PART II
#6 You skip breakfast. Another no brainer. And I’m surprised how many people do it! You need fuel, and if you skip, you’ll feel sluggish. I disagree with the whole grain recommendations…That’s because I am sold on the work in THE WHEAT BELLY DIET BY DAVIS and GRAIN BRAIN BY PEARL MUTTER. Both doctors suggest eliminating grains in the a.m. Actually they suggest eliminating grains altogether as a trial to see how much better you feel. Try protein and healthy fat. Maybe a smoothie with protein powder if you are in a RUSH. Over the years, I’ve found that many people take better care of their cars than of their bodies! Just guessing, but I imagine you wouldn’t pour coffee and sugar into an empty gas tank and expect to be able to drive to work?! Think about it! If you don’t eat right your energy will be burned! Goodson says it’s kickstarting your metabolism.
#7 You live on junk food. PLEASE! I hope we all get this by now and that the ONLY time you have junk food is when there is absolutely NO OPTION. Even that can be prevented if you carry a healthy energy bar with you! Junk food elevates your blood sugar, then drops it! So it’s a constant up and down all day and it’s exhausting. If you are truly a junk food junkie, get on line and find simple healthy meal recommendations as well as healthy snacks you’ll eat consistently.
#8 You have trouble saying ‘no’ Well, I have a chapter in each of my books devoted to saying NO. So if you want to read in detail, look at RELEASE FROM POWERLESSNESS: TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE. AND YOUR PERSONAL STRESS ANALYSIS. AND WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? MAYBE NOT THAT MUCH? Taking care of others before yourself is one of the most exhausting things you can do. It takes up too much of your life to keep saying yes; and you eventually build truck loads of resentment AND anger which is totally fatiguing. Susan Albers has a book titled UNLOCK THE WEIGHT-LOSS POWER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE in which she discusses these concepts. I’m not familiar with the book, but love the title!
#9 You have a messy office… hummmm. This one I do need to pay attention to! I have stacks on my desk. And I know I take up too much time sorting through the piles when I need to find things. Then I might typically follow up by giving myself a hard time for not sitting down and sorting through everything more often. A Princeton University study says that if you clear and organize your desk at the end of the day, you will have a more positive start to the next day. I may give this one a try and see if it really makes a difference in my energy! I would also suggest you expand this idea to other areas of your life — is it hard to find things in your closet? Other areas of your home? Car? Office at work? Are your car keys buried in a pile of files you brought home, your handbag/briefcase, other miscellaneous things all mixed up together? Seeing clean surfaces, anywhere in your space, is energizing!
#10 You work through vacation. My last blog was questioning if you really took Labor Day OFF. Zero true down time leads to burn out. And vacation is RESTFUL. But not if you are constantly drawn to your phone, or tablet or the computer you couldn’t leave at home. Pay attention to how MUCH attention you give to all these devices. If you are addicted to the “ding” that tells you there’s a message, you aren’t going to truly relax. Test yourself for the capability to unplug BEFORE you leave for vacation. It will give you an idea of how difficult it is for you. I’ve found some people actually get sick on vacation. IF that happens to you, for goodness sake pay attention. That just could be your body being smart and forcing you to lie down! And if the only way your body can get you to rest, believe me when I say that eventually that’s what will happen…..you will get sick on vacation.
#11 You have a glass of wine (or two) before bed. Alcohol does relax you BECAUSE it depresses the central nervous system. It later, when you are sound asleep, has a rebound effect — a surge in the adrenaline system. You wake up in the middle of the night. Dr. Allen Towfigh, director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine in NYC says give it a rest three to four hours before bedtime.
#12 You check emails at bedtime. Actually ANY lights firing in your bedroom will throw off your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Dr. Towfigh says it suppresses melatonin. And hopefully you don’t watch the NEWS before going to bed. Those images register in your brain! And the content is typically significantly stressful as well. Keep all devices away from your bedroom. And stop using phones, computers, television around two hours before going to sleep.
#13 You rely on caffeine to get through the day. Caffeine intake is controversial! But the morning cup of coffee is pretty much guaranteed by most docs as an ok start to the morning. The issue is how much and how far into the day you continue the consumption. Most recommendations are to stop by noon. And further recommendations are a max of three cups. Pay close attention to your own system. But the deadline of around lunch is important because according to Dr. Towfigh, caffeine can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle. Caffeine blocks adenosine, the byproduct of active cells that drives you to sleep as it accumulates. And even if you feel you are within that three cup limit, read labels to see where caffeine may be “hiding.” I once saw a client who had coffee toxicity …. he was drinking at least 10 cups of coffee a day; and beyond that several cokes which had both lots of caffeine AND sugar. His entire system was thrown off center: couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus, couldn’t calm down at all. It took several weeks to slowly phase him off the amounts he was consuming and even longer to get his body back in some level of normal functioning.
#14 You stay up late on weekends. Going out and having a good time is not the problem. The issue is sleeping in the next morning. That throws your sleep cycle off. So make an effort to get up at your normal time. Then take a nap in the afternoon. Power nap times vary from person to person, so test your best time. 20 minutes is recommended by Dr. Towfigh and most other sleep experts. Regardless you may find you need more or less. But if you sleep TOO long when napping you’ll naturally have trouble getting to sleep on Sunday night and start the day — On Monday — off center… and guess what? Tired!
IF you do all 14 of these things, call me! Seriously, if you have several, do some self examination and try to make some healthy changes. You deserve it.