Looking after your physical health worksheet Whārangi mahi mō te tiaki i tō hauora ā-tinana

This content has been developed in association with the Institute of Organisational Psychology.

Fill it in at the end of the day, making brief notes about anything that might be important. If you’re trying hard to look after yourself but struggling, see if you can find any patterns.

For example, if you can’t sleep, is it because you’re exercising too close to bedtime? If you’re not eating well some days, are those the days that you’re having lunch with people who grab fast food? 

You can use the worksheet to: 

• start a new habit. Habits take 14 days to develop. 
• keep track of your current behaviour and see where you can improve. 

How much sleep did you have last night? 

Aim to sleep about 7 hours a night in summer and 9 hours in winter. 

Did you eat well today? 

Aim to eat a variety of food, mostly unprocessed, and plenty of fruit and vegetables. 

Did you exercise today?  

Aim to: 

• do low-level exercise every day 
• do harder exercise for 20 minutes, two to three times a week 
• do some lifting. 

You don’t have to work on all three things – sleep, food and exercise – at once. If you want to, great! But if three things feels overwhelming, pick one thing to focus on and leave the other two until you’re ready.