How Health Plays a Role in Your Productivity: 7 Health Tips for a Productive Day
Have you ever felt so sick that even the thought of moving out of your bed and blanket is almost sinful? Conversely, have you ever felt so healthy and productive that all you want to do is keep moving? The truth is, we generally operate right in the middle of these two extremes. Oftentimes, we’re tired getting out of bed, then we wake up and get a little bit of energy only for our bodies get tired again after lunch and stay tired through the evening. Our bodies were meant to move and be active, so wouldn’t it be nice to feel alive and productive ALL the time? The following are 7 ways you can control your health so you stay mentally sharp and have a fun, productive day everyday!
1. Do like the Dogs Do
Have you ever noticed the first thing dogs do when waking up from taking a nap? They slowly put their bottoms back and stretch out their front paws, then they do the same for their back paws. They may be on to something! How many times have you gotten out of bed only to still feel tired and sore hours afterward? To get a great start to your morning, you should spring out of bed and immediately stretch! This helps your body know it’s time to wake up and get moving. Not only does a nice stretch feel great, it turns out it’s great for your health as well! Along with waking up your body, it promotes blood circulation, which helps increase cell growth and organ function, decreases risk of injury, and reduces cholesterol which can help avoid heart disease. Here are some great stretches to get you started on the right foot!
2. Carb Up
Many people like to drink coffee as their go to in the morning to give them an energy boost, but a nice, carb heavy breakfast is great for kick starting our metabolism. You can still keep your carbs low for the rest of the day, as studies have shown that low-carb diets are the best for weight loss. Carbs are what fuel you through the day, they’re your body’s go to source for burning energy. If you can get a good breakfast in with a nice load of complex carbs, your body will burn them throughout the day and you won’t get that mid morning slump. Plus, with moderate exercise, you’ll burn those carbs right off. Switching up your breakfast options to prevent boredom is a great idea, but the concept should stay the same: 50% carbs, 40% protein, and 10% fats. An example of a great, quick power breakfast can be found here.
3. Meditate
While it may seem like pseudoscience to many, meditation has actually been shown to physically rewire our brains to activate the ‘Stress and Rest’ part of our nervous system, which helps with stress management. It also has many other physical health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, reducing anxiety, and improving the grey matter in our brains. Along with health benefits, there are also many social and mental benefits of meditation. It can increase our patience when dealing with difficult people, it helps us stay in the moment, and greatly improves our relationships, among other things. It’s conceptually very easy, just pick a quiet spot, sit down, and pretend to be a mountain. All thoughts are clouds that are just passing by, and you just watch them pass. You’ll find that it’s hard at first because we’re all such compulsive thinkers, and that will become apparent to you within minutes of trying a meditation exercise, but eventually, it will get easier and you’ll start to love it. It’s best to do it in the morning just after eating so you can go about the rest of your day much more calm and focused.
4. For the Love of Juice
Juicing has gained popularity extremely quickly within the past couple of years. Many people have found the benefits and taste of fresh-pressed juice to be amazing, which explains the rise of local juiceries around town lately. Let’s be real, the price for anything healthy these days is exorbitantly high, and a bottle of juice from your local juicery is no different, ranging anywhere from $4-9. We recommend that you buy your own juicer and buy fruits and veggies in bulk to save money. Cucumbers, green apples, kale, spinach, beets, and lemons are essential to a great, healthy juice. Drink one between breakfast and lunch to keep sharp through your mid-morning lull! To learn about the benefits of juicing, there is a great documentary on Netflix that follows a man as he juices for 90 days straight! . Here at BillMonkey, our favorite juice mix is the Mean Green, which includes:
1 cucumber
4 stalks of celery
2 green apples
2 cups of kale or spinach
And remember to wash all your produce before putting it in the juicer!
Click here for more awesome juice recipes!
5. Exercise
We have all hear over and over again how much exercise can benefit us, both physically and mentally, yet many people still don’t do it! Exercise is great for boosting serotonin levels, which lead to increased happiness and decreased stress. Not to mention the positive effect it has on keeping you away from heart disease, diabetes, and a multitude of other life-threatening ailments. If you’re trying to lose weight, the right type and amount of exercise will greatly assist you, along with a well-balanced diet. We recommend an hour of weight-lifting followed by 20-30 minutes of High Intensity Interval (HIIT) cardio 3 times a week. Weight-lifting has an amazing effect on your body in the way of burning calories much AFTER your workout is complete as compared to traditional cardio. Don’t get us wrong, cardio is a great calorie burner as well, however, some exercises trump others. Running still remains one of the best forms of cardio, but if it’s too hard on your joints, swimming is a great alternative. HIIT cardio such as wind sprints or cycling classes that cycle their intensity are great for overall health and fat loss. If you absolutely hate cardio though, you might want to get involved in sports such as basketball or tennis, where you can burn a ton of calories without noticing.
6. Get Your Protein
You want to end your day with a high protein, low carb dinner. This gives a chance for your muscles to take up the protein through the night, repairing them so they can grow and alleviating any soreness. You should be getting about 1g of protein per 1 lb. of bodyweight, so if you weigh 150 lbs, make sure to be getting 150 lbs of protein throughout the day. Lean protein is the best, however a steak or some ribs every once in a while won’t hurt. Chicken is the best source of lean protein, but turkey is also a great alternative to break up the monotony. It also has tryptophan in it which helps activate the melatonin receptors in your brain to put you to sleep. Think about how tired you feel after a big thanksgiving dinner! Lean protein is considered to be white meat, so chicken breast, turkey breast, or anything “white.” Things like chicken legs, chicken wings, and steak are considered red meat, which has a lot more fat and isn’t good for your arteries and cholesterol levels. You also want to limit the amount of carbs you have right before bed because you won’t be burning as much energy while sleeping. An example of a great dinner is 8-10 oz. of chicken breast, a half cup of brown rice, and 2 cups of assorted, fibrous veggies. It isn’t a bad idea to throw some olive oil on your food either, as those kinds of ‘good’ fats assist your joints so you can keep moving throughout the day!
7. Hit the Hay Early
Getting your 7-8 hours is essential to getting the next started off right. Most people either watch TV or scroll through their news feeds right before bed. The light emitted from these types of media trick your brain into thinking it’s day time, which boosts your energy levels and keeps you awake. Studies have also found that it negatively affects the quality of your sleep, leading you to be more tired the next day. If you are having issues sleeping, it might be a good idea to pick up a book and read a few pages, or try this breathing technique to put you out in minutes.
Good health is essential to an optimized, more focused you. You get to attack your goals with a sharp mind and no distractions. What are some healthy things YOU do that keep your mind and body on track every day? Comment below and don’t forget to tell your doctor about BillMonkey at your next visit, you’ll get a $500 referral bonus when we start doing their billing!