Take Heed: Take a Break

I'm hearing more and more every day about executives and busy professionals who are increasing their doses of anti-depressants and making very poor lifestyle choices that are only increasing their stress levels. It's a vicious circle. More stress; more depression. More depression; more anti-depressants. More anti-depressants; more lethargy. More lethargy; less exercise. Less exercise; more depression...and so on and so on.

Here are 7 simple tips for taking control of one's health and one's life --- even if corporate America is your 'second' home:

• Tip #1: Give yourself enough time in the morning to read a self-development book or listen to a motivational CD. If it's a full hour's program, just listen to it for 15 minutes --- just enough time to get you into a positive flow for the day ahead. If it's a lengthy book, read only one chapter. But, really think about how you will apply whatever 'nuggets' you uncovered into your current day and its challenges.
• Tip #2: Spend the next 15 minutes in an early morning, vigorous walk, ride a stationary bike or march in place rapidly to music. This will get your heart going and kick up your metabolism, which also reduces stress and increases the endorphins in the brain. Increasing endorphins in the brain will lower the potential for the onset of depression.
• Tip #3: Eat a high protein/low fat breakfast and drink a glass of orange juice. Better yet, eat an orange. Never underestimate the benefits of a good breakfast. This alone will also kick up your metabolism.
• Tip #4: Always take a lunch break --- no matter how much work you have. Do NOT bring your lunch back to your desk. LEAVE your desk and eat in the lunchroom or cafeteria or go to a restaurant. Stay away from cheeseburgers and fries and hot roastbeef sandwiches. Eat salads and fruit for lunch or have a tuna sandwich on multi-grain bread. Don't waste your calories on the white demon (white bread).
• Tip #5: Drink water throughout the day equal to 1/2 your body weight in ounces. This is not an option. Lay off of the soda, diet sodas, iced teas, and coffees. The acidic environments caused by teas and coffees inhibits weight loss and optimal weight maintenance. The sugars and sodium levels of soft drinks, especially "diet" soft drinks, also inhibit weight loss and cause many other health problems from cancers to high blood pressure to inflammation.
• Tip #6: Breathe deeply several times in a row several times during the course of your day. This is one of the best ways to detox our bodies and also stabilizes blood pressure and provides a calming effect.
• Tip #7: Remember that if you don't take care of "you" you will not be able to take care of anybody else --- nor will you be able to meet your responsibilities at the office. Listen to your body and if you need to take a 5 minute break and walk away from your desk to clear your head --- then by all means walk away. Trust me, it will all be there when you get back.

Make every day count. There are no guarantees that we'll have another one.

Deb <3

Healthy Holidays to You

I know the Holidays are just around the corner. Oh...wait! I guess you could say they are actually “here”! Does that feel a bit overwhelming to some of you? OK…MOST of you? A part of me is actually having difficulty believing that it’s almost Christmas. Didn’t I JUST put away those ornaments? And, wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that I cradled an ornament hook in between my toes that had nestled into my carpeting! OK…so you’re telling me we’re talking 11 months ago? The year has slipped by.

You’re struggling just to meet year-end deadlines for your boss. Initiatives are being discussed for 2009 and you’re still trying to implement the initiatives for 2008. You haven’t had a healthy lunch in months and breakfast --- hmm, breakfast. We won’t even go there! Your webinars are conflictling with your face-to-face meetings and that special project is interfering with BOTH. Life sure is exhilarating in the fast lane, isn’t it? Or, is it?

Well, if we could all just stop and smell the roses for a moment we would all realize that we’ve seen birthdays, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Veteran’s Day, and here we are at Thanksgiving. Yep. It’s the Holiday Season again! (I could have thrown in Flag Day, but you get the point.)

So, our lives are busy and stressful. We made promises to ourselves last January that we were going to lose 10, 15, or 20 pounds. We promised ourselves that we’d go to the gym or take up dancing or jogging or working out at home to our favorite DVD. Or, we’d swim laps at our local YMCA and we’d definitely hit the pool in the summer EVERY DAY! But, we didn’t.

This sounds a bit discouraging to you, as we are embarking upon another month of eating and eating and, uh, let’s not forget…eating. Well, maybe it’s time you considered partnering with someone who can help you stay on track. You already know what you want. You want to be slimmer. You want more energy. You want to sleep better. But, where do you start? Together, we’ll map out the journey. You outline your wellness goals and together we’ll create attainable steps to move you forward.

Don’t wait. Visit my website and sign up for a **FREE** One-Hour Coaching Consultation and see if the coaching relationship is right for you. It’s quite cold in December and January, so you’ll probably enjoy hanging out with me on the phone one hour a week while you’re all snuggled in on your couch. And, I bet together we can find SOMETHING you love doing that will get you movin’ in 2009!

Your office will always be there. Your desk will always be there. Your meetings and deadlines will always be there. I want to make sure that YOU will be there, too!


Deb
Keep movin'
http://www.3in1fitness.com/