Derval O'Rourke: Do-able health goals in 2021
It’s mid January which means a lot of people are officially into their ‘goals’ mode. At the moment it is particularly challenging to try to achieve your health goals in what can feel like a very restricted environment but I’m here to help you with your approach. Let's chat about approaching the areas of fitness, nutrition and mindset to achieve your 2021 health goals.
Fitness isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach. What works for one person, might not for the next. That’s why you should consider your own personal needs and be honest about where you are at and where you hope to get too. If your fitness level is low (or maybe even non existent!) then build from there. At a beginner level, aim to do 2 to 4, 30-minute workouts per week. By this, I mean 30 minutes of effort where you are out of breath. This can be achieved in loads of different ways. Find ways that suit you and that you enjoy. For me, it’s a combination of circuit training and using weights. For other people, it might be an exercise machine or high tempo walking.
There are many different options for exercising and loads of ways to exercise at home. Whether it is circuits, pilates, yoga or dance cardio. It’s a great idea to invest in a yoga mat and keep it in an area of your house that is your ‘exercise’ space. Then each time you go to that space you will associate it with exercise and have yourself nicely set up.
Try an exercise routine for four weeks at a time to decide whether or not it works for you. This is enough time to properly judge the benefits and your enjoyment level.
Finally, be realistic with what you are trying to achieve. I saw a great quote recently where a person described their 2021 fitness goal as ‘sustainable mediocrity’, what they meant by that was they wanted to keep exercising at the level they were at. Sometimes its easy to overcook it and feel like we’ve failed but actually regular, consistent exercise is what pays off in the long run.
I prefer to take a recipe-focused approach to nutrition rather than dieting. As a busy mom, I know that it’s so easy to keep going back to the same recipes for dinners. Nutrition can be a gradual goal that you work on. I encourage people to cook two new recipes per week, adding new recipes to your weekly mealtimes is such a great way to try new ingredients.
I sit down on a Sunday evening, comb through my recipe library and choose two healthy recipes to make that week (that the kids will eat too!). I’ll then sit down with my journal and jot down any ingredients that I don’t have at home already and will need to buy. This way I’ll be organised and will be more likely to achieve my goal of cooking the two new recipes. Why not try the Orange & Date energy bites here as a new recipe this week? They’re perfect with a cuppa or as a quick snack during the workday.
Now more than ever I feel we need to be conscious of what is going on inside our heads. I started to spend time doing mindfulness meditations before Christmas. It’s something small that I’m so glad I have worked into my weekly schedule. As a start, aim to be completely present while doing your next activity. I find that my mind easily wanders to work stuff while I’m spending time with the kids, but I’m trying very hard to be present and only focus on what I am doing and the quality time with my kids.
Your activity might be getting ready in the morning - just focus on what you’re doing, without worrying about your to-do list for the day ahead.
There are lots of online resources for mental health that offer great tools and tips so be sure to do some searching to find what works for you.
Dedicate time to trying different types of exercise - pilates, circuits, HIIT, weight training. If you find a workout is too difficult & you feel disheartened afterwards, try to stick too it but reduce the level of difficulty where possible (i.e take more recovery time between exercises)
Invest in a journal/notebook where you can write down all of your thoughts — your to-do lists, shopping lists, feelings, and things to look forward to. Having these in one place will help free up your mind and ultimately make your head clearer.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8 balls
Ingredients:
- 80g desiccated coconut (and extra for coating!)
- 190g Medjool dates, chopped
- 100g raisins (or any dried fruit you like)
- Juice of 1 large orange
- 120g porridge oats
- 60g sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
If you have time, soak the dried fruit in the orange juice before you use them.
Place the dried fruit, orange juice, oats, seeds and cocoa powder in a food processor and blitz until you have a sticky paste.
Use your hands to shape the paste into balls roughly the size of golf balls.
Then roll each ball in desiccated coconut until coated and enjoy. (Another option is to flatten the mixture down onto greaseproof paper, sprinkle with coconut and pop in the fridge for a couple hours before cutting into bars)
