2023 wellness wisdom with Sally Munro

As a self-confessed wellness warrior, local Chapelton resident Sally Munro is a Nutritional Therapist, Yoga teacher and Swim School Director who is helping her clients to optimise their health and wellbeing. Through supportive nutritional therapy and lifestyle adjustments, Sally has successfully helped her clients to lose weight, increase their energy levels, improve their sleep and so much more.

In this guest blog post, Sally shares her thoughts on how to live well in 2023, and create meaningful health goals you can stick to in order to live a happier, more fulfilled lifestyle…

Welcome to 2023! 

Grab yourself a glass of water and take a seat. It’s time to ask yourself how you and your body are feeling right now on this very day. Are you refreshed from a relaxing holiday period or still feeling frazzled and tired? Are you rolling into January with a list of resolutions, diet and exercise goals and high expectations on how life will be better with such notions? 

Most folks start with gusto and then they crash. We are all human, we all want more of the things we think we need to be happy, successful and loved. My suggestion this year is to ditch it all and take the pressure off. That said, if you are a goal setter and this works for you, keep on trucking my friend!

If you’re hoping to make some positive changes and make 2023 your best and happiest year, these are my words of advice on how to truly live well…

Assess your needs

We are blessed with this one wild and precious life. Yes, we could all be doing something different, so where do we start? We start by asking ourselves what do we truly need to live a healthy, satisfying life? Do we need the gym membership or can we commit to walking for free outdoors to start with? Do we need to spend money we don’t have on weight loss programmes? Maybe we just need to simplify.

Slow down and enjoy the seasons 

In theory, winter is a time for slowing down, nourishing and resting our bodies so that with the arrival of spring we can then burst into more action, seize the day and enjoy the lighter nights. 

Many people have moved away from seasonal living, replacing it with a go go go attitude, 24/7, no downtime, no self-care, no rest, no wholesome foods. We are expected to reply to messages and emails ASAP, work into the small hours, attend all events and sacrifice our relationships. Before you know it, you are racing full steam ahead into another New Year, to the tune of everyone saying how quickly that came around! Was your year full of laughter, love, connection, movement, joy?

If you ask me, New Year is actually a great time to really slow down and reflect on what it is you truly want and need. It’s time we got back to living more seasonally and dance to the beat of our wonderful seasons, rather than rushing through life.

Plan for success

New Year often brings thoughts of cleaning up our diets, taking a break from the excesses many of us indulge in over the festive period and hitting the gym. While these are great objectives, there is only so much salad one can eat before falling off the wagon. 

The key is planning and preparation. Taking the time to choose some nutrient dense and filling meals will help you stay on track. Ensuring quality sources of protein, such as fish, chicken, eggs, tofu in your meals will help you feel fuller for longer and give your body nutrients that are essential for repair and maintenance. 

There are many books and websites sharing thousands of recipe ideas. I highly recommend some of The Body Coach Joe Wicks books for his simple and easy to follow recipes if you are short of time or ideas. 

Remember to start slow

In regards to exercise, if you are just getting started please take your time and ease yourself in gently. Gradually building up your stamina and fitness takes time and commitment; it is not a quick fix sadly! 

The benefits of regular movement are endless. Even if you just try to incorporate a daily walk. Depending on your current fitness level you will need to monitor how you feel and increase as the days go on. Start with a walk around the block, a few more trips around the garden, or up and down the stairs. If you fancy taking up a new activity, ask a friend to join you. Having a fitness buddy might help as you can keep each other motivated. Using body weight to perform exercises is also a great cost-effective way to start getting fit. Squats, standing press-ups against the wall, triceps’ dips on the side of the bath – the list is endless. 

It is important to know that sometimes you will get tired, your muscles might ache a bit, but that’s all normal and you should have some rest days in between. Once you push through, you will start to feel stronger, get the buzz and you’ll get excited to exercise more – trust me! Despite exercising, you might find you are more energised and you may experience better sleep patterns. 

If you need any support with what to eat for your body, how to start an exercise programme or how to be more mindful, please get in touch. 

A checklist for a happy life

To live a simple life, is to live in the moment with full awareness.

Here are some top tips for adopting a simple life:

• Say yes to the things that make your heart sing.
• Say ‘no thank you’ when that’s really how you feel.
• Give yourself some peace away from people, devices and noise.
• Drink water.
• Eat real foods.
• Dance.
• Sing, even if it’s badly!
• Sit and breathe, count in for 4 and out for 6, for at least 2 minutes, increase as you wish. 
• Read up on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Apply!
• Read a book, with full presence.
• Have regular technology breaks. 
• Play card games. 
• Flex your brain muscles and play games to improve your memory and concentration.

One last thing…

This is NOT going to be a ‘New Year, New You’ kind of vibe, because quite frankly, I find it grating! We are who we are, day in and day out. Whatever we choose to do, we will still be ourselves. The actions we choose to take, however, might lend to an improved version of our current selves. 

For more about me and how I can help you reach your wellness goals, visit my website.

You can also find me on Instagram @Salthewellnesswarrior or contact me directly on 07894505661.

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