In any situation it is necessary to take steps to protect your health, but with the onset of COVID-19 and the fact that we already in the grip of severe winter weather in many areas as flu season approaches, it is time to step up your game. Without being over dramatic, your life and the lives of your loved ones may depend upon it. With the continuation of lockdowns, many people have in fact managed to improve their sleep patterns, diet and exercise regimes.

As a dad, we struggle with balancing the demands of family life with the need to be the example to our kids of the need to stay physically active and control the onset of our dad bods, as well as maintaining our mental health.  Studies have shown that 3.2% of U.S. children had poor physical health; and 6.0% of U.S. children had emotional or behavioral problems. The adjusted odds of having poor overall health was 3.1 times higher among children of fathers with poor overall health. Children of fathers with poor mental health had 2.6 times higher adjusted odds of having poor mental health.

As such, dads play a huge role in the physical and mental well-being of children. If you take this opportunity to involve yourself in a healthful regime and engage with your kids in this process, there is a great opportunity to prevent or reduce their mental, physical and emotional health problems, and get on front of family health problems.

Think About What You Are Projecting When You Speak 

When the going gets tough, it is easy to misspeak or talk from a perspective of stress, hurt or pain. This is usually when you do not express yourself neutrally, leading to friction and arguments. There is an old adage “if you can’t say something nice, don’t, say anything at all” – moments like these are a great time to apply that rule and think positively.

Try to imagine positive thinking as a type of emp shielding – think of negativity as damaging electromagnetic pulses,  and that your mindset balance as a fragile electrical circuit. The negativity will cause a horrible over-voltage spike that will quickly burn out your circuitry, unless you use your positive thinking as a shield.

Access Your Ability To Forgive

There is a lot of anger around these days, and it is expressed openly and very often, with aggression. Seeing these individuals (many of which are supposed to be leading us with unity) venting hateful, egocentric and destructive messages on twitter is frustrating, and upsetting. Even the most forgiving among us feel like we would like to take them down peg or two.  

Whilst it is difficult to forget what they say, forgiveness is like safe access matting to provide safe passage over unstable ground to a more balanced state of mind. You are in control of your own thoughts and emotions rather than focusing on wanting to punish unreasonable behavior. If project calm, that is what will ultimately prevail. Give it a try!

Take A Walk 

It is said that walking is akin to mediation, and in fact it is a great way to be mindful - Vietnamese meditation master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that is you take a 10 minutes walk you should imagine that we “print peace, serenity and happiness on the ground”. Even if you find quiet contemplation difficult, the benefits of a brisk walk are well-known

• Lighten Your Mood

• Lose Weight

• Strengthen Muscles

• Improve Sleep

• Support Your Joints

In regard to mental benefits, studies show that walking improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality, and it reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. Physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed, and staying active helps those who are depressed recover more quickly. Even if you have foot issues, and use Orthera custom orthotics for foot pain, walking is a low impact exercise that needs little or no equipment.

We hope that you find these easy-to-follow health tips to be useful – give them a try, and let us know how you get on.