Well-being Tips #6

There are many ways that exercise positively influences your mental health:

✔️Promotes the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain, like endorphins and serotonin.
✔️It helps you sleep better so you rest fully at night and feel more energised during the day.
✔️Gives you a sense of accomplishment as your fitness improves and you start achieving your goals.
✔️Exercise is usually a shared activity with others so you get the added benefits of social connection.

Of course, the hardest part is getting started.

If you’re feeling stuck, here are six tips for starting an exercise routine from scratch:

👉 Find your reason – you’re more likely to stick with a new behaviour if it’s linked to something you really value in life.
👉 Start small – and we mean really small. Just add five per cent to what you’re currently doing. If you’re stuck on the couch, just walking in your street each day is a great start.
👉Make it part of your routine – the more decisions you have to make about when to exercise, the closer you’ll come to deciding not to. Timetable your exercise into your weekly schedule so you aren’t relying as much on willpower.
👉Do something you enjoy – exercise doesn’t have to be serious. If you hate running or going to the gym, you’re unlikely to keep it up. Find an activity you enjoy (or at least don’t dislike) and you’re more likely to keep doing it.
👉Set goals and monitor progress – it’s very rewarding to track your progress towards a specific goal. It makes every exercise session feel purposeful.
👉Most importantly, be kind to yourself if you haven’t exercised for a while. For many, this can trigger self-critical thoughts that lead to giving up the exercise routine entirely.

Treat each day as a fresh start, and remind yourself that it’s human to drop the ball occasionally 🙏