You might find something you’ll love. I did, says Mel Mitchell, who was dubious about enjoying an ‘aerial hoop’ fitness class.

Having worked my way through my own journey back to fitness, I thought I would talk about ways to get back to exercise post-covid. It’s safe to say the road to recovery will be different for everyone, and is dependant on a number of factors including the severity of the symptoms.

Covid as we all know affects the respiratory system – I was lucky enough to suffer only mild symptoms but even I was surprised how much it affected my breathing and chest during exercise.

Too much, too soon.
My advice would be to wait until you feel better and are free of symptoms before you begin exercising again. The tendency is to go straight back to the old routine, especially once you
are out of isolation and have your new found freedom. In hindsight, I probably returned to exercise too quickly. My chest definitely wasn’t prepared for my first CrossFit competition back that’s for sure! It’s important to listen to your body – at the end of the day, you are the best judge of how much you feel is enough. But even if you feel like you are fully recovered, adopting a slow return to fitness is definitely the best approach.
I made the mistake of assuming I was recovered enough to go straight back to the high intensity workouts that I was doing prior to getting covid. How wrong was I!

I ended up coughing and wheezing and feeling a lot more fatigued than normal for a full week after I thought I was fully recovered.
Getting back to exercise too soon and too hard may ultimately lengthen your recovery. Start
off slowly and work upwards, gradually building the intensity and length of your workouts over
a number of weeks. Listen to your body, and if symptoms return ensure you take a step back and rest.
There is still a lot we don’t know about the affects of covid and it will inevitably affect individuals in different ways. The key is to be patient, which I know can be difficult especially if you are anything like me and are used to being so active!

Some of the healthiest foods can be the most inexpensive. Nutritional Therapist Karen Geary explores the options for cheap protein and veg.

As the inflation squeeze on budgets becomes more widespread, it is hard not to notice the rising cost of the household food shopping bill. Healthy eating is not all chia seeds and turmeric lattes.
With that in mind I’ve taken a run through of highly nutritious foods that won’t break the bank.

Beans and legumes

These are some of the most under-rated foods we can buy. High in fibre, B vitamins and minerals, they are an excellent source of protein; great if you are trying to reduce your consumption of meat, and when paired with grains like rice they become a ‘complete’ source of protein. If you follow the diets of the Blue Zones, you will already know that beans are the cornerstone of their longevity diets. 100g cooked portion of beans or legumes contains between 9g and 16g of protein, depending upon your choice. There is also some evidence that beans may support healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as healthy gut function.

A 500g pack of dried red lentils is less than £1.50 – enough for an 8-12 portion lentil curry.
Most ready-to-serve 400g canned beans in water are under £1 a can, and may come up cheaper in multi-packs. Cannellini (white) beans make for a great base for soups when blended with stock, and the possibilities are endless for bean chillis and salads.

And don’t forget frozen edamame beans – they are not just an alternative to peas. They pack
a whopping 13g of protein per 100g and are therefore a great cheap replacement for animal protein and are extremely filling.

Avoiding flatulence!

Some people suffer with wind and bloating when they eat beans and lentils. It is best to increase your intake gradually, starting with 1⁄4 cup at a time and working up. If you are using ready-cooked legumes/lentils, always rinse and drain before eating. Try adding cumin, fennel, ginger or turmeric to meals as they can aid digestion.

If you are using dried beans or lentils, always, always soak them overnight especially red kidney beans, which contain a toxic lectin which is poisonous. Soaking also helps to neutralise a compound called phytic acid, an anti-nutrient which can reduce the absorption of minerals. Soaking may also help to reduce bloating.

Fruit and vegetables

Frozen fruits and veg are just as healthy, if not healthier than fresh, as they are frozen immediately upon picking, retaining key nutrients. Frozen berries can be up to 40% cheaper than fresh – and they are an easy addition to breakfast time with yogurt, smoothies or even added to pancake batter.

Frozen veg is a family staple and can be found from around £1 for a mixed bag – excellent in stir fries and casseroles.

Wonky veg or ‘not quite perfect’, as the supermarkets call them, are cheaper, as is buying what is left at the end of the day – sometimes it is fun to try something different and the diversity is good for us. Farmers markets can also be cheaper than the supermarket.

How to use leftovers

What can you do with left over veg? Pulverise it all together in a food processor and store in a small snack bag or an ice cube tray. Add a few cubes to thicken sauces in casseroles, or add one spoon to a smoothie – an excellent way of using left-overs while getting extra nutrients in.

Buy from the farm

We are so lucky in Dorset to have farms on our doorstep who sell directly to the public; often far cheaper than the supermarket. Not every farm has a shop but sometimes will sell to you directly.

Make your own ‘milk’.

Last time I looked, some plant milks are twice the price of dairy, and are far less nutritious. But some people cannot or prefer not to eat dairy. It is rare to find shop-bought plant milk without additives. 250g of hemp seeds is around £2 – roughly the price of a carton of the higher end plant milks, yet will yield four times as much milk if you have a blender and are prepared to invest £6 in a nut milk bag. Add a date and pinch of salt and it is better than your shop bought version (recipe here).

Recipes featured in images:

• Lentil Dahl

• Pesto, bean & tuna jackets

NB Price comparisons used are from Ocado & Amazon, Feb ‘22

by Karen Geary

Stress responses are as old as the human race – but even without the threat of actually being eaten, we still sometimes struggle with the effects of a stress response, says Dee Swinton of Dorset Mind.

Stress Awareness Month is fast approaching (April), and it’s a chance to take stock and check how we’re doing. Thanks to the pandemic, many of us have been experiencing a heightened level of stress and anxiety. Understanding this and being able to manage our stress is an important tool that can help to mitigate the effects stress has on our mental and physical wellbeing.

What is stress?

Stress is what happens as a result of our body’s ‘Fight or Flight’ response to a threat.
Back in the stone age this response would help us to quickly get away from predators. Nowadays, despite the lack of saber- toothed tigers, this response can still be triggered. It will of course be due to a wide range of less feral life stressors: work, money, family… just life in general.
It is important to note that a little bit of stress in our lives can be helpful; it’s what drives us to achieve our goals.

However, when our stress levels rise and we find ourselves moving towards being overwhelmed, it is important to reduce symptoms by using and utilizing various resources and techniques. One of the best of these is learning about our ‘Stress Container’ which can help us to visualise and contextualise our stress.

The Stress Container

As we go about our lives we’re exposed to a wide range of stressors, some of which we unintentionally keep with us and collect as we go, just like a sink collects water. This ‘sink’ represents our stress container, and the water is the stress. This stress can come from different ‘taps’ – different life stressors; one tap for example could denote our anxiety surrounding the recent pandemic, one could represent having to adjust to new restrictions. Another could be a difficult relationship.
If not managed, our containers can overflow, which is when problems arise. The amount our sink we can hold differs from person to person. One person maybe be able to collect more water before overflowing than another.

How to release the pressure:

Unblocking our sinks and letting some water out, even only a little at a time, is possible. When we feel that our containers are getting too full, we can take positive steps to reduce it. This can be achieved through positive actions such as getting active, connecting with nature, talking to friends and family. Or why not try out a new hobby or mindfulness/ yoga and see how it affects your stress levels?

Support

If your stress levels become unmanageable, or your mental health starts to affect your daily functioning, the first step is to contact your GP. You can also find our support via this link.

If you reach a crisis, or need emotional support, ring the Samaritans FREE on 116 123, 24 hours a day.

We offer ‘Managing Stress, Anxiety and Burnout’ training and Mental Health First Aid Courses to both businesses and members of the public. Find out more by following the links or emailing [email protected].