Your year of: Finding your calm

January is the time of New Year’s Resolutions and plans to become healthier in the coming year. While many people tend to focus on their physical health, our mental health is just as important.

This year, why not focus on improving your mental wellbeing and aiming to reduce anxiety and stress?

Here are just a few things you can do to make this your year of finding your calm:

Take time for self-care

Setting aside regular time to relax is important in maintaining a sense of calm and overall wellness. One of our favourite places to do this is in the David Lloyd Spa. At most of our clubs, you’ll find a sauna, steam room and whirlpools, where you can escape the world and spend a few hours relaxing and rejuvenating.

Spending time in these facilities not only helps reduce stress but has a number of other benefits. Regular use of heat treatment rooms can help with:

• Detoxification
• Improves cardiac health
• Eases arthritis and joint pain
• Improves the immune system
• Relieves muscle pain and soft tissue injuries
• Increases metabolism
• Assists minor respiratory problems (particularly salt rooms, which are available at selected clubs)

We also have heated relaxation beds available at David Lloyd Celsius Spas. You’ll find cold treatment facilities here too such as plunge pools and cold showers, which can help with post-workout muscle inflammation. And spa treatments (available in Amida Spas at David Lloyd Beckenham, Farnham and Hampton) like facial therapies and massages can help to restore your skin’s natural radiance and relieve tension.

David Lloyd Clubs is well aware of the valuable health benefits of our spas. Stephanie Holland, Head of Spa at David Lloyd Clubs comments:

“With life expectancies rising, our commitment to health in general is improving. We are focusing on wellness and quality of life more than ever. Regular use of heat therapies along with an over all healthy lifestyle will promote relaxation, reduce stress and therefore provide life improving health benefits.”

In line with this, we will be upgrading our spa facilities throughout 2019 and adding spa gardens and salt rooms to selected clubs.

Practice meditation & mindfulness

Dedicating just 10 or 20 minutes a day to practicing meditation can help to reduce anxiety, minimise stress and lift your mood.

While many think meditating is about turning off our thoughts and feelings, it’s really about training ourselves to be more aware of our feelings and observe them without judgment, hopefully coming to understand them over time. It allows us to quiet our often anxious and overactive minds, detaching from our thoughts and giving us space to regulate our emotions.

Learning to meditate takes time and practice. You can learn the basics through a number of handy apps such as Headspace, or many gyms and studios offer meditation-focused classes.

Try a Yoga class

Yoga has been proven to have a multitude of physical and mental health benefits. A gentle, low-impact exercise, not only does it stretch and strengthen your body, but it has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.

A mind-body practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation or relaxation, it helps you achieve peace. It focuses largely on breathing, encouraging you to be mindful and aware of your body. In focusing on your breath and physical movement, your mind is able to relax and allow your body to release any tension it is holding.

The focus on deep breathing also helps to increase brain function, soothe the nervous system, cleanse the lungs, and promote sleep – all of which will help you to find calm.

Exercise daily  

Exercise is a well-known stress reliever. It reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, while stimulating the production of endorphins – your body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. It can also help give you a sense of control, pride and self-confidence, helping improve your mental health and reduce anxiety.

Exercise can take numerous forms. It could mean going for a walk with the family, playing with the kids for an hour or so, or doing a short at home HIIT session. Anything that will keep you active can help you achieve a sense of calm and control.

Contact your local David Lloyd Club for more information.