How exercising regularly could benefit your sleep
Ever noticed you tend to sleep better when you’re more in the groove with your fitness regime?
A new long-term study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that regularly exercising twice a week or more significantly cuts the risk of insomnia.
People who do regular exercise were 42% less likely to have difficulty falling asleep than those who were inactive, and 22% less likely to report symptoms of insomnia, according to the research.
Here are a few tips to help you get into a regular routine...
SET SHORT-TERM GOALS
“Setting short-term goals can act as a stepping stone to help you reach your target,” suggests
Olly Banks, personal trainer at Fitness First.
“Whether it’s something simple like turning up to a set amount of workouts in a week, or just staying consistent with your nutrition, short-term goals help make positive steps towards the bigger picture.”
SET REALISTIC TARGETS
“The worst thing you can do is set a goal that is too ambitious,” says Martyn Oakey, head of fitness at Everlast Gyms, part of Sports Direct. “Set an attainable fitness goal, something that you can work towards that can keep you motivated.”
WORK-OUT WITH A FRIEND
Penny Weston, a fitness and wellness expert and director of Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat, says: “Keeping exercise fun and consistent is key: for many people, making it a part of your social life is the way to achieve this.
“Often, we are subconsciously looking for an excuse not to do a workout and will find plenty of other things to do instead, but if you know you’ve scheduled it with a friend, you are more likely to attend as you do not want to let them down.”
DIVERSIFY YOUR WORKOUTS
To prevent boredom and hitting a plateau in your fitness journey, try mixing up your workouts with different cardio, strength training and flexibility routines, or explore new classes and bootcamps. Martyn adds: “There are hundreds of workout trends online that can transform your current workouts into something fresh and exciting.”
Olly says: “If you set a short-term goal and stick to it, acknowledge and celebrate this, just as much as you would acknowledge when you’ve slipped up.
“We often forget we need to reward ourselves when we reach a goal, instead of just setting another one straight away and forgetting that success.”
You could motivate yourself with some physical rewards.
Martyn adds: “It’s no secret that buying new sports gear can add a new layer of excitement for working out. So why not set a goal, and once completed, treat yourself to a new pair of running trainers or workout gear?”
WORK-OUT AT HOME
You don’t always need to get to the gym or a class for a workout. Experts say you can achieve excellent results at home using just your body weight.
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CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES
JOE WICKS is obviously a big fan of exercise. But if he doesn’t get it done first thing in the morning, even he’ll start making up excuses.
“What I found about myself is that if I don’t do it straight away when I wake up, excuses come in. I’ll have dinner or a bit of chocolate, and I can’t be bothered,” says Joe, aka ‘The Body Coach’ – who gained a whole new audience when he started streaming free ‘PE with Joe’ workouts for kids and families during lockdown.
“So I’ve got to do it in the morning, and that really sets me up for a much more positive day.”
When his children – Indie, five, Marley, four, and Leni, 18 months (Joe and his wife Rosie are also expecting their fourth child this summer) – allow him to get a good night’s sleep, the 38-year-old tries to be up at 6am to complete a 30-minute workout before making breakfast for the family.
He’s a big fan of high-intensity and bodyweight workouts, like pull-ups, press-ups and squats, but also loves to go cycling and on long walks around Richmond Park, near his south-west London home.
“I also love going in ice baths or having a cold shower, even if it’s for 30 seconds, it releases a bit of dopamine in my mind, it’s great for the skin and also energises me,” says the fitness guru and author, whose books include Lean In 15 and Feel Good Food.
Joe has now teamed up with Aviva health insurance and fitness tracking app Strava on their #MoveWithAviva campaign – encouraging the nation to partake in at least 10 minutes of activity a day throughout April to support their health and wellbeing. This could be going for a run, doing a quick workout, or even doing some gardening or a gentle mindfulness exercise.
Embracing short bursts of activity is right up Joe’s street, because as a parent he says he doesn’t really want to be training for hours.
“My three kids have just absorbed everything,” says Joe, adding that he wants to be around for things like story time and bath time. Being active is part of their family life, too.
“We do fun stuff in the garden, play ‘stuck in the mud’, hide and seek, go for bike rides, and I’ve even got some boxing pads and gloves we can use,” Joe says.
“It’s important to teach our children
Fitness guru that exercise can be a wonderful and fun thing. I can physically see how it calms them down. I even get them involved in the kitchen when I’m cooking different recipes. What’s more important as a life skill than teaching your children how to cook? You are setting them up for a healthy future.”
He says being active doesn’t have to be complicated.
“The campaign is really about self-belief and doing the small things that will have a big impact,” says Joe. “Fitness should be accessible and doesn’t need to be intense or feel like a punishment. Doing exercise for 10 minutes a day can be fun. It’s a tool that can help you release stress and pressures on your body, and boost your mood and energy, it’s so powerful.
“Your fitness goals shouldn’t be so focused on body image, losing inches and the scales – that doesn’t motivate you enough. Focus on trying to get fitter and building strength, especially now that it is warmer and getting lighter in the evenings.”
■ For details about Joe’s campaign, visit aviva.co.uk/movewithaviva