We’ve all been there… it gets to about mid-term-time, and you wake up after a night out to see a run-down, sad and dishevelled face staring back at you in the mirror. You wonder how you have gone from being the lively, hard-working and cheerful version of yourself that arrived in Exeter a few short months ago, to this. Your energy levels are at an all-time-low and getting out of bed seems as impossible as meeting those pre-Xmas deadlines. What’s more, the junk food you’ve been consuming on rainy nights in and ritual Wednesday night pints of cider are just some of toxins that are screaming to be let out of your body. When this cry for help occurs, follow these four easy steps to help you beat the mid-term blues, reboot your system, and get your life back into gear.
1) Sweat it out
Since your skin is the biggest organ in your entire body, it holds a lot of toxins hostage. Sweating is one of the best and easiest ways to release these toxins, and will leave your skin feeling hydrated and healthy. Take yourself to your gym’s sauna or steam room, making sure to exfoliate your skin before and afterwards. If you want to go that extra mile, try Bikram Yoga, (the latest exercise craze rumoured to be one of the secrets behind Andy Murray’s Wimbledon triumph last summer!) Doing yoga in a room heated to 40 degrees may not sound too appealing, but is proven to help your body with everything from sports injuries, to improving digestion, circulation, stress and anxiety, weight loss, blood pressure and metabolism. Getting your body into different twisting positions also naturally detoxes your internal organs, plus that extra flexibility will come in handy on the arena dance-floor!
2) Treat Yourself
Whether you need an excuse for a spa visit or not, there are a huge amount of health benefits of having a deep tissue or full body massage once in a while. Firstly, it releases all of the toxins from your muscles and in doing so cleanses your body of impurities. Massage also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can (believe-it-or-not) help your immune system to function. And if you’ve ever dozed off on a massage table, you don’t need to be convinced that a massage can promote healthy sleep – a number of studies have shown massage stimulates brain waves connected to deep sleep, according to Health magazine. Don’t have the budget for spa treatments? Think again. Lefroy Beauty Salon on Gandy Street offers a 20% student discount so you can enjoy all these benefits for a little less!
[pagebreak]
3) Switch it up
Uninspired by your workout routine? Don’t give up, just switch it up. Take your morning run from the treadmill to the great outdoors of Exeter for some fresh air. Alternatively try out a new class at your gym: Spinning, Zumba, Pilates… there are so many to choose from, all with their own benefits. So whether it’s the added core strength you’re after, or just the extra Endorphins, there will be something suited to you. Most importantly, try to go with friends or housemates – if you agree days and times which you will go, you won’t want to let them down by bailing out, so you will be more likely to stick to your new routine.
4) Make a date with your pillow
When your work load seems to be piling up by the minute and you have other extra-curricular or sporting commitments on top of it all, sleep can seem like a very inconvenient task. Make sure you log in at least an extra hour’s sleep per night. Here are a couple of reasons why: During a phase of sleep called REM sleep, one of the stress-related chemicals in the brain, noradrenalin, is switched off. This is the only time of day or night this happens, and helps us to remain calm while our brains process all the experiences of the day. This helps us come to terms with particularly emotional or stressful events, ensuring we wake up feeling calm and ready to tackle the day. In addition, one of the main things the brain does during a deep sleep is move memories from short-term storage into long-term storage, allowing us more short-term memory space for the next day – helping us concentrate better and be more productive. So… sleep! Eliminate those dark circles under your eyes—and the stress in your life!
Image Credits
pinterest.com
dailymail.com