As part of a new year campaign with John Lewis I'm going to be chatting about 3 areas which all aim you towards the same goal - better health and wellbeing. Now I know there seems to be the standard January bombarding amount of, 'new year, new you' stuff about but I truly do agree that by getting the right balance in each of these areas, you'll be on the right track the entire year.
What are these 3 steps you ask? Feel fitter, feel recharged and feel nourished. It isn't just about how active you are, it's about what you eat and it's also about resting up right.
Feel fitter //John Lewis aren't a gym (obviously) but they sell plenty of home gym aids. They sell items such as treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, multi gyms, free weights, yoga mats, swiss balls, so you name it and it'll be on their list of items to purchase. If you're not too keen on the gym, or like me and prefer to exercise at home, then there are plenty of options for you to sink your teeth in. There is also fitness technology which I have had a lot of experience with. I've tried and tested numerous fitness watches but I'm currently using a Fitbit Blaze (as seen above), which you can purchase from John Lewis as well. They do have a wide variety so if you're just after a general activity tracker they have those, or specifically for running and or swimming ones too. I love using an activity tracker as it helps me monitor how much I'm doing and how I'm developing for races. Don't forget you can purchase fitness gear too, such as your trainers and also your training garments. They have a wide variety from your yoga must-haves to your running technicals. I got super excited to discover I could finally get some Adidas Pure Boosts from there, as I always struggle to find them locally.
Feel recharged //I am the queen of being terrible in this department but my 2017 vow is to chill out! I don't wind down or let my body recover as much as I should, so whether it's a bed better for sleeping or just finding an amazing new bath oil - this is a must. I actually love using a SAD lamp wake up alarm, which gradually gets lighter as your alarm time draws closer. It is far less intrusive and disruptive like a normal bleeping alarm! I tend to find I wake up feeling far more relaxed this way. Alternatively give me a scented candle and a good book, and I am as good as gold on the relaxing front!
Feel nourished //Water, water, water. Do you drink enough? Scrap me being bad at relaxing, (as I'm far better at that than this bit) I'm awful for drinking water so I tend to pop a little bit of fruity squash in to help encourage me to drink it. I bizarrely find that by having a nice looking water bottle it sort of makes me more likely to use it - is that weird?! Another option and something I like to do first thing to get my vitamin C in, is use a juicer or smoothie maker. I sometimes have little time to sit and eat lots of fruit to get to my 5 a day, so I enjoy making a fruity drink at breakfast time as I feel it sets my day off on the right foot.
John Lewis have a dedicated page for these 3 steps and the options you have to chose from. Let me know if you need any help of guidance on anything you're not sure of.
What I'm getting at in this post is that we forget to do a bit of each of these areas. Often when January starts we automatically focus on fitness and don't always recharge, or we get our exercising balance spot on, but then forget about nourishing ourselves. Whatever it is we do, we need a balance between them all. Have you managed to get a balance between each of these areas? Are looking to get any new fitness aids this year?
*Post in collaboration with John Lewis*
