HEALTH FOCUS: Fitness experts offer advice and tips

Boost your mental and physical health with these handy hints

Maintaining your mental and physical health is important. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

WITH sport at a standstill and gyms closed, the struggle to maintain one’s physical and mental wellbeing is real.

There are however some simple ways for people to keep moving, maintain or improve their health and find balance.

The Chronicle has teamed up with a number of local gym owners and personal trainers to share their advice and handy hints.

Slamfit

Samantha Glass: Owner, personal trainer and nutrition coach

Don’t stop exercising: If you are well and able to keep moving. It’ll be great to maintain your strong immune system as well as do wonders for your mental health. For some of us being ‘locked up’ at home will be a big change to take in. By keeping our routine and daily habits as best as possible we can reduce the chances of any negative emotions, overeating and other behaviours that can then lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. You’ve also been working really hard, so don’t stop now.

Boost your immunity: Coronavirus aside it’s important to boost your immune system with the cooler months bringing on regular colds and flus. My best tip here is to load up on vegetables, especially the green ones. Add them in wherever you can – your morning omelette, extras at lunch, snack on them or throw a few more in your dinner. You can also add ‘immune booster’ foods into your daily diet such as garlic, citrus fruits, ginger, turmeric and avoid processed foods.

Hydrate: Many people under estimate the importance of hydration when building your health, immune system or beating any illness. Hydration is important for many reasons but some of the key benefits include: Hydration assists in regulation of your body temperature, prevents infections, delivers nutrients to the cells, assists in organ function and it improves quality of sleep and mood. You can reach your hydration by drinking 2-3L of water per day, herbal teas, soups, smoothies/ juices, add fruit to your water for flavour and eat your fruits and vegetables.

Complete Body

Ryan O’Grady: Director

Keep active: Whether you are in isolation or you are still able to follow your usual training regime, it is important that to stay active as exercise will help to boost your immune system. If you are isolated there are still plenty of ways to move your body, right from your very home.

Nutrition: Food is our fuel and energy. There is a direct link between our immune system and the food we eat so we want to make sure that we are getting plenty of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients to help boost our immune system. If you are not able to get out for fresh produce we can prepare by having in the house things like tuna, pasta, rice, legumes and frozen veges which are going to keep for a longer period of time.

Recovery: We need to listen to our bodies. If you are feeling unwell do not push to exercise. Over training, especially when we are ill, can be more detrimental as it is placing stress on the body. Remember if you are unwell then you need to seek medical advice and from a health and fitness stance, rest and fill the body with nutrients it needs.

Nicole Fitzgerald – Personal trainer

Break a sweat every day: It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 minutes or 45, it all counts.

Work from the inside out: Make sure you are fuelling your body with nutritious food and getting plenty of sleep.

Stay the course: Permanent change doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient, be consistent and enjoy the journey.

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