Wellness for the Workplace: Part 3
Starting each day on your own terms makes all the difference
Own your day! Start the first hour of each day with a positive, foundational routine and you will see the improvements almost immediately. More energy, higher brain clarity, better decision making, and lower stress levels are a few of the benefits. To understand what I am referring to, let’s begin with some harmful DO NOT actions upon awakening:
Lie in bed half awake or use the snooze alarm
Reach for your mobile phone and/or read email
Turn on the television, especially the news
Consume refined carbohydrates (Bread, bagel, waffle, croissant, breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, fruit juices, sugar, milk, etc.)
Make yourself a coffee with sugar and/or milk (see bullet above)
Do Not let the day own you…..
These actions in the first hour of the day will most likely result in lower energy levels, a negative mindset, and higher stress levels to start YOUR day.
Now, let’s take control of YOUR day in hour 1 with the alternative list - DO:
Hydrate immediately with water; water with lemon/salt or with apple cider vinegar is also excellent
Eat protein and healthy fats or do not eat at all (e.g. intermittent fasting)
Meditate for at least 10 minutes (upright seated position preferably) with positive affirmations about yourself
Exercise or perform dynamic stretching to get the blood flowing
Bask in the sunlight 5 to 10 minutes (or take Vitamin D supplement)
Tend to family, friends and pets with focused attention
Journal or make a list of the items to work on that bring you the most value (and not necessarily the easy items first). The opposite may actually work better i.e. work on the harder items first that bring you the most value towards your overall vision!
The DO list could be the subject of an entire series of books, but I want to focus on the benefits of meditation and exercise. Meditation is clinically proven to reduce stress, anxiety, improve blood pressure, increase attention span and even enhance sleep levels. Various clinical studies on patients with insomnia showed a 50% improvement* in sleep time when a mindfulness / meditation practice was incorporated into an individual’s daily routine. The reason individuals meditate are numerous and here are a few survey statistics:
Mellow.com Survey
Personally, I own my day by alternately utilizing three mindfulness / meditation tools; Headspace, Calm and Mindvalley’s 6 Phase Approach. Each has their unique style and benefits, so I recommend choosing the one best for YOU!
Exercise in the morning also has a long list of documented benefits including increase in alertness (brain clarity), more energy, better mood, and a supercharged metabolism. And you guessed it, exercise produces enhanced sleep levels, which is the perfect way to electrify your morning routine.
Additionally, exercise contributes to an increased healthspan of 8 to 10 years, which is an added pay off to the short term daily benefits. Check out my earlier article on the 5 keys to living a longer, healthier life titled 10x Return on Investment - Guaranteed.
I own my days by exercising 4 to 5 days a week for a total of 4 to 5 hours using a series of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), strength, cardio, and stretching routines. These varying methods seem to work for my age, DNA type and health span goals. Gather data on yourself and see what methods are best for you.
Remember, you cannot control the news media; you cannot control a co-worker’s emotional email tirade; you cannot control the effects of refined carbohydrates on your body once you consume them. However, you can control how you approach the first hour of each day, so OWN YOUR DAY!
==========Additional Reading=============
Part 1 of this series talks about how to prepare yourself for improved sleep. Part 2 provides insights into data you will need to make good decisions about your sleep and wellness. I hope Part 3 of the journey helps you to now prepare yourself mentally for the first hour of each day to face challenges with customers, co-workers, family, friends, and your own internal mental struggles.
Focus on yourself first and your customers will be thanking you for it again and again.
For more information about the positive impacts of sleep on your wellness, visit SleepMindHeart.com.
* National Center for Biotechnology Information study
