Product of the Month Chinese New Year
29 Day Walking Challenge
We all know that walking isn’t just great for physical health; psychologically, walking helps relieve stress, anxiety and increase mindfulness. In fact, I encourage all of you to add in a transition walk in the early evening to ease into a wind down chill mode. The mental benefits alone can shift your outlook into a relaxed positive mood making you feel like you’re walking on sunshine!
First, we all need to be honest with ourselves. What are we spending our evening hours doing aside from having dinner? Are we on our electronic devices playing games, online shopping, chatting with friends, video gaming? Set aside a few minutes to evaluate your current routine. Identify habits that are no longer serving you and write down some simple realistic walking goals.
Walking is an easy go to exercise as it’s free and requires no equipment accept good walking shoes. Yes, walking can be done on a treadmill, but if it’s not a blizzard outside or a rainstorm, grab a water bottle and get outside in nature and breathe in some fresh air. Giving yourself the time to take a stroll and absorb the sites, smells, and colours even for a few minutes a day can do wonders for your mental health.
First 15 days:
The first half of the plan will focus on making 20-minute daily walks a habit. The weekly mental health challenges will help get your head in the game and help you release any or anxiety that you’ve been carrying. The second half of the plan we will intensify the walking pace to get even more cardio benefits.
- 20-minute relaxed walk. Get moving and focus on breathing, good form and clearing your head. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pump your arms as you walk. Step one foot in front of the other mindfully, pressing down with your full foot and being cognizant of not walking on your toes or striking too hard with your heel. But make sure to keep it simple and focus on your breathing.
Next 14 days:
- 20-minute speed-it-up walk. We’ll speed things up slowly and mindfully. First, clock yourself at a normal pace for 4 minutes. Then speed up and walk briskly for 4 minutes. Alternate for 20 minutes total. If this starts to get easy, quicken your pace or increase the amount of time you spend walking briskly. Or, if you don’t like keeping track of time, keep track by blocks or mileage. After 4 blocks of regular pacing, speed up for 4 blocks.
Mental Health Weekly Challenge
Moving more can help improve your mood and decrease your risk of depression, according to Harvard Medical School. And you can give this benefit an even bigger boost by purposefully engaging in mental health exercises while you move your body.
Week 1: Reflect on your habit journal during your walk. Why do you want to replace your unhealthy habit with a healthy one? How will you feel by doing this? Reflect on the habit you’re replacing with a walk. What is your why? Walk toward this goal.
Week 2: Cheers — it’s mocktail hour! Before you go for your walk, prep a big glass of water with a lemon slice, freshly sliced cucumbers, or berries to look forward to once you come back from your walk. Do this each night as a reward for when you return.
Week 3: Buddy up. Walk and talk this week and focus on using your walk to connect with a loved one. Recruit a friend or family member to walk with you.
Week 4: Tune out. Listen to your favorite music or a podcast while on you walk. This could be about creating a positive mindset or about any topic that makes you happy.
At the end of February you won’t even mind a bit of rain and clouds because you’ll be fitter and happier. Celebrate your accomplishment with friends or family members and encourage them to join you on your walks.
Product of The Month:
Custom Orthotics $350 (reg $450) if ordered in the month of February.
Custom Orthotics $350 (reg $450) if ordered in the month of February.
Happy Chinese New Year