1Life Blog

For many, 1Life is the place you go to take your children swimming or attend your favourite exercise class, go to the gym or even play sport.  Since the end of March 1Life closed its doors, emptied the pools and said “goodbye; for now” to members, staff and customers as we entered into this period of social distancing.  However, despite the clubs and centres being closed, 1Life has been busy behind the scenes doing what it can to support not only its members but communities up and down the country as well. 

The UK has now been socially distancing for more than six weeks.  This means six weeks of having to completely change, overhaul and modify everyday, normal life.  Many families are trying to juggle home schooling with full or part time work, whilst others have been furloughed and can’t work or have to simply stay at home and self-isolate; whichever camp you’re in, life is tough. 

Well it’s safe to say that I don’t think any of us expected this did we? For a large chunk of the population, regular habits and routines will have dramatically changed over the past few weeks. Whilst the reasons for being on lockdown are certainly the right ones, finding ourselves in this situation may have an impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. I hope you find the following five practical tips helpful in maintaining and improving both areas of your wellbeing.

For many parents, the first week of the social distancing measures was ok. You embraced daily, family walks, combined some home schooling with outdoor learning and enjoyed cooking and baking together.  But as we look set to head into more weeks of social distancing, many of us will be struggling to come up with new and innovative ideas to keep everyone entertained and happy.   

Swimming has long been recognised as an enjoyable form of exercise, suitable for all ages and fitness levels, but a recent study by Swim England has highlighted just how incredible the health benefits of swimming are, which is helping to save the NHS an impressive £357 million a year. 

The majority of us overlook flexibility exercises in our workouts in favour of cardio or strength training, but with proven health benefits such as increased freedom of movement as well as having a calming effect on the mind, it’s time to wise up to this type of exercise. Increased flexibility has a knock-on effect in our day-today lives from reducing the likelihood of injury to increased independence as we age – something not to be sniffed at.

With your diet and fitness in check, you’re well on your way to getting the most out of life during your senior years. Remembering all the other aspects involved in living a healthy lifestyle can be a bit of a juggling act but here we’ve listed some top tips for ageing healthily to make sure you continue to live life to the full.

Joining a gym can be a daunting experience, especially if you’ve never stepped foot in one before, but it really doesn’t need to be. Contrary to what you might think, they’re not full of body-beautiful individuals, dressed head to toe in lycra - just normal people working towards a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some top tips to ensure you choose the right gym for you and what you can expect from your first visit.

If exercise classes and working out in a gym don’t appeal to you, there are other great ways to boost your physical activity – golf being one of them. Golf is not only great fun, research shows it also offers a wide range of physical benefits, such as improving strength, flexibility and endurance, as well as having a positive impact on your mental well-being. A game of golf can help players exceed the recommended government guidelines for physical activity and one study has shown players can burn over 500 calories over 18 holes. So grab your clubs and get out in the fresh air, just make sure you avoid the temptation of the 19th hole!

We all know that healthy eating and regular exercise are the foundations for good health, yet in the UK over 50% of adults are either overweight or obese. Research shows that to achieve the best long-term results healthy eating and regular exercise should be combined. If you’re working out five times a week but living on processed foods and takeaways the rest of the time, you’re not only limiting the benefit of the exercise when it comes to weight management, you could also be putting your body under unnecessary stress by not fuelling it properly.