Whether we battle bumper-to-bumper traffic or crowded subway cars, the commute to work can be stressful. 8:30 a.m.: Find ease during your morning commute. One recent study at the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center at Arizona State University showed that walking briskly for 10 minutes, three times a day, was significantly more effective in lowering blood pressure than a single half-hour session.
8 a.m.: Take your first 10-minute dose of daily exercise.ĭon’t have time for a lengthy workout every day? No sweat! Shorter bouts of exercise can boost your well-being just as effectively as a single sustained session. For example, plain Greek yogurt topped with berries and low-sugar granola. The ideal breakfast will include a protein, a grain and a fruit or vegetable. “Delaying any longer than that and you’re skipping a meal, and that depletes your physical and mental energy,” says Lisa Dierks, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. 7:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast within the first two hours of waking up. “The small splurge on a special soap is a way of taking care of yourself, and that can boost your feelings of self-worth,” he says. Now, Elisha begins his showers by holding the bar of soap, inhaling its scent for a few deep breaths and paying attention to the feeling of the warm water against his skin. The fragrance evoked sensory memories of the summers he spent at his grandmother’s house in Burlington, Vermont, and summoned feelings of love, warmth and comfort. “I always thought of the morning shower as one of those daily tasks you have to do.” That changed when he bought a bar of rose-scented soap. “Mindful showers have transformed my life,” Elisha says. 7 a.m.: Shower with intention and attention. Charles Duhigg, author of the best-selling book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, notes that a daily tidying of the sheets correlates to better productivity and a greater sense of well-being. This simple act creates a small sense of satisfaction and pride that sets a positive tone for the rest of your day. “You want to begin your day from a place of ease,” Elisha says.
6:45 a.m.: Devote a few minutes before you get out of bed to a mindful check-in.Įlisha Goldstein, Ph.D., author of MBSR Every Day: Daily Practices from the Heart of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, suggests asking yourself questions like, “How am I starting this day? How is my body feeling? How am I feeling emotionally?” If you notice you’re tense, Elisha suggests widening your arms to expand your chest, opening your mouth a few times to stretch out the jaw muscles and dropping your shoulders. The Soleil Sleep Spa and the Philips Wake-Up Light both combine dawn simulation with nature sounds like morning birds or ocean waves. 6:30 a.m.: Wake up to an alarm clock that mimics the rising sun.Ī study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology shows that gradual light exposure during the last 30 minutes of sleep can increase alertness, enhance both mental and physical performance, and improve mood. You’ll likely find you experience more happy moments each and every day. Adjust the timing to your needs but try to follow the general principles for a week or two. With expert advice, we’ve put together a template of what these two strategies would look like in an average day. “Circadian rhythm hygiene is every bit as important to good health as washing your hands,” says Christopher Colwell, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Follow these cues and you’ll flourish, disrupt them and you’ll experience an avalanche of disturbances, from insomnia and weight gain to foggy thinking and depression. Throughout the day this built-in internal timer regulates everything from body temperature to the release of hunger hormones. Two, you can live more harmoniously with your body’s natural rhythms by aligning activities like eating, sleeping and when you turn on and off the lights to your circadian clock. One, through simple actions you can train your brain to “tilt toward positivity,” says neuroscientist Alex Korb, Ph.D., author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time. Two main strategies will help you achieve this.
There are 1,440 minutes in a day, and while we can’t expect every moment to be blissful, we each have the means to increase our sense of joy, connection and well-being in our daily lives.
With small actions throughout the day, you can create a tick-tock of contentment.
0 kommentar(er)
