Last week you got the Cliff Notes to the “5 Keys to Continued Success” which provided the formula below:
Learn It. Lose it. Love it. Live it. And, laugh.
Today I am going to expound a bit (only a bit, because I know you appreciate Cliff Notes, as well!) on the second piece of the formula: Lose it. Bad habits, that is. By letting go of the them, you’ll free up energy, mental space and even money that could be better spent on a happier, healthier you. It’s not quite summer, so how about a little bad-habit spring cleaning?
Here are a couple bad habits you might consider “sweeping” away:
• A beer or glass of wine (every night)…while you might fall asleep relaxed initially, once your body starts metabolizing the alcohol there’s a rebound effect, HELLO 2 am wakeup and tired you the next day.
• 24/7 connectivity…ah, this one is a pet peeve of mine. I keep my phone on silent and look at it only certain times a day and leave it in my purse at night…much to the chagrin of my fiancé! Try to turn off all media (blue screens) at least an hour before bed because that blue light from your phone/tablet/TV reduces sleep and stimulates your brain to stay awake by suppressing melatonin, a hormone needed for drowsiness.
• Procrastination—doing it has negative impacts on your heart. A non-procrastinator feels more in control and therefore, less stressed. Like Nike, “Just do it!”
• Drinking diet sodas…OK, so I KNOW the fake sugars cause blood sugar swings and other neurological problems…and most of them are terribly acidic, but I DO enjoy a coke zero from Sonic on occasion. But, the reality is that folks who drink the diet stuff end up eating more sugar because these drinks cause blood sugar spikes and drops like the real stuff making you want more.
• Still pissed off at somebody for something? Try forgiveness, not for them, but for you. It’ll do wonders.
• Popping pills too often. Doesn’t matter if it’s OTC, pain relievers used frequently significantly increase the chance of liver damage.
• Not expecting good things. Expect good outcomes vs. bad, look for silver linings. This change in attitude comes with a slew of healthy benefits.
• Sleep walking through workouts…sorry Charley…you aren’t getting benefits or making change without getting your heart rate up. use your time effectively with interval training and get red in the face.
• Not getting enough sleep…this is a blog or two or three by itself! Study after study shows a host of benefits with more sleep and a lot of mental and physical problems when sleep is lacking.
Find your broom and sweep those ol’ habits away!
What have you got to gain?
Be fit, live strong, laugh often.
~Lisa
