Eat For You Dietitian

As an NHS Community Dietitian we have accommodated our clinics to solely telephone consultations until further notice. As many healthcare professionals have done according to recent Covid-19 measures. Although my scope of practice is in a nutshell providing nutrition and dietetic advice treating various clinical conditions. I have found myself referring to other key factors that we commonly forget about.

Sleep

Stress

Movement

I do not declare that these areas are my specialties, however there is growing evidence supporting that sleep deprivation, high stress levels and physical inactivity can impact the food choices we make on a daily basis for a variety of reasons.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about movement. I personally have progressed through a journey when I can finally say exercise is not a form of ‘punishment’ or a way ‘I need to earn my food’. I exercise to celebrate what my body can do. As a runner I have achieved 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons, marathons, and my one and only ultramarathon (51km distance) over several years. In the beginning I did start running as a way to control my body shape and weight. To be honest not much has changed in my eyes except how I feel in my body. Appreciation, respect and compassion. Instead of shame, guilt and disgust.

When I talk to my patients about movement I want to emphasise the benefits outside of aesthetics. I am learning how best to translate this effectively.

24 hours = 1440 minutes a day. All I ask for is 2% of that to dedicate to movement. This can be anything you enjoy. I specify enjoy as then this is likely to also reduce your stress levels. Win win.

Excuse number 1 now ‘It’s too cold and dark’

1. Plan ahead
   Think a day ahead, what are you going to do tomorrow and how are you going to make it happen. For example if I’m going for a morning run I have my clothes in a pile ready to grab and go. If it’s a dark morning I have my small light I strap to my front and my dog also has a light-up collar to be seen. Sometimes being prepared doesn’t always work, other times I’ll wake up, see the pile of clothes ready but I decide on a yoga flow in my pyjamas. Pyjamas are the best workout gear for a good old stretch.
2. Positive Reinforcement
   I love a cup of black coffee first thing in the morning. I usually wait until I get to my office to have my first cup of the day. However, if I wake up 30 minutes early to do power yoga or strength sessionI say I can enjoy my coffee and a sunset without emails getting in the way. Another example is after a run I am always a sweaty mess, no matter what the distance I usually return home like a drowned rat. Recently I’ve been running some of my commute home. More than once now I’ve been caught out in the rain so to keep going I think about running a hot bath once I get home.
3. Good music or podcasts
   I’m usually a podcast runner unless I want to disconnect and get lost to the rhythm. Usually a comedy podcast to keep me laughing as kilometres keep going. I even keep a couple favourite episodes downloaded to listen to again. I’m one of these people that can listen to or watch shows/films over and over again and again. You might prefer to listen to what is going on around you. The other morning I was walking my dog in my local park which is near a river. At the right moment there was a pause in my podcast and I noticed a flock of geese (or a skein) circling around the field, landed and then took off again. I took off my headphones and just stood admiring. It was like a scene out of The Notebook, the peacefulness and beauty of nature in the sky.

2020 has been the year I think we have had to appreciate whatever we can and take care of ourselves so we can also take care of others. Be kind to yourself.