We are often living in a reactive mode in many areas of our lives – fighting fires as they flare, and surviving from day to day, rather than being proactive and planning ahead. The Hintsa model takes a preventive and proactive approach to health and wellbeing. Addressing issues early allows you to maintain optimal health throughout your life.

For over 20 years, Hintsa Performance has been perfecting its science-based methods in the most challenging business and sports environments. The company’s clients range from Formula 1 champions to Fortune 500 CEOs, executive teams and business professionals world-wide. Hintsa’s personnel in Geneva, Zürich, London, Dubai and Helsinki all share a common goal: to help you reach sustainable high performance by living a healthy and balanced life.

So, if you’re tired of home-cooked meals, have perfected your remote working habits, de-cluttered your homes and are settled into your daily youtube yoga classes – what else can you do for your wellbeing?

I met with Nora Rosendahl, Chief Operating Officer of Hintsa Performance, and asked her for tips – something different, perhaps surprising, on how to thrive through uncertainty and crisis, along the elements of Hintsa’s Circle of Better Life.

“I’m with you – at least so far 2021 feels very similar to 2020, and it’s getting monotonous. So when the world around us doesn’t change, we need to mix it up ourselves. Here are six tips for spicing up your well-being routine in 2021:

Nutrition & General Health: Try “a month of less”

As a society we tend to always do more: more tasks, more projects, more priorities. But here’s a simple fact: less is liberating. So to remind ourselves, my husband and I do full months free of something. E.g. last year we did a month of alcohol-free, one meat-free, one caffeine-free, one sugar-free. Usually, the first week is miserable (especially with caffeine, jeez). But then, quite quickly, you adjust. You find substitutes. You forget, and you move on. And your body thanks you. Could you go a month free of one food element to boost your wellbeing?

Sleep & Recovery: Go from passive to active relaxation

One company that’s doing well in lockdown is Netflix. It’s just so easy to close down the laptop, crash on the couch, and play the next episode of Marcella. But did you know that’s passive relaxation, which isn’t high-quality recovery? Here’s an alternative: do some form of active relaxation that engages your mind – like drawing, building with lego blocks, playing boardgames, doing crosswords or puzzles. For example, inspired by The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix (and to cut down on Netflix) my husband and I have taken out our chess board and play in the evening. (Yes, our marriage is still fine, but that’s mostly because I’m still winning.)

Physical Activity: 7-minute workout breaks 

Remote workdays can feel like one long stretch of Zoom-meetings. I admit, I’m rubbish at taking breaks during the day. Pomodoro – never worked. Scheduled breaks – forget it. Spontaneous breaks – are you kidding? So I’m surprised and pleased to have found one thing that works: super-short workout breaks. Short, high-intensity, as-many-reps-as-possible workouts timed to perfection: I can fit in a workout, a shower, and a change of clothes in 15 minutes between calls (try Nike Training App’s Benchmark exercises, no affiliation). My brain gets a rest, and I feel productive.

Biomechanics: Counteract the “banana-bend”

One of our Performance Coaches gave this top tip for biomechanics. We spend so much time sitting in front of screens that our body gets a bias for forward motion. Basically, we bend like a banana. Counteracting the forward bend takes less than 30 seconds (try it while you read this!): stretch your arms and head upwards, backwards, downwards, and to the sides. Done!

Mental Energy: 10-minute free-writing

I have recently realized that remote work is great for productivity, and terrible for creativity. So creative micro-boosts are my new thing. Here’s a brilliant practice I’ve recently taken up: 10-min free-writing. Shut off all distractions, open a new Word file, set an alarm for 10 minutes, and just start writing (or drawing!) – no edits, no judgment. This gives me a first draft, and it’s surprising how much can be put to paper in a mere 600 seconds.

Core: Don’t put your life on pause

The other day, my 4-year-old asked to go to a kids adventure park and I had to tell her it’s closed because of Covid. She responded: “Okay mommy. When Covid ends, then we’ll play and have fun again.” When a kid says it, it’s sort of funny. But I think that’s how many of us adults feel, too. There’s significant lockdown fatigue – I feel it too. But there’s also some glorification of the end of lockdown: “When lockdown ends, then I will …”. You get the sense that life is on pause. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming about the end of lockdown. But we can’t control that. So instead of just focusing on what you’ll do then, what’s one thing you can do now? Lively night life may be on hold, but life is not on hold.