In the last few blog posts, I have primarily focused on performance. I have spoken about nutrition, cross-training, sleep and over-training. Here I want to come away from performance and focus more on our overall wellbeing. Wellbeing is a holistic look at health; physical, mental, emotional and social. All of us have to make our well-being a priority, and I just wanted to share some things that help me.

Over the course of 2018, I was studying to become a Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). IIN talks about wellbeing in an interesting way. They use the idea of primary and secondary food. Secondary food is what is on our plate and primary foods are such things as, enjoyable physical activity, an inspiring career, fulfilling relationships, effective stress management and good sleep quality. The more balanced these factors are, the closer to overall wellbeing we can be. Someone can eat all the superfoods in the world, but if they are chronically stressed and overworked their wellbeing will suffer.

Finding a good lifestyle balance, can be a challenge, but think about the progress you can make, and don’t always look for perfection. Assess your daily habits and behaviours and ask; do these habits aid or hinder my happiness and wellbeing? Below are some key “primary food” areas, that I find, help me stay balanced. Remember, wellbeing is a journey, not a destination.

Stress management

“Busy and stressed” is a common answer, a lot of people give to describe their current life. This “stressed” state we can often find ourselves in, has an impact on mental and physical health.  You only have to look at how the body responds to stressors or a perceived threat, to see how the mind and body are inextricably linked.

The autonomic nervous system has two components: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. It is the sympathetic nervous system the triggers the well-known “fight or flight” response. When the body senses a stressor, the reaction to it, is well orchestrated. Certain hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, are released to change a number of autonomic nervous functions, including an increased heart rate and slowed digestion, to give the body a burst of energy and strength. As hunter gather’s, the “fight or flight” response was a survival mechanism, providing us with energy to run from predators. Today, stressors can be environmental, such a work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing your job. Unfortunately, for many people, these stressors can be constant throughout the day. Due to this mind and body connection, research has suggested that chronic stress can contribute to many illnesses – e.g. high blood pressure – and can decrease immunity.

The parasympathetic nervous system can be seen as our safety net, if given the opportunity to kick in. Once the stressor or danger has passed, it calms the body down, creating a “rest and digest” state, allowing the body can relax and repair. Ideally, we want to exist in this state, more than the former. Here are some practices that I find helpful to reduce my stress levels.

Mindfulness and meditation – I was introduced to this by our team psychologist, Chris Shambrook in 2016. I first used it for performance means, something to help achieve the best possible mindset, on race day. After a couple of months, I also started using it as a tool to combat stress. There is now a lot of studies into the health benefits, physical and mental, of mindfulness and meditation. It takes practice and consistency but positive effects can be seen in a matter of weeks. My favourite apps for guided meditation are Calm and Headspace.

Yoga – I touched on the benefits of yoga in my cross training article. Similar to meditation, but yoga combines movement, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Yoga’s benefits include, reducing stress, aiding good sleep, reducing cortisol levels (one of the stress hormones), lowering blood pressure and lots more.

Self-care – Self-care is effectively taking time for you and doing things that help you relax, as well as giving you energy. One of my favourite self-care rituals is going for a relaxing massage or facial. Sometimes, simply taking time to experiment with a new recipe, and enjoying the process of cooking, is a huge stress reliever. For someone with a sedentary job, self-care could be making time for a 30 minute run, 3 times a week. This could help clear their mind and increase their productivity. Experiment with what self-care looks like for you.

Fulfilling relationships

Spending time with people who give you energy, instead of taking it away, is really powerful. I am lucky to work daily, with like-minded people. It is safe to say the majority of rowers, are driven and motivated individuals and training alongside my team mates fills me with positive energy. This is also true in personal relationships. Having supportive friends and loved ones, with whom I share common passions and interests, I find essential to my wellbeing.

Social life and community

Researchers in the US performed a meta-analytic review into Loneliness and Social Isolation as risk factors for mortality(ref1). It concluded “substantial evidence now indicates that individuals lacking social connections are at risk for premature mortality.” Harvard University also found that when separated from each other, humans find themselves in the psychological stress state “fight or flight”(ref2).

Being part of your local community and having regular social time with friends, are great ways to combat any feelings of loneliness.

Ways to stay connected:

• Schedule dates in the diary to meet friends for dinner. When at the table, put phones away and be present.

• If you haven’t heard from a friend for a while, send an email or text and check in to see how they are.

• Volunteering. This can be a great way to connect, with new people in your community. Also helping others less fortunate than ourselves, can be extremely rewarding and humbling.

• Attend local social events. Meet and socialise with new and old friends.

Inspiring career

We spend most of our time at work, so finding a job we love is important. As a full time rower, I know how fortunate I am to do what I love every day. Post rowing, finding a love and passion for my next career is high up on my priority list. Don’t stop searching for that perfect job. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith. Start that business idea you have, or apply for that dream role, you never know, it may just work out!

Enjoyable physical activity

I am sure the majority of you reading this article, appreciate the positive effects, physical activity can have. I spend most of my day training but when I get the opportunity, I really love walking. When out sculling, I rarely look and fully take in my surroundings, as I am focused on the job at hand. However, when walking, be that down the river in Henley or through the forests and into the Chiltern valley, I can really appreciate nature and the sense of freedom I get. Even if you exercise regularly, try mixing things up, be that the mode of exercise or where you do it and see what new feelings it can stir up!