Tips to Be Well in Tough Times
BY Headtalks
Head Talks was delighted to partner with Sarah-Ann Macklin on her Be Well Collective event in the build-up to London Fashion Week, to provide mental and physical support for models during this stressful time.
We wanted to share some of the recommendations from the expert panellists with our community, as they are helpful for everyone, and cover topics as diverse as nutrition, sleep and managing stress levels.
So, if you’re on deadline at work, heading into exams, or just struggling to cope with the day, try adding some of these ideas into your daily routine.
Nutrition
Nutrition starts not with counting calories, but with looking at nutrient-rich ingredients, while including all food groups.
During stressful periods, increase your Omega 3 intake. As well as benefitting our skins, high levels of omega-3s reduce the release of stress hormones during tough times.
Ditch the sugar. We have no biological requirement for sugar. Sugar we know causes inflammation, affects our blood glucose levels, causes mood swings, crashes our energy levels, and causes weight gain. Swap the chocolate and fizzy drinks for foods that are rich in fats and proteins such as nuts, avocado, and oily fish. This will help avoid blood sugar crashes and helps to steady our moods and reduce food cravings.
Be prepared and don’t skip meals. If you are rushing around, take a moment to prepare and take some snacks with you, like nuts, boiled eggs or protein balls.
The more you deprive your body of energy, the more fat storage it will create and the more you are likely to binge or overeat.
Long period of not eating leads to an increased secretion of gastric acid, and bloating or digestive problems, as well as an increase in our stress hormone cortisol.