Experiencing optimum health and fitness

EXPERIENCE OPTIMUM HEALTH AND FITNESS

Health and fitness expert, Olivia Williams, shares how to keep your health and fitness on track during the Christmas season and in 2023 On your marks, get set...GO!

It’s that time of year where the colder, darker days can leave us feeling pressured, burnt-out, and with lower energy levels than usual. With Christmas looming, we’re getting ready to indulge in all the festive foods and drink. But did you ever stop to consider those ingredients that cannot be pronounced, or the abundance of highly processed, ‘chemically produced’ sugar tucked away inside those delightful addictive dishes and drinks we are about to digest?

Be intentional

As we head towards the New Year with good intentions, it can be easy to fall victim to temptation as we overindulge, seemingly bursting at the seams, beyond the capacity of our stomachs.

Then comes the famous mantra, ‘New Year, new me’. How many times have we heard that phrase, where many decide that a New Year means New Beginnings and think: “I am a new creature in Christ, all things I ate yesterday that made me feel unhealthy and unworthy have passed away and a new life has begun”? Wouldn’t that be great, if only it were true?

During this time there is an urge to scroll through social media looking for an instant diet, or look through the address book for that good family member for the best ‘bitters’ to help purge out the system. Sadly, the father of lies is always trying to lead people astray - away from the healthy path - and, by the time the month of love appears, they will put down the sword of victory in exchange for the spirit of defeat.

So I ask you to pause and reflect and ask yourself why you’re waiting for the New Year when you can start creating healthy habits today! The good news is that starting early means you don’t have to train excessively when the New Year arrives. Remember, ‘the race is not to the swift’ (Ecclesiastes 9:11) and, if you start now, you can set yourself easily achievable goals.

Top tips for winter wellness

I am here to let you know that you’re not alone in the challenges faced this season. In fact, to provide you with a bit of inspiration, here are my seven top tips for your winter wellness:

1.Keep active as you enter the New Year. This will help ward off unwanted health conditions and disease that will age your body. Why not listen to your favourite praise songs while you’re doing the cleaning? Having God as your ‘cleaning partner’ will release the happy hormones, lower blood pressure, increase energy levels and clear out the toxins holding your body captive. 2.Use a health and fitness planner to ensure that you record the days of the week you wish to be active. Check out my FREE health tracker that will help you to keep on track,

https://www.scriptfit.com/KTF/BONUS

3.Look for an exercise group or accountability partner to help motivate you. 4.Eating well is more than just eating salad for the rest of the year and into the next! It’s about eating a balanced diet consistently. 5.Chew your food properly, particularly throughout the festive season. This will help improve nutrient absorption and help you feel fuller, so you avoid overeating. 6.Practise fasting for improved blood sugar control, weight loss, improved mood and, of course, a more intimate and powerful relationship with God. 7.Increase your intake of zinc and vitamin D3.

Zinc deficiency symptoms have similarities to COVID-19 symptoms! These include loss of taste and smell, loss of appetite, and low immune function. Sea moss is the perfect antidote, as it contains 92 of the 102 essential vitamins (including vitamin D3 and zinc).

Get started today

Did you know that sea moss (the main ingredient used for Irish moss drinks) is a great source of antioxidants and has a huge list of benefits? It helps suppress appetite (for weight loss), improves metabolism, boosts mental health, reduces inflammation (including fibromyalgia), and strengthens the immune system. Why not kick-start your health journey and sign up to the 30-day Sea Moss Challenge before the end of the year at www.scriptfit.com You can invest in some - available at www.scriptfit.com - to help protect your cells from viruses, such as cold, flu and even COVID-19 this winter.

It is never too late to do something good for yourself if you want to feel better, be healthier, live longer and live out a purpose that you were uniquely created to do.

Olivia Williams is founder of ScriptFit, a qualified health and fitness coach, personal trainer, weight loss and exercise specialist, nutritionist and public speaker. For more information visit www.scriptfit.com