a bath to unwind and relax. You might find audio ‘sleep tracks’ (like white noise or the sound of rain) soothing – many are available online. Remember that establishing a sensible sleep pattern can take time – you can’t usually catch up on a sleep deficit in just one night! It will require you continuing to get enough good quality sleep to reap the full health benefits. But both your body and mind will thank you in the long run!

Humans have been using meditation since earlier than 5000 BC, and it’s an integral part of many philosophies as well as religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Meditating can be a great way to feel more centred and at peace. Modern life can often feel overwhelming and too fast-paced, and taking the time to stop, sit and breathe can have hugely beneficial effects on our health. Don’t worry if it feels a bit strange to begin with! Practise meditating for a few minutes each day, and increase the duration to one you feel is best for you. There are some great tips on how to get started here!

A few years ago, the American Heart Association conducted research into reports that meditation helped with all kinds of things such as responses to stress, lowering blood pressure levels, stopping smoking and even improving insulin resistance and artery health.

Life can feel pretty disrupted right now, and this can lead to us feeling out of sorts and adrift. Developing routines such as a daily skincare regimen can help introduce a feeling of structure into your life. Pampering yourself by treating yourself to a homemade mask or soothing moisturiser can help you relax and unwind. Spending time on yourself also sends a positive message to your brain; you’re telling yourself that you’re worth it, and deserve to feel good! This in itself acts as a positive reinforcement.

When choosing skincare products, try to stick to those with natural ingredients and avoid synthetics, petroleum derivatives, parabens, formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol and other potentially damaging additives. We love Green People’s product range of skin creams with natural ingredients. It’s also beneficial to treat yourself to a decent facial treatment every now and then – and don’t forget your lips! There are many wonderful lip balms to help keep you at your most kissable!

Studies show that cuddling animals (or humans) makes us feel better. Not that we need encouragement to spend time with our pets – but it’s great to know that it’s good for our mental health too. Having a pet can also improve our social life – pets are a fantastic ice-breaker. How often have you started chatting with someone in the park when their dog has come and said hello? Wonderful new friendships have started in this way. Many lifelong romances too have been instigated by a four-legged matchmaker!

Walking your dog is also a great way to get fresh air and be more active. Stroking a cat or even playing with a hamster releases important brain chemicals. When we care for and nurture a pet, we gain a sense of purpose and responsibility which gives us another reason to live.

Trying a new hobby or craft is a great way to relax as well as to challenge yourself. There are lots of ways to enhance your creative skills. Our team have done a range of activities from knitting and cooking to pottery, painting and crafting. Not only did they find it soothing to do, but also were left with a great memento at the end of it to keep forever!

Some interesting scientific research has been conducted into the health benefits of having a hobby, too. Research from 2016 in Japan suggested that having hobbies may extend not only longevity, but also healthy life expectancy among the elderly. A survey of employees working long hours in Shanghai concluded that having hobbies played a beneficial role in preventing a decline in mental health. Engaging in hobbies regularly has also been shown to decrease your risk of dementia!

Make sure you are eating right! Food is our fuel, and if we fuel our bodies right then we feel better because of it. Unprocessed grains and whole foods in general help prevent the dreaded spikes and dips in energy that processed junk food encourages. Eating plant-based whole foods can not only help regulate blood sugar levels, helping you feel fuller for longer and boosting your energy exponentially – it can also actively and significantly increase your life expectancy, by reducing inflammation, improving gut health, increasing immunity and lowering your likelihood of dying from a range of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

A staggering study of subjects who changed from a meatless diet to a meat-eating lifestyle found that their odds of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and weight gain doubled or tripled, and they had a 3.6 year drop in life expectancy. It’s still easy to eat an extraordinarily unhealthy diet as a vegan, though, so be sure to choose healthier alternatives to refined sugar, avoid saturated and trans-fats, and always try to choose foods that offer nutritional benefits as well as being tasty and filling.

While many foods are excellent for our brain and mood, even with the best will in the world, it can be tricky to get all the things we need from our diet. In the winter especially, we can become deficient in certain essential minerals. This can lead to us feeling listless, under the weather and generally just a bit rubbish. We stock a big supply of vitamins and supplements, all designed to help you feel the very best, and to enable your body to perform the processes essential for optimum health.

In recent years there has been a lot of fascinating research into supplements which can improve cognitive health as well as physical health – these include medicinal mushrooms as well as brahmi (bacopa monnieri) and ginkgo biloba.

Here at Healthy Supplies, we have everything you need to begin your journey to health, wellness and inner calm. Start living your best life here!