With the recent upswing in Covid 19 cases, it is more important than ever to look after ourselves and practice our own “Self Care”. I find this time of year to be particularly stressful with trying to get everything done before Christmas, finishing up year end, planning and budgeting for next year as well as family and social commitments.

 

This year there is a whole new level of stress with the recent surge in Covid cases due to the Omicron variant. In the first wave, I personaly only knew of a few people that tested positive for Covid. As I write this, there seems to be people all around us that we know personally that have contracted the new variant which for many of us has altered Christmas and holiday plans. Just a few weeks ago, I think many of us thought that we were over the hump with Covid and things were looking bright for 2022. Now we are all feeling the added stress of this new wave and trying our best to remain postive.

 

As we experience these increased levels of stress, I think it is more important than ever for us to look after ourselves and practice self care. This is more important than ever in order to keep our immune systems strong so we can somehow prevent getting sick, getting this new variant and if we do get it, be able to fight it off with minimal effects.

 

Many of you have read my book “Its Never Too Late To Be Healthy” where I share my own personal journey towards better health by keeping the 4 Wheels of Health full and in balance. Today, I wanted to share 1 thing that I am personally doing in each of my 4 Wheels of Health in order to look after myself and protect my immune system duing this very stressful time.

 

 

1.Sleep Wheel – Get To Bed Early

To keep my sleep wheel full and in balance the one thing I am doing to get a good sleep is getting to sleep earlier than usual. Many of you know that I use a Whoop device to track my sleep as well as other metrics to ensure I am getting sufficeint and good sleep. I have been making a conscious decision to get to sleep an hour earlier than usual so that I am recovering and resting my system. I think we all know that sleep is the time that our body repairs itself and recovers and now it is more important than ever to get sufficient sleep.

 

I know by looking at the stats of views on my blog that Sleep(or lack of it) is an issue for most people as they are by far my most read blogs. If you would like to re visit the nightly steps I and thousands of others follow in order to have a great and restful sleep, you can access it here: Trick Yourself To Sleep

 

2.Exercise Wheel – Easy Workouts

For those that have read my ongoing blogs or my book, you would know that I am a huge believer in daily fitness and movement to promote health, mental well being as well as longevity. Recently with the added stress I have been experiencing, I have continued my workouts however I have been dialling them back a notch on most days. I have been feeling a little run down lately so instead of eliminating my workouts altogether, I have continued with them but have backed off on my intensity levels. For example, this morning my workout was to do a full 60 minute set of VO2 max intervals on my trainer and since I wasn’t feeling up to my regular energy level, I instead hopped on my bike for a 60 minute “easy” ride.

As we know, the longest living people in the world – Centurions just “move’ every single day. I think this is a good strategy for longevity and in particular when feeling run down. To read more on the secrets of the longest living people in the world, you can access it here: 6 Secrets of Sardegna Centurions

 

 

3. Eating Wheel – The Wilson Shake

As I have done the last 10 plus years, I continue to start most of my days with the infamous “Wilson Shake” named after our dog Wilson that lived to the ripe old age of 18. Many claim that the reason for his long and healthy life was that I would share my morning shake with him every single morning. As soon as he heard the high pitched whine of my Vitamix blender, he would run in the kitchen so that he could share in my morning ritual.

With the added stress as well as the temptations at this time of year, it is more important than ever to nourish our bodies with healthy, non processed foods. We know that eating well helps us feel better, look better, have more energy, reduce our stress levels as well sleep better. I find that there is no better way for me to stay on track from a nutrition standpoint than to start my day with the Wilson Shake. To refresh yourself on the recipe and the benefits of the Wilson Shake, you can access it here: The Morning Shake (New Recipe)

 

4. Mindfullness Wheel – Deep Breathing

I find that at this time of year, I need to take pro active steps to minimize my stress levels and keep my mental health in check. In addition to daily exercise(outside as much as possible), I find that the number one way for me to minimize my stress is to do my daily deep breathing practice. It is a game changer for me in terms of managing my stress levels and helping me have a deep and restul sleep.

I am often asked when I practice my daily deep breathing. I typically practice it a few times a day during my work days. I will do this at anytime of the day and often engage in it before meetings and most definitely just prior to going to sleep. The fact that it only takes 1 or 2 minutes makes it super easy to incorporate at any time of your day or evening.

To learn more about the power of breathing and my favourite breathing techniques, you can access my blog here: The Power of Breathing – The Hidden Secret To Eliminating Stress In our Life

Summary

Although I have many different techniques to manage my stress at this time of year, today I wanted to share my “Top 4“. In Summary, the 4 ways that I manage my stress levels this time of year are as follows:

1. Get To Bed An Hour Earlier

2. Daily Easy Exercise

3. Start your day with the Wilson Shake

4. Practice your Deep Breathing – Daily