5 SIMPLE Things you can do TODAY to feel better TOMORROW
1. SKIP THE ALCOHOL
You’re probably thinking, “No! Not my wine!” Look, I get it. Honestly, I love my wine too. I also believe you can be fit and still drink wine regularly. However, if you are going about your daily routine and feel like you’ve been run over by a truck, take a look at your alcohol consumption. Studies have shown that while alcohol may relax you and induce sleep, it is not quality sleep. Alcohol can disrupt your circadian rhythm causing you to wake in the middle of the night. This not only reduces overall sleep, but REM sleep specifically. Having a glass or two of wine a night? Let’s do a little experiment. Skip the wine for just one night. Then in the morning reflect on how you feel and how you slept, just like noting data in an experiment.
2. GET TO BED JUST A BIT EARLIER
Seeing a trend here? Sleep is so important! Sleep is the most underrated component to a healthy lifestyle. Especially as we age we need MORE recovery time. Optimally you should shoot for between 7-8 hours each night. If you are consistently getting more like 5-6 hours don’t stress. Don’t focus on adding an extra 3 hours right away, for a start just think of some ways that you can get an extra 15-30 minutes. Can’t live without your 10pm TV show? Record it and watch the next day. Have trouble falling asleep? Establish a bedtime routine. Perhaps showering at night, using your favorite moisturizer, or adding some essential oils to your pillow or a diffuser. Don’t expect your body to stop on a dime! Relax and prepare it for sleep.
3. DRINK MORE WATER
6am: Coffee while getting ready
8am: Coffee at the office
12pm: Diet coke with lunch
3pm: Iced Coffee
7pm: Wine
Sadly this is not an exaggeration, but more like a screenshot of a typical woman’s MyFitnessPal. Water is essential for cells to function properly. It helps to carry out chemical reactions and metabolic function in the body. When you drink too many caffeinated drinks you tend to urinate more and dehydrate yourself in the process. Dehydration can contribute to increased levels of fatigue and headaches. Want to drink more water? Not sure where to start? Try drinking 8-16 oz upon waking, even before coffee. Out and about for the day? Carry a reusable water bottle to remind you to drink throughout the day. Bonus- Get a cute bottle so you won’t want to leave home without it!
4. GET MOVING
Notice I did not say get to the gym. I’m talking about daily movement. Getting up from your desk more frequently at work. Take a short walk on your lunch break or in the evening. Get down on the floor to play with the kiddos. Get outside to do basically anything, movement + Vitamin D= Double Win! Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (N.E.A.T) is any movement that you do other than exercise. It accounts for a good chunk of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE aka the total calories you burn in a day) meaning the more you move the better you are able to optimize metabolism. Plus, moving, getting outside, and connecting with others beats couch sitting any day.
5. START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
This may sound lame and too “self-help” for some, but it is a powerful tool that can help bring some positivity into your life. The tendency is to focus on the negative and everything that you don’t have going for you, especially in the realm of social media where everyone’s life seems better than yours. A great way to feel better is to actually acknowledge the positive things in your life. The trick is not to just think about it, but actually write it down. Start with 1-3 things each day. Writing something down with pen and paper just has a way of making it more real. A bonus is, if you write it down, after 6 months or so you’ll have a little collection, pages and pages of proof that you do have things to be grateful for, and that’s pretty awesome.
I know it’s hard to get started. I know you just want to feel better. More like yourself. The fitness industry has conditioned you to believe that you can make massive progress in a short time if you just go “all-in”. For a typical woman with a career, home, family, and friends that is just not realistic. These are not “all-in” strategies. They are very simple things you can do to get started moving in the right direction right now, so you can start to feel like the person you want to be.
