Tag Archives: daily habits

Exhausted? How to re-energise, boost your immunity and get back to your awesome self

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Energise boost immunityYesterday morning my 4-year-old son came in to our bedroom at ‘wake up time’. “Are you really, really, really tired mum,” he said.

“Yes darling,” I said.

“You’re always really, really, really tired mum,” he said.

“Yes darling,” I said.

He sighed and trotted off to wake his little brother. He knew mum wouldn’t play Transformers with him. Didn’t even ask me. Poor kid.

He’s right. I am tired. Since the start of the year, I’ve felt physically and mentally knackered. And I’m not the only one. My friends are feeling it too. Can’t shake the cold. Can’t sleep. No energy. So tired.

Yesterday, after the disappointed child had gone to childcare and my 3rd coffee, I decided something had to be done.

So I got Googling.

Here are 6 energy and immunity boosting tricks I’m hoping will work their magic on my burnt-out body and brain.

1. Body clock work
According to the chi (energy) cycle, the best time to exercise is before 7am. Getting up early sounds like a shit idea when you’re knackered, but just try and get up a fraction earlier each day. I usually get up at 7am when the kids do so 6.30am shouldn’t be too much of a shock to my system (but we’ll see). That gives me time for 20 minutes of yoga or a brisk walk before the mayhem.

The chi cycle say that your energy peaks mid-morning. That makes sense – I’m most productive between 9 and 11am. Ms Chi then recommends taking a nap in the afternoon. If you can’t snooze (due to pesky work/offspring commitments), avoid meetings, confronting conversations and important phone calls at this time. Once you understand your natural rhythm of energy, you can work on the important stuff during your peak hours, increasing productivity along with your energy levels.

2. Eat, shit, live
Ok. Personally, I think bananas taste like arse. But their natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose, give an instant and sustained energy boost – enough for a strenuous 90-minute workout apparently. Packed with fibre, bananas are good for our arses too, and we all know poo problems can make us feel shitty*. So I’m taking one for the team and adding bananas to brekkie. I’m also trying to eat more immune-boosting foods including ginger, garlic, onion, yoghurt, green tea and seaweed (and not just to disguise the taste of banana).

3. Citrus hit
Super-smart medical folks have long recognised the connection between citric acid deficiency and chronic fatigue. Vitamin C also helps you absorb more nutrients from food so eat your oranges first thing in the morning. If you can’t eat citrus, smell it – citrus scents stimulate alertness so slap on a lemony body lotion or citrussy perfume.

4. Caffeine and sugar
Dear coffee and chocolate, your quick energy fixes are my sweet saviours but you’re turning me into a crazed shaking psychopath by the afternoon. This is unpleasant for my children and other humans unlucky enough to come into contact with me during the day. How can we work it out? Love Bec.

Every 5 minutes there’s a study to say coffee is good/bad for you; chocolate is good/bad for you. So what the flip is healthy? The answer is boring as bat shit – it’s all about balance. Don’t overdo it. Get your endorphin buzz from the occasional square of dark chocolate and avoid head-pounding panic by drinking no more than two single espresso coffees a day.

5. Do yoga
Yoga freaks poncing about in their Lululemon can be mildly annoying, but the smug bastards sleep better, relax more easily and are mentally sharper than us. The stretching, slow and controlled movements, and focus on your breath reduces tension and stress. I’ve just bought a 10 class yoga pass. However, I will not be purchasing over-priced spandex to go with it.

6. Say no
Don’t try and be superhuman – being tired can quickly turn into something more serious. Be your own best friend/over-protective PA. Say no whenever you can. Purge low-value tasks from your to-do list. Stop spending time with toxic energy-suckers (you know who they are). And practice some self love.

Given all of the above a good crack but still feel exhausted? Get your thyroid tested. Chronic fatigue can be a symptom of hyperthyroidism. Visit your doctor if you’ve been tired for ages.

It’s not going to be overnight, but just maybe I’ll be transformed back to my (Optimus) prime in time to help my son save the world from the evil forces of the Decepticons. I’ll give you an update in a couple of weeks.

Image courtesy of gratisography.

6 Feb 2015 – Readers, kindly ignore the ‘bananas are good for your arse’ comment. I was misinformed. Bananas are full of fibre but the “wrong kind of fibre” according to a nutritionist I spoke to today. *Shakes fist at Google.*

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Happy habits update: smiling through the shit storm

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happy habits shitstormWhether he wants to or not, my husband reads all my Wellbeing bites blog posts before I hit publish. Last week he read my post on daily habits for productivity and said “I like it babe, but are you actually going to be doing any of this new habit stuff?”

“Yes I fucking am,” I said. “And I’m going to share what happens on my blog next week.”

In one moment of defensive marital banter, I was committed.

So here I am.

Firstly, let it be known that I didn’t try and implement all 6 productivity-enhancing habits in the first week – I’m not a total idiot. (For those that missed it, the 6 habits were: green exercise, mindful eating, meditation, 8 hours’ sleep, conscious breathing, digital disengagement). But 2 or 3 new daily habits? How hard could it be?

Turns out it’s pretty fucking hard when you have anything else going on in your life. Here’s my ‘habits week’ in review.

Habit 1: Meditation
Day 1 – The app is broken! Fuck, the fucking app is broken! I can’t download the bloody meditation. I can’t meditate without Andy (voice of Headspace). This is a disaster! The universe is trying to tell me something… Ah, it’s working now.

One 10-minute meditation later and I feel like a new woman. And this week I’ve managed my 10-minute meditation on 4 out of 7 days. I am my own hero. And weirdly, I’ve been able to deal with the week’s bumps and glitches more effectively.

Habit 1 won. Screw those few days. I’m focusing on the successes and giving myself a big pat on the back for this one.

Habit 2: Digitally disengage
Day 1 – I’ll just check Facebook quickly. Just the Wellbeing bites page. Ooh what’s that? Green smoothie recipe. I’ll try that. That can be my mindful eating thing for the day. I am so good at this habits thing. I’ll just have a look at the Zen Habits blog for a bit of inspiration…

Two hours later and I’ve done no work. Nothing.

Day 2 – I pack my lunch, laptop and phone into a backpack, get on my bike and ride out to the middle of nowhere to write a blog post I’ve been procrastinating on. No internet. No distractions. An hour later and the post is written.

I escaped the digi-dungeon, got shit done and got a bit of exercise too. I’m all over this habits thing.

Habit 3: Mindful eating
Day 1: My kids are not having fish fingers again. I will pick them up from daycare early and while they play quietly and happily together I will whip them up a beautiful meal full of vegies and nutrients. I will be a domestic goddess and nourish my family.

I am prepping healthy ingredients. All is going well. Then the toddler hits the preschooler. I tell the toddler off. He has a huge tantrum. As I’m wrestling him to the other side of the toddler-proof gate, the preschooler tugs at my leg mumbling about tummy ache. I barely register. He runs off to the loo. I hear crying. I walk into the bathroom. There is shit everywhere. He didn’t make it. The preschooler is sobbing. The toddler is still screaming. I don’t know where to begin. I start by having a cry too.

Fifteen minutes later my husband comes home. I’m wearing nothing but knickers and  rubber gloves. The smell of poo fills the air. The kids are clean(ish) and watching telly. “You look nice,” he says. “My clothes are covered in shit,” I say. “Please pour me a large glass of wine while I scrub the last of it out of the grout. We are having fish fingers for dinner by the way.”

What I learned
I learned that starting a new habit is hard work. You can’t be half-arsed about it. If know you can’t commit, don’t do it. If you can, make yourself accountable to someone and set reminders.

Most importantly, I learned you can’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes shit gets in the way. Sometimes it will hit the bathroom walls. Start with 1 or 2 habits and make your goal more achievable. Cut yourself some slack, celebrate the wins (no matter how small) and laugh at the glitches.

When you’re trying to implement new habits, you may get stuck. It may get messy. But you can ride the shit storm.

I’ve shared my story with you (perhaps even overshared a tad). So come on – share your own shit. How are you dealing with forming new habits?

‘Don’t worry it’s only a cloud’ drawing by sam brown, explodingdog.

Why don’t you make subscribing to Wellbeing bites  your new habit? It’s low on effort and calories. You’ll get tasty morsels like this by email, which will help make sure you don’t get sucked into a digital void. And I promise – no shit. 

Productivity paralysis? 6 daily habits that help you get shit done

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Daily habitsA little while ago I made a big life change, leaving my grown-up job for the greener pastures of freelance writing. It’s been a few weeks, but I’m still struggling to get into my productivity groove.

My current daily routine looks something like this: press snooze button, rush out of bed, quick shower before husband leaves for work (optional), throw down strong coffee. Yell at my kids to get their bloody shoes on cos we’re late and mum was supposed to start work 10 minutes ago. Throw sobbing children at childcare worker. Drive home erratically. Procrastinate. Check email. Check Facebook. Drink more coffee. Check Facebook again.

At the end of most days I tally up my ‘productive’ work hours and feel crap about myself.

So obviously I need to form some new daily habits.

Here are 6 daily habits I’m implementing this week in the hope they become as routine as my morning caffeine palpitations.

1. Green exercise
Working at home is bloody hard. I often fall prey to creativity-sucking cabin fever. So I’m getting out and doing some green exercise. A brisk walk/bike ride/stretch in nature can positively impact your health and wellbeing, relieve stress, and promote concentration and clear thinking. I’m sure there is a park or a little grassy area close to you, so no excuses. Get out there.

2. Mindful eating
I’ve got work to do – ooh what shall I eat? Chocolate or an apple. Yes, chocolate. Shit, no chocolate. I wonder if apples and peanut butter are a good combo?

Eating has become a form of distraction for me. I eat in front of the computer or on the go. I make dodgy choices. So I’m making a conscious effort to eat food that makes my body happy and to sit down when I’m eating (away from smart devices). I’m also trying to eat more slowly. Chewing until each bite liquefies makes your food more easily digestible, allowing you to absorb the maximum nutrients. Taking your time also helps your body notice when it’s full.

3. Meditation
I may have mentioned this – meditation doesn’t come naturally to me. I need short, guided meditation or else my chatty mind gets all anxious. I’ve been a fan of Headspace for a while, but my daily meditation habit has become more like weekly. So I’ve signed up to a paid program for some additional incentive and scheduled meditation minutes into my work calendar. The other issue is that when I do manage to meditate, I fall asleep. Which probably means I need to…

4. …Get 8 hours’ sleep a night
According to sleep experts, 6.5 to to 9 hours of solid sleep every night can lower stress levels, may reduce weight gain and can even lower your chances of premature death. Fewer than 6.5 hours a day and your risk of dying early increases by 10%. More than 9.5 hours and your chances of dying increase even more than if you sleep too little… Who would have thought that a lie-in could be life-threatening?

The time you go to bed is important too. According to the 24-hour chi cycle, the gallbladder detoxes the body from 11pm and 1pm, while the liver detoxes most effectively from 1am-3am. So get to bed before 11pm and help your body flush those nasties out.

5. Breathe
I sometimes feel like I’ve been holding my breath all day. Shallow breaths deprive the brain, blood and cells of oxygen, affecting concentration, making you feel grumpy and stressed, and stimulating the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. Focus on your breath for a moment. Breathe deeply in and out of your nose. Fill your lungs. You’ll get an instant dose of calm.

6. Digitally disengage
This is the biggest time-sucker for me. I work at a computer and spend so much time on social procrastination – flicking between writing, checking email, Facebook, blogs, the weather. It stops me facing the difficult stuff – the stuff I’m actually supposed to be doing. Be a hard arse with yourself. Close your browser and email. Turn off all notifications for Facebook, Twitter etc. If that’s still not working, unplug your modem or go somewhere that has no internet connection/WiFi – apparently these strange places do still exist.

Each of these daily habits takes just minutes to do. They may add up to an hour a day, but think about all the time you’re currently wasting on unproductive ‘stuff’ and you’ll see it’s an hour well spent.

Start small. Choose 3 habits and give it a week. Let’s get into the productivity groove together and get into a new habit – making shit happen.

Wanna find out how my ‘habits’ week went? See my Happy Habits Update (warning: it gets messy…)

Image courtesy of gratisography.