4 Mistakes That Are Zapping Your Energy
MISTAKE #1: Stressing out.
The number one obstacle zapping our energy is no surprise—it’s stress. Everybody feels it, but very few of us take our stress seriously and understand the threat it has on our health. Living with stress day in and day out puts us on a cortisol roller coaster. And as you can imagine, this wreaks havoc on your energy and your body. But just the way we have a stress response, we also have a relaxation response. Tapping into this can be a powerful tool in training our bodies to handle stress better. Reminder: download a free guided meditation (from You Tube) and add this simple breathing exercise into your daily / weekly life. For example: you can do it when you wake up in the morning, before a meeting, on your way to a doc visit, etc.
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose and hold it. Exhale through your mouth. Again, deep breath in through your nose and hold it. And exhale through your mouth. One more time, take a long, deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. Exhale through your mouth. Let your breath settle and into its natural rhythm, and then open your eyes. I usually do about 5-10 rounds, but you can do it for as long or as little as you need.
Now if you’re like me, sometimes it helps to plan your self-care. Write down when you will do this exercise over the next seven days. Come on, if it’s not planned, it may not happen!
MISTAKE #2: Not moving your body on a regular basis.
Remember, our cells contain spunky little engines called mitochondria. These tiny powerhouses are responsible for turning our food into fuel. Now this is really important: the quality and quantity of engines our cells contain, determine the quality and quantity of energy we have. So how do we build these little cuties? Through healthy lifestyle practices—and you guessed it, exercise. So, let’s get moving! Don’t worry, start small. What’s one small change you can make that will add movement to your day? Going for a morning walk? Getting up from your desk to stretch once per hour? Whatever works for you! Write down 3 ways you will move your body more this week (and then do them!). Here’s mine:
#1: Taking my dog for a walk every day.
#2: 20 minutes of exercise, 5 times this week
#3: 10 minutes of Yoga , 2 days this week
MISTAKE #3: Ignoring your gut.
A healthy gut is essential for overall energy and well-being. Here are 5 simple ways to improve things -
#1 Eat your fruits and veggies! Think of your microbiome as a garden. It needs tending to thrive. The fertilizer that feeds your garden is fiber. So, eating more of a plant-based diet helps the good guys do their job and you feel fantastic in return.
#2 Reducing inflammation: Too many processed foods and refined sugars create an imbalance in your gut that leads to inflammation. Replacing those foods with plant foods keeps the bad guys in check.
#3 Drink plenty of water: Not soft drinks. Not energy drinks. Good old-fashioned H2O.
#4 Chew! Guess what? Your stomach doesn’t have teeth, so use those chompers. Digestion actually starts with the enzymes secreted in your mouth.
#5 Move your glorious body: Besides the benefits we explored earlier, exercise actually increases the diversity of good guys and also helps you poop. Win-win!
So, now it’s your turn! What’s one thing you will do this week to start healing your magical microbiome (aka your gut)?
MISTAKE #4: Chasing perfection.
There’s nothing fun or pleasurable about perfection. It’s boring and rigid. In fact, it’s not even doable because perfection is a myth. So, what’s one thing you’ve been beating yourself up for not doing “perfectly”? Write it down and then cross that sucker out! You’ve got more important things to do than worrying about being perfect. Messy is much better.
Remember! “You were born to share your gifts with the world, and that’s exactly what will happen when you start taking care of yourself.”