The other day at lunch with the leadership team, we were joking around about how we wished, when we were kids, that there was a How To manual for the key areas of life: Career and Money, Relationships, and Vibrant Health. So I figured I'd have some fun with this idea...If you're looking to create something new around health, and you don't know where to begin, here are some basics. I go into depth on each one of these three key areas in my Lifestyle Series, and you can tend health at any of our Power Series Weekend Intensives! Just like any endeavor, you've got to start with vision - what do you want to create? and Why - why is it important for you? What will it mean to you and those you love? Now that you're all lit up about creating your vision for health, you get to the practicals.
My list of key areas when it comes to health includes: air, water, nutrition, movement, sleep, state and relationships. When I teach a course on this, we go into all the nitty-gritty, but in brief, here’s how it shakes down:
You need clean air and some targeted breathing techniques. I recommend starting and ending your day with a routine of focused breathing. Instead of breakfast in bed, how about breathing in bed? 5 to 10 minutes is all you need to get the blood good and oxygenated, and it’s a great opportunity to align the emotion, mind and nervous system to make the most of the day ahead. Then wrap up the evening with another 5 to 10 minutes to calm and center the emotions, mind and nervous system, setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep. And a bonus with doing breathing techniques is that you can do them anywhere, anytime! Feeling stressed? Got some anxiety bubbling up? Take a minute, close your eyes, engage some 4-breathing, and you’ll be feeling refreshed in no time.
It should go without saying that plenty of water is crucial for optimal health. Try to steer clear of the stuff that comes in plastic bottles. Instead get yourself a good sized (32-40 oz) insulated container and keep it full of clean, pure water. You want to drink a minimum of half your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water per day. For those of you who hate to do math, here’s the idea: If you weigh 160 pounds, you want to take in at least 80 ounces of water every day.
Figure out a nutrition plan that is fit and balanced for your body. What most diet books won’t tell you is that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition. But the truth is that the optimal nutrition plan can be dialed into the specific needs of your body. With some research and experimentation, you might pick and choose from a variety of dietary plans until you find one that works best for you. A nutritionist can also be incredibly helpful here.
You've got to move every day. If you don’t already have a regular exercise routine, start small. Maybe a pushup regimen or a twenty minute walk. Anything to get the body moving and you will continue consistently. Eventually, what you do with consistency becomes your routine. Just don’t expect to go from 0-100 overnight. If you’ve never done a sit up in your life don’t decide you’re going to wake up tomorrow and do 50 of them. Start with 5. If that’s easy for you, take it up to 10. Then set yourself a benchmark of 25 by the end of the month. If you’re having a hard time pulling the trigger, a personal trainer can be a great motivator.
The amount, quality and timeframe of sleep are all important. I love to use a sleep tracker to monitor my data. But first and foremost, establish a regular routine around sleep. Avoid late night snacks, and get that television out of the bedroom! Give yourself a sleep “warm up” by stepping away from technology, doing your internal training, and engaging a breathing exercise. And turn in early enough so that you’re sure to get 6-8 hours of quality sleep.
Your emotional state directly impacts the health you enjoy (or don't). You've got to train emotions in order to achieve and maintain your best possible health. Constantly operating in a state of anxiety or overwhelm is incredibly taxing on your body. It’s like trying to drive your car on the freeway in first gear. You can do it, but eventually the engine’s going to crap out.
The people and communities you surround yourself with matter! Toxic relationships and environments (real or virtual) impact you in a variety of ways. We can’t control the way other people behave, but we can certainly choose how we react to those behaviors and the extent to which we interact with those people in the first place.
So where the heck should you begin? Start small. Pick one area that you think is the least optimal. Choose 1 new daily action to take, and put it on your calendar. For example, if you haven't moved your body since high top Reeboks were a thing, calendar 10 minutes every morning to just move - walk, stretch, do a few push-ups, dance in your bathroom, you name it. Next month, add one more daily action that moves you toward vision. In a year, you'll have an entirely new body and a new experience of life!
Join us for a Power Series weekend and we’ll get you tuned up in all the key areas of health. Click HERE to learn more and sign up today!