Posts Tagged diet

Surprising ways to get healthier, calmer, stronger & happier: 

1. Follow the two-bites principle – Have two bites of anything you want that’s unhealthy and pass it on. Those first nibbles have the most flavour and give you the most pleasure – you’ll often find they’re enough to satisfy a craving.

2. Breathe right  – Take five minutes to energise yourself with this simple aroma-therapeutic breathing technique. Hold your favourite tea bag (dry, not brewed) near your nose (try cinnamon, apple spice, ginger or peppermint), then inhale through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for eight, and finally exhaling for a count of four. Repeat 10 times and you’ll feel instantly more revved.

3. Rearrange your desk – It will save you time and will establish a visual path for the workflow through your office. Create three areas: “In, In-process and Out”. The In area should be at the corner of your desk closest to the door and should contain only things that are brand-new. Once you’ve started work on something, it goes into the In Process area (the largest in the system) which should be within arm’s reach. The farthest end of your desk is the Out area, this includes letters and packages to mail or hand in. Taking just half an hour to create this simple system will help you stay calm and controlled.

4. Schedule a fitness wake up call – Make a pact with a friend to phone each other for your morning workouts. It may just be the extra push you need to get out of bed and into your workout clothes. Use the same tactic to lure your workaholic friend out of the office and into your favourite Spinning class.

5. Visualise success – Before, say giving a presentation, take three minutes to visualize things turning out wonderful. A calm feeling will come over you that prepares and sets your body in the right tone.

6. Declare an email-free zone for an hour – For many businesspeople, email has become a terrible addiction that interrupts their thinking and their ability to concentrate. If, instead you spend the first hour of your day doing your most critical task, you will feel a sense of accomplishment.

7. Select a stretch of the day – Write the stretch on a Post-it note and place it on your keyboard, then do the stretch for 20-30 seconds (no bouncing) everytime you think of it (aim for two or three times a day). Stretch these five areas to get your through your first workweek: wrists, neck, shoulders, calves, back.

8. B energised – Supplement with a B-vitamin complex formula that includes B6, especially when you are on oral contraceptives which interfere with the absorption of B vitamins, which may make you feel sluggish, depressed or tired.

9. Follow the 10 per cent per week rule – Working out at too intense a pace for too long increases your chance of injury, and wreck havoc on your digestive system, causing constipation, diarrhoea or even vomiting. Aim to keep your workout time and resistance by no more than 10 per cent per week.

10. Stop a snack attack – Eliminate a taste trigger to a snack you can’t stop nibbling by eating something that is the exact opposite. For instance, if you are craving something sweet, sip something tart such as water with lemon in it. When chips or nuts are tempting, reach for an apple or a piece of cheddar to counter the salty, crunchy taste trigger.

One piece of advice experts love to give to anyone contemplating a major life change is: “Take baby steps”. By focusing instead on meeting one simple goal at a time, you might find that you have dropped a size, deepened your relationships, improved your 5km time – or that you simply smiled more often.