How exercise and healthy eating can help to ease your grief
by Lewis Saunderson
• Published 27/08/2020
Grieving for a loved one is already hard enough that you might think exercising and eating right is too hard for you at the moment, but it can help you tremendously - physically and mentally.
There are no shortcuts through grief
Whilst grieving, making shortcuts for yourself to make things easier will seem the right decision. These shortcuts are takeaways and microwave meals. A lot of people comfort eat as well, especially whilst grieving. You do not want to go down this path. Snacks with high sugar, salt and calories might fill a temporary hunger hole but it will never stop the sadness you’re going through.
You are what you eat
It is true what they say ‘you are what you eat’. If you eat bad food, you feel bad. If you eat well, you feel better. Processed foods make you feel sluggish, lethargic which only adds to the sadness you’re feeling right now.
How to eat healthy easily
Whilst grieving even the small tasks might seem overwhelming, so here are some tips to it easier:
Plan what you’re going to eat each day before you do a food shop so you know what to buy and you won’t spend money on unnecessary items – this results in having less junk food in.
Try to make cooking fun. Put your favourite music on, sing along, have a dance even and make the task of cooking enjoyable.
Batch cook, so you can put some in Tupperware, freeze and save for later.
Cut back on sugary, high caffeinated and alcoholic drinks. These drinks will give you a quick energy burst but after a long sugar crash. These make you feel even more tired and rundown than before. Alcohol is a depressant drink, you should never drink alcohol when you’re down. It only makes it worse
If you don’t know many healthy meals or want more ideas then visit the Tasty website. They have thousands of recipes and how-to videos.
Exercising through grief
Exercise is known to have positive effects on us both physically and mentally. This is so important whilst you’re grieving. Here are several ways it benefits us:
Reduces stress – Losing a loved one can be an extremely stressful time, you might have a funeral to plan and a million other things to sort out. Exercise can be an escape for this.
Increases energy levels and improves sleep – Those sleepless nights after losing someone close is so hard. Exercising will help this. It increases your energy levels throughout the day and then helps you sleep on the night as you’re tired from working out.
Increases mood – Exercise releases endorphins (happy hormones) which lifts your mood.
Increased self-esteem – Exercising will help your body be in better shape and therefore increases your self-esteem, making you feel good.
You don’t have to be a gym bunny for exercise to help with grieving, going for a walk can do wonders, swimming, dancing (around the kitchen whilst cooking!), in fact anything that gets you active will be beneficial.
Joe Wicks has some popular home exercises for all ages and strengths. Check out his YouTube channel for more. Some might find yoga therapeutic and a temporary escape from the sadness they’re feeling from grief. Here's a video to get you started with some breathing exercises and meditation:
We hope this helps motivate you during this hard time which will help you lead to a happier, healthier life. Making small changes will make a big difference both physically and mentally.
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