Month: January 2021

The importance of sleep

Everyone knows to perform at your best you need to be fuelling your body with the best foods and keeping yourself hydrated. What many people don’t realise is that sleep plays an equally important role in optimising performance and body function.

A lot happens while we’re sleeping. At night we cycle through different sleep stages, usually from light sleep to deep sleep, back to light and then into REM although everyone’s sleep cycles naturally vary.

REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) typically occurs later at night as is important for your memory and mood. Light sleep is essential, it promotes mental and physical restoration. It is no surprise we spend a big chunk of our night in this stage. Deep sleep is responsible for physical recovery and aspects of memory and learning. People usually awaken feeling extra refreshed after a solid night of deep sleep.

The quality and duration of sleep is crucial for optimal performance. A short or restless sleep means that our body is unable to correctly cycle through the sleep stages. This can mean it doesn’t have time to repair, consolidate memory and release hormones. Continued poor sleep or sleep deprivation has been found to impact the way we store energy for exercise. Sleep deprivation has a detrimental effect on our in the moment decision making, our mood and concentration.

Getting the right amount of sleep is the secret ingredient in continually putting your best foot forward in all aspects of your life.

Make 2021 a good one!

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. January brings with it that extra boost of motivation everyone needs to start a new chapter, full of fresh resolve and better habits. After everything 2020 threw at us, it is not surprising that we now more than ever are looking for a clean slate and making resolutions.

It is much easier to make a New Year’s resolution than it is to keep one. Once you move out of holiday mode and settle back into routine, it’s easy to also slip back into old habits.

If you’re looking for help sticking to your resolutions, whatever they be, there are a few simply steps that you can take to help achieve your goals.

Be specific! Many people resolve to “get fit” or “be productive”. The struggle with these kinds of goals comes when motivation dwindles and it’s hard to see any measurable change with such a vague target. A more concrete goal such as “run 5km” is much easier to complete and gives you the opportunity to plan and tick off achievements along the way.

One at a time! Don’t overwhelm yourself. Choose one thing to focus on so you can put all your energy into it. It can also be helpful to break your goal down into a process. Plan how to tackle your resolution and take it one step at a time.

Remember it’s a process. Breaking old habits is hard. It won’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself, you should expect a few setbacks. It may take longer than you envisioned, try to remember your reason for starting. When you hit a bump in the road, it is a good time to look over your plan for achieving your goal, you might have to adjust your method but it is no time to give up. You’ll get there.

Team up! Having people to lean on helps keep you motivated and accountable. A resolution buddy can also make the hard work more fun, see if you can talk a friend, family member or colleague into joining you. Simply telling friends and family what you’re striving for can increase your likelihood of success.

Celebrate along the way! Victories throughout the process, no matter how small deserve to be celebrated. Ticking off a milestone on your way to your goal is the perfect time for a pat on the back and a look at how far you’ve come.

Resolution setting doesn’t have to be a yearly disappointment. The difference between success and failure can be as simple as choosing the right goal to strive for and the way you go about achieving it. Be patient with yourself and be flexible, the road to success is not a straight line. The journey towards the end goal is just as important as the end goal itself. Good luck for the year ahead from the entire Physio Plus team!