Wellness Hub Daily Checklist

It’s been a week or two since we kicked off the SportUNE Wellness Hub, and we’re rapt with the response we’ve been getting … but we’re wondering how you are really getting on? How has it been engaging with this community? Have you found the content useful? Has it made an actual difference to your day-to-day?

When we started the Hub, we were keen to provide a simple checklist of things for everyone (including us) to be guided by.

The idea being, if we were all able to tick these things off on most days, it would have a real effect on our health and wellness, and hold us in pretty good stead in these difficult times.

Have you seen the checklist?? You can find it right here, 👇🏾 but we wanted to take the chance to flesh these out a little more, right now.

Get Moving

We are all guilty of not finding the time for enough physical activity at times in our lives, and now, more than ever, it might be tempting to sit on the couch in the safety of our own home. But the flow-on effects of regular exercise really are momentous for our physical and mental wellbeing. We should all be aiming for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, and this number should be closer to 60 for kids. But if you don’t believe us, check this out to find out more about how to “Find Your 30”.

Now, we get that 30 minutes every single day can be a little daunting at first. But the important thing to understand is that this time can be accumulated across the whole day. And yes, your daily exercise routine can be a gut-busting super-charged high-energy circuit (if that’s your thing), but it doesn’t have to be. The most important thing is to find something that you enjoy, so that you are likely to come back to it.

If you happen to be a numbers person, and like to track every step you take, then the Strava Club Leaderboard we have set up may be the thing to provide some extra motivation, along with some healthy competition. But we also understand that many people couldn’t think of anything worse. So, whatever makes you tick, please check-in at the Wellness Hub for a wide range of options to help get a move on. And the good news is that just getting out in the garden or ticking off the housework are perfectly valid ways of finding your 30, every day.

You Are What You Eat

This adage has stood the test of time for a reason. It really is hard to overstate the influence of what we put into our mouths has upon our health and wellness. However, the world of nutrition can often be complex and confusing, and our time-poor lives and hunger for convenience foods, has led many people down the wrong path. But with a bit (OK, a lot) more time at home right now, what better time to test out some new recipes and get into a healthier eating routine?

Starting with the really simple philosophy of consuming a wide variety of fresh food is a really good place to start. Keep in mind that this is when food is at its best, and as soon as it is processed in some way to be put in a packet or tin, it loses some of its nutritional value. Even if you are not a whiz in the kitchen, it really is worth persisting, and a bit like exercise, finding something that you enjoy. On this note, stay tuned to the Hub for more healthy food inspiration coming soon!

If you do need a bit more guidance on how we should be structuring our diets, check out the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. If you look closely you might see the small group of ‘sometimes foods’ at the bottom of the chart. In a crisis (like now) it may be tempting to overindulge in fat, sugar, and/or alcohol, but reigning these in will definitely have a real effect on your general wellbeing. Oh yeah, and while we are generally happy to drink an extra glass of wine, most of us don’t drink enough water every day. Starting your day with a glass, then having your water bottle on hand throughout the day, is a simple strategy that should easily tick this common shortfall off the list.

Switch Off

It seems like every person & their dog is spruiking mindfulness at the moment, and this can sometimes make people more sceptical than ever.

However, there is no hiding from the fact that our lives are ever-increasingly entwined with digital technology. And the current situation of working remotely has possibly even heightened this – hands up who is feeling the effects of zoom overload at the moment! 🙋🏼‍♀️ For this reason, it may well be more important than ever to switch off and escape your screens for some portion of every day.

Mindfulness or meditation can mean a lot of different things to different people, but we like to think of it as simply clearing the mind of the normal mental traffic for a short period of time, in order to improve our focus when we do get back to the daily grind. And just like checklist items one and two, we think it’s definitely worth exploring this area of wellbeing until you find something that works for you. This is because, a bit like exercise, the science indicates that mindfulness activities have a powerful effect on a wide range of health & wellness factors, including sleep, diet, managing stress and anxiety and just making us more productive generally.

Somewhat ironically, there are a large number of apps or online tools to help you get started on your mindfulness journey. If you are interested in exploring the science behind this area, while trialing a number of mindfulness techniques, check out this excellent free 4-week online course run through Monash Uni and the Future Learn platform. If you want to jump straight in and give it a go, check out Headspace for some really accessible content. But if you are still reading this, and are starting the feel a bit overwhelmed, why not try clearing your mind right now. It can be as easy as turning the phone off, and taking a walk around the block, and really focusing on the sights and sounds around you.

So, how are you feeling about achieving the checklist? One thing you might realise, on reflection, is that the three items on the list actually have some overlap. We are firm believers that if you just start to make a few small changes in one area, this will flow on and help you achieve many other positive changes to your daily lives.

Well … good luck, and please check back in and let us know how you are getting on.

Keep you active whilst in isolation (and beyond) by checking out The Wellness Hub – it’s here for everyone!

Keep in the loop by following their Facebook group and get involved with the challenges and online workouts!

Fitness is for everyone! #ActivateYourUNELife