Emerging from lockdown

Going from “survival” to thriving. A woman’s health guide

Written by Joanna Diplock owner of The Motherhood Movement – Women’s health and Pilates.

It’s fair to say that our stress levels have been elevated over the past year and little levels of stress over time can lead to higher risk of cardiac issues, spread of cancer around the lymphatic system, signs of premature aging in the bodies tissues and appearance, weight gain, hormone dysregulation, gastrointestinal disruption and mood fluctuations. None of which is something we want to live with going forwards.

Our body responds stressful situation by releasing cortisol – your “fight or flight” hormone. If too much cortisol is released then this can disrupt your internal balance from physical to mental wellbeing. If you are finding that your resilience to stress is lower, that you are bloated or fatigued more often or are concerned about any of the above perhaps your mind and body is running in survival mode. How can we switch over to thriving?

Exercise Mindful exercise such as Pilates, Meditation and Yoga is useful for settling the brain and body and can be good for increasing your vagal tone. A better vagal tone would allow your mind and body to respond to stress in a more resilient way the next time it was challenged. Try this breathing exercise – “Box Breathing” Breathe in for a count of 4 – Hold the breath for 4 Breathe out for a count of 4 Hold the breath for 4 Repeat for 1-2 minutes Perhaps measure your heartrate with a heart rate tracker from start to finish to see how this lowers your heart rate. You’ll be amazed at how such a simple thing can change how your mind and body performs. I use breathwork, mindful Pilates movement and meditation in my Rest and Restore classes – currently available online, on demand to download from my website whenever you want to switch off from the world and re-connect with yourself. Boost your heart rate Studies have shown that increasing your heart rate for 30 minutes or more allows your brain to release endorphins – our feel good hormone. Why not try an exercise class that makes you feel good or a fast walk to get your heartrate up

Get outdoors Have you ever heard of forest bathing or “shinrin-yoku” as the Japanese would say? It is the art of getting outdoors into nature (preferably under the trees). Studies have shown that spending 15-20 minutes in nature decreased levels of stress and had long lasting results for up to 7 days after exposure. With many of us enjoying our daily outdoor walks and time this year it’s easy to see why that is so beneficial for our brains and bodies. As the world starts to “open back up” again can you encourage a balance of keeping some of those kind of things within your week? Perhaps walking to school/the shop instead of driving? Meeting a friend for a walk/run instead of for a drink? Meet the family at the woods occasionally instead of soft play? Or simply making time for it in your week on a regular basis. Nutrition and hyrdration What we consume has the power to fuel or fry our nervous systems and can therefore lead to decreased/increased levels of stress on your body. You can start by decreasing/removing foods that you have intolerances to. Improving your plant-based food intake. There is more and more emerging evidence that eating 30+ different plantbased sources per week improves everything from your gut health (lots of studies starting to discuss gut health with mental wellbeing), hormone function, brain health, long term wellness and reduction in risk from chronic disease. You can decrease common nutritional stresses such as caffeine sugar and alcohol. Overall losing body fat will help decrease your stress levels long term and improve your hormonal regulation. Rest and recovery Consider your rest and what you do for your “work in” to your body as well as your output. Perhaps you have become really busy and you’re not balancing that with resting well. All of these things are optimal and instead of feeling that we should be doing all of these at 100% we must recognise that life is not as easy to navigate that way at all times and often we need accountability, guidance and support to reach our goals. Understanding that progress is still progress if it’s small. For example, if you currently eat 5 different fruit and veg a week – could you increase it to 10 and then keep that a sustainable habit until it’s a normal part of life. If you don’t think you’ll have the motivation to stick to these things remember there are people who’s job it is to help. These seemingly small things add up to some big results in both aesthetics and physical/mental wellness over time.

You can find my support and classes directly at my website www.themotherhoodmovement.com