In todays busy world we sometimes push ourselves beyond our natural tendencies, then push ourselves again with energy bars and energy drinks and caffeine, extra expresso we push, push, push, our bodies to their breaking points. As the 16 hour day wears on, we start to droop our shoulders, blink our eyes profusely to see the computer screen, and try to will our brains to KEEP GOOOIIINNNGGGgggg…. then we CRASH!!!!
This can be avoided!
It takes routine and a few tricks to the trade but it’s well worth it. No matter where you are in your life or at what stage, what can keep one prepared for the day and ready to conquer whatever it throws at us, is having a routine and implementing natural ways to energize. We all fall prey to the couch every now and again or need Cohens to surgically remove us from our mattress, but in order to reduce the stress, pain and illnesses in our lives lets get the routine in place baby!
THE FOUR CRUCIAL PRACTICES FOR EXISTANCE ARE: DRINK, EAT, SLEEP & USE THE WASHROOM MY FRIENDS!
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
We can instantly reduce our fatigues with hydrating with water. Most times when we are finding that we are tired, it is because we are thirsty. Always keep water within reach. Some say “water is sooo plain,” so, add some fruit to it, frozen or fresh. The fruit will give a small amount of sugar you may need to get you on your feet, and then at the end of your drink you have a little snack that has fibre content that can give you a little boost until lunchtime or mid day snack. Adding your favorite fruit or power fruit, like blueberries, black berries, goji berries, pomegranate, passion fruit, mango or pineapple is a much better way to liven up your water without the sugar from powdered packages or fruit drinks or energy drinks. You can also re energize with electrolytes. If you are looking for electrolytes without the massive dosses of sugar, look no further then the electrolyte waters that are available now. It gives natural electrolytes without the added dyes and sugar. Our bodies need replenishment of the minerals that we use up everyday, so reach for that electrolyte water add a few berries and you will find the added energy you need to keep your day moving smoothly. It also is a benefit for hydrating your skin and helping to keep contents in your digestive system moving.
Eat Regular Meals!
Yum…what a better way to start your day but with some fibre and protein. It can be as simple as getting a protein smoothie, (add avocado instead of thick creams, it will give you the creamy texture and good fat without the bloating of dairy, it will also help to give you that added fullness to get you to your mid morning snack). Poach an egg quickly, seriously it takes 3 minutes to poach an egg, or you can do it in your microwave for 50 seconds (I think). I like to have my kitchen ready for the morning to make having breakfast more enjoyable instead of adding stress to the day to get out the door. Before I go to bed I take 3 minutes to set the counter or table. I have my kettle filled with water and boiled, my bowl, spoon and granola ready, or if I am having an egg I have my frying pan on the stove with the spatula on the counter so that all I have to do is grab the butter and egg out of the fridge. Our fav is a bowl of berries with fruit, soy yogurt and some protein packed granola on top and we are good to go till lunchtime sometimes. There are many ways to add some protein incorporate a slice of turkey with egg on whole wheat bread with a few pieces of spinach, make some oatmeal with berries or peanut butter or dip your banana or apple slices in some peanut butter on the go, make small cupcake quiches at night and refrigerate them then you are prepared for the next few morning with egg, cheese, peppers, bacon or turkey if you like, in a little hand held breakfast as you rush out the door. A small amount of preparation can go a long way to sustaining your energy and keeping headaches and illness at bay. I think I went on too long about breakfast so I will have to condense lunch and supper.
Truly lunch and supper items are quite similar. Keep portion size in mind to not over indulge because being tooo full can reduce your productivity by making you sluggish. A healthy lunch or supper portion can keep you running without slouching by 3pm or crashing by the evening news. Choose foods from the perimeter of your supermarket and it will make you an energy monster instead of a just a tired hangry monster. Choose greens for salads with bright veggies added for all kinds of variety. Add a few berries and seeds and have a full meal bowl by adding some baked chicken, salmon or fish or beef, what ever you would like to spice it up. Stay away from the heavy creamy sauces. Sometimes I mash up the berries with some pineapple and the natural juices from the fruits make a nice salad dressing with the pulp, then you can add a splash of olive oil or avocado oil too to drizzle over top of your creation. Choose vegetables and rice as your side dishes to your main dishes. Stay away from the packaged creamy noodles or flavoured rice, they have massive amounts salt added and other additives which will deplete your water intake making you tired due to thirst. Add a vegetable garnish to the side of your plate if you want to start off small, and in a week or two you will be looking for the extra baby carrot or tomato or even a nice slice of orange to add colour and a little sweetness to your plate. By staying with the food choices around the perimeter you keep your fridge stocked in wholesome foods and not dehydrated lumps of carbohydrates. If you’re not into green salads as such, what myself and my daughter do a lot, is make a glass dish full of diced veggies we like the most such as celery, all coloured peppers and baby carrots, then we use this mixture as a side dish. Sometimes we also have what we call nibbles where we pair some cheese with a few meat choices with grapes and veggies we like and just eat from a little platter of goodies. It gives protein some good fat, fibre and juices from the fruits to rehydrate with a nice glass of water.
Start small and work your way into healthier choices. You will start to crave the better foods over the packaged ones once your body feels the natural energy effects and hydration from your better choices. Take baby steps, that way you stick with things for longer instead of going cold turkey throwing every boxed item from your cupboard away. Introduce berries to your cereal, then maybe a garnish to your lunch or a raw or steamed veggie to your supper plate. We all deserve a treat a two, but to have sustained energy you will need to eat regular meals and hydrate with water, not energy drinks or sugary pops or juices, simple routines will change your waking and sleeping hours. Start with changing out one glass a day of your sugar drinks or pop then build from there. Keep a small baggie of baby carrots or berries in your snack with water on your desk or counter top. Keeping it in your line of sight, will keep you reaching for it more often then not.
ZZZZZZ SLEEPY TIME ZZZZZZ
Make time to sleep!!!! It is soooooo important to having a healthy functioning body. Lack of sleep contributes to stress, depression, anger, mental illness, fatigue, digestion ailments, muscle soreness, headaches, migraines, learning difficulties, memory issues, respiratory-stomach-bowel illnesses, yadda yadda yadda. This list can go on forever! When I finally have reached the point of exhaustion my brain actually feels like it is eating itself! That’s not healthy. So I looked into this trouble of mine and sure enough lack of sleep, not hydrating and missing meals is scientifically contributed to your brain cells eating each other….which there is no return from my friends!!!! There is a scientific name on this type of brain behaviour which is called astrocytic phagocytosis, where in a research experiment on mice it is shown that the cells that help to clear brain toxins from the day, in healthy sleep patterns, start to turn on one another with deprived sleep routines. The brain cells start to devour healthy synaptic connections, which is unknown yet if it can be reversed. This experiment has not been “reviewed” on humans but the correlation scientists are making is with the rise in Alzheimer’s deaths of 50% since 1999 and the world wide lack of sleep, that this is a corner of science we need to pay strong attention to and fast!! We need to nurture our brains starting NOW. We all have life events or reasons that push us past the bedtime clock but if this research and the incredible increase in Alzheimer’s diagnosing does not send up major red flares then you are going to set yourself up as another statistic. You need to act now to get your bedtime routine in order mister!! LOL I’m using my mom voice. GRRR!
Sooo now that we have that information, lets get a bedtime routine established. Start with setting a clock to put away work, or turn off the tv by, or start your night time chores by, so that you can get a full 8 hours or more if possible. After my National News program is over I start the fam with whatever homework or baths they need to get done. I clean up whatever is laying around that got distributed from the daily events and put away, and then start my kitchen chores of setting up for the next morning. I place out the pets dishes and tins of their food for their breakfast, clean up their space, review homework, lock doors turn on oil diffuser if we want the peppermint or lavender to lull us all to sleep, and turn on the bedtime soft music. All lights are then turned off and I get to read for 30 minutes, then it is complete lights out. We try to be in bed by 9:15-9:30pm, kido has started her slumber by 9:30 (she is older now but when she was young she was in bed by 7 then 8 and now 9:30). But the whole house is shut down by 10pm. The clocks are set for 6:20am for me and my mom breakfast chores, then 15 minutes later the clan rises.
You or you and your family can establish a bedtime routine for yourselves and watch the behaviours and everyone’s health change to be more rested happy soldiers who have more patience in the daily activities and more energy due to the comfortable previous nights sleep, even posture will change, less slumping and more wanting to be a part of the erect human race. I don’t even have to say “time for bed,” my crew has been sooo used to a routine that their bodies are naturally set to it. Luckily for me it has been a part of their own body clocks so, if you do have partners or members that are resisting your new bedtime routine, just be patient. Eventually they will naturally want to have the rest, once they find a good routine for themselves as well. Whether its a bit of quiet time reading or drawing or some sort of hobby time, whatever helps to make it enjoyable and relaxing for that special individual. Its meant to be relaxing not stressful. Take a step back and find what might work for them, we are all different, but we all need sleep.
Now this next paragraph is about napping and is in no way meant for husbands to go “yeah see I told you my 2 hour nap before bed would be a good thing” I’m going to say… its not. Napping is good their is nooooo doubt there, but having a 2-3 hour nap before bed will for surely wake you or keep you tossing and turning throughout the night, and unfortunately the person beside you as well. If you need that extra sleep go to bed an hour or so earlier until you are getting the rest you need. These major naps unless their is illness will ruin your bedtime routine. BUT.…..napping when in need of a little energy is certainly a positive. A 20-30 minute nap can help restore some needed energy, and 20 minutes would definitely be a wonderful pick me up, even 20 minutes of mindfulness a day can help make your day more relaxing and productive. Funny how those two words don’t seem to naturally go together, relaxing and productive, but it is possible and better for you when you are able to achieve this.
Side Note
Just a little side note that can help to keep your sleeping area or living areas a little easier to stay focused in, try to be sure these areas are uncluttered, give a plant a home to help give more oxygen in your home and purify the air. To help sleep and also keep energetic throughout the day open a window if the environment will allow to let in clean fresh air, but not if your next to the subway or if its -20, so you get what I mean. Even open the curtains to let the light in or even just to see the cloudy or rainy skies throughout the day. Having an outdoor environment within sight, keeps us from feeling like we are just slaving away. Seeing nature, a bird passing by, or people out walking, helps to keep us socially involved, increasing our mood and energy. I’ll do another blog on how oxygen and purified air within our living and working areas can help increase our energy promoting healthier attitudes and reducing stress, headaches and illness.
The last of our FAB 4 is a topic we usually try to keep behind the bathroom door but it is very important to increasing energy and even helping us to be in a happier mood…
BATHROOM VISITS
When you start to hydrate better, make better eating choices, eat regular meals and have healthier sleeping habits, naturally the outcome will be happier bathroom visits. When one suffers from not being able to relieve themselves it causes bloating, gas, back pain, stomach nausea, poor posture, lower abdomen pain and just the unwanted unsettled feeling making you not concentrate properly, reducing your work productivity or even the want to do fun things, causing bad posture and crankiness! Who wants that! NO thanks! Simple, small changes to drinking, eating and sleeping can help the body to remove the unwanted toxic materials form lying inside the body creating damage and illness reducing your energy output. If at all possible try to create happy bathroom visits with natural choices instead of powders or pills to help you use the washroom. Incorporate natural pre and probiotic foods or a probiotic supplement first before resorting to powders and pills and increase water and plant based fibres to help the body achieve this more naturally. It will help your systems inside your body to be able to naturally do their jobs then by causing more harm or dehydration from these laxatives which will bring you right back to square one of no energy.
By using a few of the previous strategies and adding a probiotic you can achieve happy routine bathroom visits that will help you to eliminate the toxins that can be wearing your body down, allowing you to become more energetic more productive and wanting to be a part of social activities at home, work or with friends. This is all about becoming a happier you, because a happier you will spread more happiness, kindness and health to others around you as well, which this world could sure use a lot more of.
I hope some of these suggestions can help you and your loved ones find the energy you need to help heal your lives.
HAPPY HEALING FRIENDS xoxoxo