FIVE TIPS TO TRANSFORM YOUR WEEK

The best way to start your week is to take some time to prepare for it. You never know what might happen so putting aside a few hours to set yourself up for the days ahead can have a really positive impact on your health and wellbeing. Being organised will help you feel less stressed and will lead to a positive and productive week! Prepare Your MealsMeal prep is not just for gym bunnies, spending just 1 hour out of your time on a Sunday afternoon to prepare your meals in advance will save you money and avoid you reaching for unhealthy food choices. Cooking meals at home helps cut out any unnecessary ingredients giving you the right fuel to boost your energy levels for your busy day and avoid you feeling tired. Healthy meals such as a vegetable chilli or roast chicken and vegetables can be cooked in big batches on a Sunday evening and portioned up for the week with minimal fuss. Make things easy for yourself and follow the Slender Plan Monday to Friday to take care of your breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack. This will take some of the pressure off so all you need to do is create a healthy dinner!

Book In Your Workouts Like Appointments It’s a well known fact that exercise is nothing but beneficial for your physical and mental health so make the time to fit this into your life! Exercise increases brain function and releases endorphins (the happy hormone) which help you to become more productive and make better decisions. Exercise is also the healthiest way to relieve stress during a hectic week. You might think you don’t have time to fit exercise into your schedule however book your gym classes like it’s a meeting with a friend and don’t cancel. There are a huge variety of fitness classes available or even introduce regular at home HIIT and Yoga workouts which can be done in 30 minutes and will make you feel so much better for doing it! So next time you have a long day at work and start talking yourself out of that evening run, think about how you will feel once its completed and the impact this will have on your week. Clean Your Environment A clean and tidy environment not only helps prepare you for a productive week ahead but the process of cleaning itself has been proven to ‘un-clutter’ the mind. An untidy home will add stress to a busy week so cleaning before the week starts will leave you feeling more relaxed and organised for the week ahead. The same is also said for your work environment, tidying your desk on a Friday afternoon will make you feel ready to tackle Monday when you arrive into work.

Down Time It’s really important that in a world where everything runs at the speed of light, to slow things down and take some time to relax and do something you love. Set aside time over the weekend for something that isn’t a priority during the week, for example, a long bath, baking, online shopping. This time is yours and you have earnt it. Start With a Positive Mind-Set Starting your morning right sets the tone for the rest of the day, so try to start off with positive affirmations. Statements like ‘today will be a good day’ or ‘I’m going to smash my 11am meeting’ will have a greater impact on your day and week than you might think. Your mind is extremely powerful and negative self-talk can creep up easily, and often these thoughts will affect your mood. There will be aspects of your day and week which you can’t control and things may not go as you planned. Don’t let these instances dominate and instead, turn them into more positive thoughts so that you can get through the week on a high!