Ravi Summan Wellness Newsletter - January 2021

Happy New Year, everyone!

Another year to grow, learn and spread love and happiness. We have all gone through a very difficult and different year in 2020. The relief of starting a New Year has been met with yet another challenge of living in a global pandemic with ongoing change and uncertainty.

With this, the need to look after our mental health and exercise and eat healthy has been reinforced.

It does not matter what stage you are at in your journey of fitness – consistency in training is highly critical to combat any anxiety or stress that you may be feeling.

I don’t need to tell you about uncertain times. It is affecting every aspect of our daily lives – job security, education of children at school, keeping compliant with UK government guidelines and protecting those who are especially vulnerable.



Are You In Need of Some January Inspiration?

January is a great month for setting new goals and resolutions as well as for trying something new. We will be talking about two of the best-known January health and wellness initiatives – Dry January and Veganuary.

Let’s start with Dry January. Dry January runs from the 1^st – 31^st January and basically encourages participants to be alcohol-free for the month. Dry January officially started in 2013 with 4,000 people and has come a long way since with over 100,000 taking part in 2020. However, it all started in 2011 when Emily Robinson signed up for her first half marathon which took place in February. She didn’t like running but found the training was easier if she didn’t drink. She also loses weight, sleeps better and feels like she has more energy too. Emily gets asked by a lot of people what it’s like to give up drinking for a bit and so she shares her story. In 2021 Emily joins Alcohol Change UK and gives up drinking in January again. More people talk to Emily about why and how she feels and that got Alcohol Change UK to thinking….. What if they created an event that runs every January? What if they called it Dry January?

Those who’ve taken part report:

o  Noticing their skin getting brighter

o  Saving money!

o  A general improvement in their health

o  Better sleep

o  Drinking more healthily year-round

Research published in 2018 in the British Medical Journal also found that a month off from alcohol;

o  Lowers blood pressure

o  Reduces diabetes risk

o  Lowers cholesterol

o  Reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood

Not bad at all, particularly when you consider that alcohol is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability for people aged 15 – 49 in the UK.

Do let us know if you’re giving Dry January a go. We’d love to hear from you and will be cheering you on every step of the way. Oh! And if you haven’t started yet but would like to – do! It really doesn’t matter that the first few days of January have already gone. Head over to the Dry January website and find out more.

It’s packed full of hints and tips: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january

Are You in Need of Some January Inspiration? Part 2!

We spoke earlier about one big national health and wellness campaign – Dry January – and today we’re talking about the other: Veganuary.

Veganuary runs from the 1^st – 31^st January and since 2014 has inspired and supported more than 1,000,000 in 192 countries to try a vegan diet for the month of January and, in some cases, beyond. The reasons why people opt to follow a vegan diet in January includes:

o  Health (38%)

o  Animals (37%)

o  Environment (18%)

o  Other (7%)

Those who take part in Veganuary claim a range of health benefits including weight loss, lowered cholesterol and a lowering of high blood pressure. Longer term benefits include a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes with Diabetes UK saying, “Plant-based foods, particularly fruit and vegetables, nuts, pulses and seeds have been shown to help in the treatment of many chronic diseases and are often associated with lower rates of Type 2 diabetes, less hypertension, lower cholesterol levels and reduced cancer rates”.

I have been working throughout this year with a vegan client and supporting him with detailed training and meal plans supporting his vegan diet with plant protein sources. If you need any additional support do feel free to contact me and book a FREE 30 minute consultation during which I can answer any of your questions regarding training for your health and wellness goals whilst following a vegan diet.

The Veganuary website also includes tips on nutrition as well as recipe ideas and is well worth a thorough read through if you are considering giving it a go. You can find out more here: https://veganuary.com/letter/



How’s Your Lockdown Training Going?

With England back in national lockdown and all gyms in England closed once again, you can still make gains by training at home. With just a few pieces of key kit - dumbbells, kettlebells, an exercise mat and a step box – you really can push forward with your training. Here’s some examples of exercises you can do using your own bodyweight or some equipment;

Chest:

Push ups from the floor using your own bodyweight (you can also use a medicine ball to work on mobility and coordination of movement)

Shoulders:

Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell Side and Rear Lateral Raises

Back:

Bent over Kettlebell rows

Stiff leg deadlift using dumbbell (great for hamstrings too)

Back extensions on the floor using your own bodyweight

Legs:

Dumbbell squats

Dumbbell lunges (you can also use a step box to add additional intensity)

Kettlebell squats using a wider stance which works more on the inner thighs

o  Single leg squats

o  Calf raises using a step box

Core:

Plank to the front and side

Abdominals:

Leg raises on floor

Abdominal curls

PLEASE NOTE: Before starting any exercise or fitness training programme, please contact your GP or doctor if you have any underlying health conditions.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can help you reach your goals and train at home, please do get in touch. We offer a FREE 30 minute consultation which can be booked here: https://www.ravisumman.com/schedule

Happy training!