Have you found yourself questioning if you are doing all you can to perform at optimal functioning? The good news is there are five areas to reflect upon to see if there is room for improvement. Let’s investigate each.
Up first, is your sleep routine. While most people require six to eight hours of sleep, it is not unheard of for some to be fine with four to five hours and some may require nine to ten hours. You may want to experiment to see what feels the best. What you would be looking for is once you have transitioned into fully awake, do you feel energized with relatively stable energy levels throughout the day. If you are experiencing a lingering drag in your energy level it may be that you are getting too little or too much sleep. It is also important to practice waking up at approximately the same time every day to help with your circadian rhythm/sleep cycle – when you fall asleep is not as important. It will serve you better to go to bed when you are feeling sleepy not just picking a rigid timeframe. Sleep is vital for both your immune system and your brain functioning, so it is a great place to start.
Next stop is reflecting on your nutrition and hydration habits. Your brain will be one of the first areas to become dehydrated which can negatively impact your memory, focus, and mood. One of the simplest rules for hydration would be drinking one-half your body weight in ounces. While water is perfect, anything not containing caffeine or alcohol can serve as a hydrating beverage – do watch sugar levels for that causes a different set of problems. Then, you also want to reflect on how you are nourishing your body/brain. I am a firm believer of the intuitive eating model – in brief meaning there are no unnecessary restrictions, and the focus is on becoming attuned with what foods your body truly needs. That said, research would suggest having a good source of protein in the start of your day, (such as two eggs, high-protein yogurt, a protein shake), is essential for optimal brain functioning improving focus and mood. It is also beneficial to follow hunger cues and ensure not too much time goes in between meals/snacks. This may be very individualized depending on your biology and metabolism, to start, a signal that you have waited too long would be experiencing the stomach grumbles. I also want to mention the importance of selecting fresh foods as much as possible. The more processed the food you are consuming are, the less likely those foods are provided effective fuel for optimal functioning – resulting in less satisfaction after a meal, less stable energy, decreased focus/memory, and possible mood issues.
From here, you can next check on your level of activity/movement throughout the day. This may mean an exercise routine, this may be going for walks/runs, this may be dancing to your favorite songs, and this does not mean sometimes you get up to use the restroom – unless you are a ten-plus minute walk away. You do not need to plan an elaborate routine or join an expensive gym; research would suggest you get the brain and mood benefits with ten-minute spurts of movement. This can be a ten-minute walk in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening or mix-and-match with dancing, playing a sport, going to the gym, (if that is what you like), finding a short workout online, or evening some cleaning tasks such as sweeping or vacuuming. The important thing to remember is a moderate amount of movement will help burn off cortisol, (stress hormone), and improve brain functioning where a mostly sedentary lifestyle can allow stress hormones to build up creating diminishing ability to memory and focus while also possibly negatively impacting mood.
The fourth area is making time for mindfulness – that is paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, with no judgement. It would be ineffective to be in mindfulness state all day every day and it is important to have flexibility to shift in and out of the present moment throughout the day. Ideally, we reflect back on our past to learn from our experience, and we make plans while thinking about the future, and have present moment mindfulness to recognize/acknowledge your experience and connect with others. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how much mindfulness is needed per day. The goal is to have many moments sprinkled throughout your day.
The final area is our time in nature. While most of us cannot just go on a wilderness expedition each day, we can make some time to get outdoors and what you want to experience is sunlight, fresh air, the green of nature, and noticing the horizon. This helps both with your circadian rhythm as well as your nervous system regulation. Depending on where you live and the time of year it is, it may drastically impact your ability to safely be outside for a length of time. Please consider safety first and when possible, getting time in nature will do your brain and body good.
Here is the good news, it is not necessary to focus only on one area at a time – maybe with the exception of sleep. The other areas can be incorporated all at once. If you grab a water bottle and nutritious snack, go for a walk outside, and be fully present with what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. In ten minutes, you have met four of the five areas. So have some fun, get creative, and enjoy the benefit of making these areas a priority.
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