Barbara Cox, founder of BC Nutrition, discusses her DYNAMIC way to better wellbeing at the Fuel & Perform event at Club Hub in Poole, back in 2019. She gave seven key points to instil a healthy body and mind and maintain optimum energy levels, while also reducing stress. Because, as Barbara says, “if you feel dynamic, you will be dynamic.”
Here are your DYNAMIC wellbeing habits:
D is for Dehydration
“It’s so, so important to stay hydrated. You only have to be 2.5% dehydrated for your performance to drop 30%—that is massive! I aim for 1.5 litres of water a day, as everyone should be. If you don’t drink enough water, you won’t sweat effectively, and sweating is a natural part of the body trying to get rid of toxins.”
Y is for Why?
“Everyone different reasons for why they want to be healthy. You need to decide what yours is and have that as your driver. Because when things come out of left and right, if you don’t have a strong why, it’s too easy to have a brownie every single day. The best way to have a strong why is to be smart and make smart decisions. Be really specific around your why and your goal, because once you focus on that specific goal, it makes it so much easier to delegate or say no. You also want that goal to be measurable—gauge what your energy levels are, and if they’re a 4/10 decide you want to get them up to a seven or an eight. Make it your goal to wake up effervescent every single day.”
N is for Nutrition
“When you fuel your body in a particular way, you are going to be able to perform and enable yourself to achieve the best life you want for yourself. That is so rewarding. And there are nine foods that I want you to eat regularly:
- Shiitake mushrooms—naturally high in vitamin D, a feel good energy boost
- Blueberries—the ultimate brain food and packed with antioxidants
- Watermelon—really good for hydration and can bring your blood pressure down
- Lentils—complete protein that contain the nine essential amino acids
- Mango—an ultimate food booster; the components of mango are used in Prozac!
- Fennel—has a prebiotics and probiotics, excellent for your gut health
- Mustard cress—bursting with minerals and contains prebiotics
- Orange—your body doesn’t make its own vitamin C, so you have to eat it daily
- Seaweed—full of iron, iodine, vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre”
A is for Alcohol
“I have an 80/20 rule—80 precent good stuff and 20 percent indulging in the not so good stuff. And if alcohol goes into your 20 percent, that’s fine; but if there are situations when you want to be dynamic, you need to ask yourself whether alcohol is serving you at this time or not. I can say categorically that if you want to fuel and perform at 10/10, then leave this for another time. Not only is it super dehydrating, it messes up your brain and lowers your immune system.”
M is for Mental Health
“It is more and more acceptable now for us to look at our mental health without fear of being judged. And this was missing many years ago—we felt we were being judged if we didn’t perform at 10/10 or if we had problems that were affecting our mental health. It’s still very difficult for some to talk about. But everyone is different and unique, both mentally and physically, and it’s about us being accepting of ourselves and others but also, if you feel you have a problem, you need to share it, as well as being open to receiving help.”
I is for Impactful Improvements
“You need to be accountable for your goals. You need to have a daily plan—what are you going to do? What are the most impactful plans? Because we’re all busy people so there’s no point in putting an activity in place that isn’t going to move you forward. And there are lots of thing people do every day that don’t move them forward. So make sure if you have a big goal, you’re gravitated towards it. Because when that goal is meaningful, you’re more likely to do it.”
C is for Consistency
“Consistent, small, daily habits will lead to you being dynamic. This is the key to everything. Drinking those 1.5 litres of water a day, having those superfoods, taking care of your mental health—these are micro habits you can do every single day that will help feel fantastic, look fantastic, build your resilience and catapult you towards your goals.”
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