How can you prevent fatigue this month?

Fatigue can be caused by many factors such as; stress, medical conditions, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet or lack of sleep. As winter begins, most of us will be spending more time indoors and therefore, decreasing our levels of exertion and spending more time in front of our screens. Some of us will even find ourselves spending more time lazing around the house, snacking and staying up later. Fatigue will settle in and energy levels will go down. We at phzio believe that this type of behaviour can be detrimental to the overall well-being and health of our patients. That’s why we would like to give you a proactive step by step solution to counteract the effects of fatigue, help you increase your energy levels and give you tips and tricks you can use at home!

Keep a minimum of low to moderate level of activity. That’s right! You don’t need to do much. All you need to do is take at least 10-15 mins walk every day to keep your body active. Not only does that help stimulate blood flow, but it also allows you to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy some time away from screens. Try it and see how you feel after your walk.

Another good option, while enjoying the coziness of the indoors, is to spend some of your time stretching. Let’s say you work from home and spend most of the day sitting, working your way through the day. You might notice some aches and pains in certain regions of your body after a while. This is a signal from your body to let you know that it needs to move and get out of the position you are in. We suggest a few stretches that might help you improve some of those symptoms.

Exercise for Your Spine

Exercise for Your Hands/Wrists

Exercise for Neck Pain

Exercise for Shoulder Pain

Something else that you might not be aware of, is your breathing patterns. This might sound odd and frankly not important at first, but the way you breathe can have such a beneficial effect on your state of mind and well-being. Watch this short video of one of our experts explaining how deep breathing is important and how to do it yourself. Feel free to integrate this habit into your daily routine. You can watch the video below:

One other low/moderate activity that you can enjoy at home is yoga! Trying a few different yoga poses will help maintain movement flow and allow your body to maintain its flexibility and strength. Yoga doesn’t need to be complicated and strenuous. Taking some time to move your body around will have great benefits to your health. Let our experts guide you through a yoga session:

Our last and final tip is that you will want to get a healthy routine going. Make it a habit of sleeping at regular times, drink lots of water throughout the day (e.g. keep a water bottle at your workstation) and try as much as you can to make healthy eating choices (e.g. prioritize home cooking instead of takeouts).

Now it’s your turn. Start today by integrating these five healthy habits into your routine and chances are you will start to feel energized and will see increases in your well-being. Remember, set time aside for yourself every day where you’re taking short walks, stretching, deep breathing, moving and making small life changes. One of those changes could include enjoying a relaxing session of yoga with one of our health professionals.