Habits to Keep You Thriving

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Summary

It’s time to thrive not just survive.  We all know at a deep level that healthy habits are the best thing that we can do for longevity, great health, happiness, even wealth has been attributed to great health.  If that is the case, then why are so many people so irresponsible and quite honestly derelict in their duties to care for the one home that they will have forever…their bodies.  It doesn’t just end there though; our minds must be constantly worked out and trained for better behavior.  So, don’t believe it can all be solved at the gym.  Thrive by setting habits in the categories of nutrition, fitness and brain health. You may need to reevaluate in your life choices and likely need to step it up. Rarely are we consistently highly effective in all the habits of life.  The challenge is for you to pick just 3 areas that you are going to start or reengage in.  Then pick another habit next week and continue to add things in.  You will be astounded by the changes you will see in every area of your life.

Full Transcript

It’s time to thrive not just survive.  We all know at a deep level that healthy habits are the best thing that we can do for longevity, great health, happiness, even wealth has been attributed to great health.  If that is the case, then why are so many people so irresponsible and quite honestly derelict in their duties to care for the one home that they will have forever…their bodies.  It doesn’t just end there though; our minds must be constantly worked out and trained for better behavior.  So, don’t believe it can all be solved at the gym.

I have put together a short, jet packed list of some habits in the categories of nutrition, fitness and brain health that you may need to reevaluate in your life and likely need to step it up in at least a handful of these, as rarely are you consistently highly effective in all the habits of your life.  Hopefully, you can go through this and check most of these off your list, but if not, I challenge you to pick just 3 that you are going to start or reengage in.  Then pick another next week and continue to add things in.  You will be astounded the changes you will see in every area of your life.

So, let’s get started…I am going to jump into nutrition.   Please keep an open mind here because even though you have heard it all before there is a reason that you are not doing it, and likely the reason is a bunch of excuses.  So be done with it and be the person that you know you can and desire to be.  The reason that you have heard it all before is because its actually true.  But here is the way that you are going to be successful…don’t think of it as punishment.  You are actually rewarding yourself by taking the steps to put only yummy, healthy things into your system.

I am going to start easy…Number 1 – Drink one extra glass of water a day.  Water is the easiest and one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves.   Most of us do not get nearly the water that we need.  So, begin by just adding one extra glass per day.  If you need to set yourself alarms on your phone to remind you to drink.  If you are a soda drinker, replace it with water immediately…carbonated water can be a good substitute if that helps at least at the beginning.

The next one I have talked about before in our morning routine episodes.  That is a healthy breakfast.  Too many people eat garbage for breakfast or even worse nothing at all.  Your entire day is set by how you start your day and what that routine looks like.  Beginning your day by fueling it with items that sadly do the opposite of what a healthy meal will do is setting yourself up for failure before you even leave the gates.  Fill your plate or your smoothie maker with high fiber, high protein items.  You will find this reduces brain fog and who can’t benefit by showing up smarter.  It also gives you that boost of energy that shows up in everything that you do from your level of performance to your attitude and wellbeing.  If finding something that works well for you is a struggle you might consider teaming up with a dietician to create meal plans and get you on the right path.  Google can be your best friend for creating those healthy creative meals as well.

The final nutrition piece I am going to cover is my fun challenge to you.  Really dig deep and have fun finding creative substitutions for your favorite unhealthy foods.  Many of you know that my husband went through open heart surgery at the early age of barely 59.  It was an eye opener for both of us and had us scrambling to rebuild our pantry, our freezer and our menus.  We really thought that we were fairly healthy until we learned our new restrictions and how much evil is on those labels.  Don’t get me wrong unless your dr has told you that an extreme change is necessary, or you know in your heart that some major reconstruction of your dietary life is due.  Now fortunately both my husband and I cook, and he loves to experiment.  We have found amazing products that equate to great flavor and fun food experiences.  Again, Google can be a great resource especially if you are trying to work with some health challenges such as heart disease, diabetes, gluten intolerances or any number of other things.  Even if you have no health issues lets keep it that way and make sure that machine that you expect to keep you charging forward has the best fuel that can possibly be put in it.  Again, challenge yourself to step out of the normal menu box and don’t be afraid to explore.  There will be meals that either get thrown away or at the very least you know you won’t be rushing to make them again…that’s ok remember we grow by failing forward.

The next category is fitness. If I had to pick a habit that has to be the most inconsistent in most of the human race it is this one.  It is not through an intentional desire to break a routine, but it does seem to be the one that comes with the most excuses.  I won’t even go through them as you either know all of them or maybe have used some of them.  So, we know that excuses are the weakest reason to not do something.  Quite honestly it means we are too lazy to find a solution that is bigger than our excuses.  So, let’s knock that crap off now.

Let’s start off easy again…Just move…the body craves movement.  This can mean getting up from your desk every hour and stretching or taking a quick 10-minute walk outside.  This can be part of your morning routine.  If you start your day off with some basic movement of yoga or stretching you have won half the battle.

Correct your posture…we tend to sit so often that we fail to recognize that we look like cavemen.  Tuck those buns under when you are standing, pull back your shoulders and stand tall.  If you sit all day at work, could you convert to a standing desk or at the very least sit on an inflatable fitness ball.  I know people that not only use a standing desk but throw a balance board in there from time to time just to mix it up a bit.  Stay safe though…let’s not go crazy and fall off your board during your next Zoom meeting.

This next one piggybacks on that balance board and that is incorporating balance exercises into your day and your routine.  As you get older, doing this habit now will transform how your body ages and adapts to what can be a weakening system if we let it.  Again, this can be so simple…. balance on one leg for 10 seconds then switch sides.  This can be done during a workout or even as simply as when you are standing in the grocery line or cooking that new healthy dinner.

Ok, the last category is the one that we probably think the least about in terms of being able to change and maintain on the way to being a high performer and that is your brain health.  Not only maintaining but increasing cognitive function is a key to aging well and continuing to be independent and contributing at a high level.  It takes everything that we have previously talked about in addition to keeping the brain active to accomplish this.  The brain is an organ in our body that needs fuel and exercise just like every other part of our body.  Where previously it was thought that reading and puzzles would keep the brain “young”, we now know that nutrition and exercise are just as important.

The first thing that I want to hopefully influence you on is something that is not new to you.  Sleep.  Sleep gets great press, but too many of us are running on reserves, and sleep seems to be the one element that gets easily given up, trying to get that one more hour of productive time. The brain and the body need 7-8 hours of sleep consistently.  This is not negotiable and does not mean that you do this once a week…every night.  Your energy level and your mental alertness will be super charged if this is new to you.  That extra hour of subpar performance you were getting by depriving yourself of sleep will seem like nothing compared to how much more effective you are in less time.  Start by just going to bed 30 minutes early and continue to do that until you are experiencing that 7-8 hours of snooze time.

Good brain health needs laughter… it has been shown that people that laugh a lot, live longer and are higher performers than those that don’t.  I don’t mean that you have to go through every day laughing hysterically but appreciate the things in your day that are great.  If you can’t find something to laugh about go find a 6-year-old and ask them to tell you a joke…they have the best worst jokes in the world.  You can’t help but laugh and it will make their day great as well It’s a win all the way around.

Last but not least is the one I love best as it makes me reflect on the good things.  Just simply take the time to be thankful.  Having gratitude for what you have, who you are surrounded by and where you dream to go.  This is a fantastic exercise to do as part of your journaling whether that is part of your morning or evening routine…just list out 5 things that you are extremely grateful for.  They don’t have to be big things…sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

I hope that you have taken some notes and have chosen at least 3 new things to incorporate into your list of habits that is going to lead you to a larger life.  A life that you envision and is not built by the agenda of others.

I wish you success and look forward to next time.  If you want to dig deeper into the habits that the highest achievers in the world have shown us are must haves, I encourage you to click HERE and sign up for a FREE 1:1 High Performance Coaching session with me.  This is my gift to you as we move from a crazy, messed up year into a future with no limits!

Remember it is your choice to Focus Forward.