Activity and exercise for better mental health

This week is Mental Health Awareness week and this year's focus is on physical activity and exercise to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

One person in four will be affected by mental illness or neurological disorder in their lives.  There's still an element of misunderstanding, stigma and ignorance around mental health.  Two-thirds go untreated.

Mental health can vary from occasional periods of feeling down, anxiety, not able to cope and low self-esteem to more serious bouts of severe depression and more serious mental health issues.

Exercise is important, not only to keep us physically fit and healthy but it's also important for our mental health and wellbeing too.

Chemicals released during physical activity make us feel good.  We all know the buzz we get when we've done any form of physical activity.

Spending too much time in office buildings surrounded by artificial light and away from fresh air disconnects you from your surroundings and can impact your mental wellbeing.

Get into the habit of moving more and increasing the amount of activity that you do on a daily basis.

- walk more - to the bus, up stairs, to the shops.
- exercise regularly - a brisk twenty minute walk in your lunch break, before or after work.
- take up a team sport, join a group
- join a yoga or meditation class to relax and unwind after a busy day.

Physical exercise - even for a short period of time, increases mental alertness, energy levels and boosts mood.  Find time for two to three 30 minute sessions of activity each week.  You'll also sleep better which also has a positive affect on mental health.

While you can't expect to feel happy all of the time, being mentally healthy enables you to cope with times when you're feeling under pressure or experiencing grief, loss or failure.

Look after yourself.

Image courtesy of [David Castillo Dominici] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• Take a break in nature (clareevans.blogspot.com)
• Mental disorders affect one in four (World Health Organisation)

Have you got a business plan?

Yes?  No?

Not one of those 20+ page documents you put together when you first started your business or went to the bank to ask for funding - but something that is a working document about how you run your business.

When I asked that question to a room of 200 business owners recently, only a handful of hands went up.

OK, some of them may not have wanted to put their hands up but generally it's only a small percentage of the people I talk to on a regular basis that actually DO have a business plan.

Your business plan doesn't have to be any more complicated than one page.

• Where you are now.
• Where you want to be.
• How you're going to get there.

Once you've got the basics down you can then start to put together the action plan which will help you work your plan, achieve your goals and grow your business.

Without a business plan - your business is like a rudderless ship - you may be going somewhere but not necessarily in the direction you want to go.

Spend a few minutes today thinking about your business plan.  Get your key goals written down, review it regularly and see the difference it makes.  Drop me an email if you'd like a copy of the one page business plan.

Take a look at "How to create and successfully implement your business plan"

Image courtesy of [pat138241] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Live Below The Line - the experience

Well, it's been an interesting experience and one I'll certainly be happy to repeat next year.

I'm glad I'd created my checklists and menu planner - simple but effective.  It made things a lot easier working out what I could and couldn't eat and how much budget I had left each day.  Next time - with more notice, more thought and more planning, it will be even easier.

My week's menu was simple.  Plenty of brown rice and porridge as staples each day.

I didn't feel deprived - just grateful and appreciative (and perhaps a little hungry).  The main difference was the quantity and variety of what I was eating.

It places the emphasis back on food for survival and nourishment rather than something we stuff in our faces with no thought as to what it is we're actually eating.  Getting back to basics not aimless consuming of unnecessary calories.

I did miss fruit and veg, although grateful that I was able to pick fresh veg from the garden at a fraction of the cost of buying it - purple sprouting broccoli and chard.  A lesson for next year.

I didn't want to compromise my usual buying patterns by switching to cheaper, lower quality or overly processed food - I still had free range eggs.

Next time I'll buy more in bulk and be more selective, so the unit price is less each day.  Those pennies make all the difference.

It wasn't that tough - despite many people saying it wasn't something they could possibly do themselves.  It's only five days!  It's not like a diet that people attempt for weeks on end.

It's far tougher for the millions of people in other parts of the world who experience real hunger and poverty on a daily basis.  It's not too late to support the challenge - you can make your contribution here.

You can do it too - if you plan and organise your store cupboard and menu ahead of time and think carefully of what you're buying.

You can also support other communities around the world through Kiva - join today and get $25 free.

Living Below the Line - halfway

Days 1-3: Well snacks are certainly out and after the first day, it made me realise just how much 'grazing' I do - my freshly made mid-morning coffee, popping down to make a cup of tea or have a soft drink between clients or the occasional treat.

When I'm feeling a bit peckish I'll pop down for a slice of toast, a piece of fruit or a snack but that's out of the question this week, as it easily adds up and can blow the day's budget in one go.  So without those I'm feeling hungry by meal time.

I've been measuring everything out - just to make sure I'm sticking to portion sizes, which makes it much easier to stick to the day's budget.  It's too easy to throw in an extra handful when you're not focused on quantities and price.

Buying in bulk helps - larger packs work out cheaper per unit (although do check prices, it's not always the case - supermarkets are sneaky like that!). 

Buy things when they're on offer, at or near their sell-buy date - you can save at least 50% on goods you normally buy, but watch those tempting offers on things you don't really need.

Plan your menu - tot up the cost for each day, so you know how much you can spend on breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a few pennies for drinks and snacks each day.

Protein is a challenge - meat is very expensive when you're limited to £1 a day and pretty much out this week.

(Photo credit: demandaj)

Top 5 frustrations of running a small business

Based on personal experience and observations of businesses I've worked with.

Marketing - I know I struggled when I first started, never having done it before. I've done a huge amount, learnt a lot along the way, although still a way to go and new things to learn all the time. I still see many small businesses who don't know how to market, where to start or even why they need to do it (yes, really)!

Finances - not just the basics of knowing and keeping track of what comes in and what goes out but also what makes business sense and knowing what to charge. New businesses I work with often seem to think that if they're cheaper than everyone else - they'll get the business, not always the case. Finance also includes getting paid on time or knowing how and when to chase.

Jack of all trades - having to or trying to do everything. Especially in the early stages or when you feel you can't afford staff or to outsource. You're juggling the marketing, PR, accounts, admin, selling, working with clients and customers or producing your product/service, coming up with new ideas, running the business day to day, social media ...

Which leads on to -

Staff/Employees - when to hire and fire. Getting the right staff on board - either permanent, full-time, part-time, outsourced or freelance and what to do when it goes wrong or things aren't working quite as you want.

Time - not having enough time to get everything done or not using it in the most efficient and productive way. Wasting time on things that aren't going to benefit their business. Getting distracted by everything and everyone. Not understanding the value of their time and where it can be most productively (and profitably) spent.

The impact running your own business has on your work/life balance - do you really want to spend all your evenings and weekends on your business. How much time it takes to get a business going - getting out there, building your reputation, finding clients, creating a good structure, the right processes for a successful business.

What are your frustrations when running your business?

Live Below the Line - can you survive on £1 a day?

This week 1000s of people are accepting the challenge to live on just £1 per day.

I only became aware of this at the weekend but decided to join the challenge and see just how feasible it is.

Well, it's going to be tough.  After a quick calculation of store cupboard essentials and what I was eating last week, some items are definitely going to be out.  Even a simple orange works out at 30p, nearly a third of the day's allowance.

It means no cafe latte's and definitely no treats.  Although I've worked out that I might be able to manage the occasional home brewed coffee and will be drinking more water (free) to replace the more expensive (relatively) teas and coffees I drink on an almost daily basis.

I'm not going to resort to basic/value ranges to keep the cost down.  I want to become more aware of just how much my daily food bill is costing and what I'm eating.

I've not shopped specifically for this challenge to get the very cheapest unit price, which could have saved a few valuable pennies here and there but I've taken what I've already got and picked up a few items on offer to keep the cost down.

May aim is to eat healthy, balanced meals - waste less, eat less and see just how much we take for granted.

So far porridge, brown rice and eggs are likely to feature quite frequently on the menu.

Please support me in my challenge and help raise funds for Practical Action at me/clareevans

Related articles:

• Live Below the Line

Rice with peas (Photo credit: pelican)

Brighton Summit - The Pleasure Hour

The first ever Brighton Summit took place on Friday 19th April and what a great event it was.  The theme was "Doing business in a city built for pleasure".

Different from many business events with a varied and inspiring selection of speakers and different panels and sessions for people to get involved in, as well as the opportunity to network.

Just before lunch was The Pleasure Hour.  The opportunity to do something a little different for an hour.  There was a choice of: joining a choir, chocolate making, a walking tour, gaming, visit a secret garden and meditation.

OK, so I didn't opt for something completely different but it was the 'secret' element that attracted me as well as the opportunity to get out into the fresh air for an hour.

The forecasted showers hadn't appeared and a short walk from the Clarendon Centre is The Garden House. An amazing and delightful garden set behind a terrace of houses, complete with chickens, a vegetable patch and a wonderful garden room (ideal for workshops).

There's no better way to spend an hour and take a complete break from the busyness of business.  Something that can be applied back in the workplace - whether in the office or at home.

We all felt refreshed and revived returning for the afternoon sessions - a very appropriate adjunct to the work life balance aspect of my own talk.  A reminder that an hour's break out in nature can give you a physical and mental boost and reduce stress.

So, make the most of the sunshine, as and when it appears.