Wellness 2021 Campaign – Sarah’s Morning Walk

We  have asked our customers to share a wellness hack that has massive impact on their lives and we will be featuring a selected participant every month.  Sarah Jordan, entrepreneur founder of ethical underwear brand Y.O.U (https://www.youunderwear.com)  has kindly shared her top hacks to support her mental and physical health.

Sarah Jordan

I have a variety of practices and rituals that I’ve come to learn make a difference to me and how I feel. These have become even more important over the past year as we’ve had to balance working, living, exercising, socialising and even schooling in the same space – and all mostly via screens too. 

Over the years I’ve learnt that the two things I really need to support my mental and physical health are sleep and exercise. I prioritise getting enough sleep – for me that’s at least 8 hours a night – and it makes such a difference to how I feel. I now know how important it is for everything from your productivity, resilience and immune system, to creativity, concentration, ageing and fertility – it can literally save your life!

Having said that, when I’m not sleeping I do like – and need – to be active. Lockdown has meant that I haven’t been able to swim as much as I used to, which for me was almost a form of meditation as well as being great exercise – and a social activity, as I swim with a great local group. I can only run every couple of days due to an old ankle injury (sustained while running a marathon with a stress fracture!), so I now mix that up with walking to get my daily fix of exercise and nature. Since lockdown I’ve swapped my driving commute for a walk around the park near me and I’ve loved it! I love being outside, in nature, away from the screen and it’s been amazing to see the park change through the year. It’s become ‘me time’ at the start of the day before I’m at the mercy of work and everyone else’s schedule, so it’s sacred time when I can listen to a podcast, put some music on, or just escape in my own thoughts and the sounds of the park for 30 minutes. I know that a (brisk) walk in the morning helps increase your melatonin and serotonin levels too, with the light helping to re-set your body clock (which helps you sleep better!) and the ‘feel-good’ hormones having a number of wider health benefits too.

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