The busier and more stressed we all get, the more likely we are to become overweight and underexercised. Okay maybe underexercised isn’t even a word, but you get the idea.
Isn’t it ironic that we all spend most of our waking hours chasing after money, because we think it’s going to lead to happiness and contentment, when the reality is we give up most of our happiness for the sake of a buck?
Parts of our stressful lifestyles are unavoidable. We have to work, we have to keep up with our daily commitments, and in adddition to all that – we have to figure out a way to take care of our bodies. Here are five tips that will really help you feel better as you scramble through your day to day routines:
1. Make Your Sleeping Time Count
What do I mean by that? Well, what percentage of the time do you find yourself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep because you can’t shut your brain off? Over and over your commitments and deadlines run through your head, keeping you awake. You probably dream about them too. You know what? You can avoid that. All you have to do is give your brain a chance to relax before you go to bed. Here are a couple good strategies for doing that:
a. At night, after you’ve brushed your teeth and gotten completely ready for bed, sit in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and just breathe. Sounds weird right? Well, it works. Focus on your breathing. Let your stomach rise as you breathe in and fall as you breathe out. Really concentrate on the movement of your stomach as you breathe, and let your mind go blank. Soon, you’ll feel relaxed and sleepy, and when you crawl into bed you’ll drift away much more quickly.
b. In addition to, or instead of, the breathing exercises, do some light stretching before you go to bed at night. Have you heard of “Restless Leg Syndrome”? People with RLS aren’t suffering from anything except stress and tension, and they could solve it by doing some good breathing and stretching before they crawled in at night. After you stretch you’ll feel much more relaxed and you’ll sleep more easily and more deeply. End result? A more-rested feeling when you wake up in the morning.
2. Eat Smaller Portions
This may seem strange, something better suited for an article about weight loss. Smaller portion sizes have more benefits than a shrinking waste line. Haven’t you ever come back to the office after a huge meal feeling completely lethargic and sleepy? If you can discipline yourself to only eat about half the food they bring you at a restaurant, you’re going to feel much more energized for your afternoon of work. Soon you’ll probably need a smaller pants size as well!
3. Avoid Caffeine
I don’t think most people understand the powerful negative consequences of caffeine consumption. It accelerates your heart rate, which is unhealthy when experienced over long periods of time. It’s also a diarrhetic, which means it makes you spend much more time in the bathroom than necessary. It will also keep you awake at night; the idea that “your body adjusts, and the caffeine doesn’t affect you” is just a myth. Of course it affects you. When you cut the caffeine out of your life you’ll feel an immediate energy boost and a decrease in anxiety. Not to mention the improved quality of your sleep.
These are only three tips; I’m sure there are many more. If you can implement just these three things, you’ll feel better, be more productive, and enjoy life more!