Getting enough sleep has often been over rated. The more you educate yourself about what your body is doing while you sleep, the more you will understand how important it is get enough of it. During sleep our body is re-balancing, repairing and restoring internal balance and health to our bodies. Without adequate amounts of sleep our health can be compromised. Everyone is different, but in general most people need between 8- 10 hours of nightly sleep. Finding time to fit sleep into your schedule can be challenging for some. Many people are willing to compromise healthy amounts of sleep for staying up to surf the web, do chores, socialize or just get some badly needed ‘me time’. Weighing the pros and cons of what you lose or gain from getting to sleep earlier becomes a personal choice. Try getting enough sleep for a week and notice how adequate sleep affects your mental focus, your emotional moods and your ability to cope with stressful events. Once you access the benefits, you can then decide what you need to change to get to bed and to sleep earlier more often.
You are what you eat. This is not a new saying. Many people are familiar with it. How many people actually think about the impact of what they eat has on their body. Understanding how the body works and what it needs to create long term internal health can help people understand and take their food choices more seriously. Many of the options available to us today are not considered “healthy foods” by our body. The body has had to adapt and struggle with many of today’s foods. So much of what we eat has been contaminated with preservatives, colors, flavor enhancers and chemicals that it is no wonder our health system has come under such siege. Our health is ultimately our own responsibility. Under that responsibility comes making sure we exercise regularly, get healthy levels of sleep, manage our stress well, live as balanced a life as possible, drink lots of water and be well informed about what we are putting into our mouths. Fresh is best and if we stick to shopping around the perimeter of most food stores, we will make better choices and reap the benefit of potentially a better level of health.
Our bodies were designed to move throughout the day. Most people today face a lifestyle that does not allow them to move as much as we should. Sitting at computers all day, driving in our cars to and from work limits our ability to get adequate exercise. Two of the biggest challenges people find are time limitations and motivation. Many people’s lives are overbooked and out of balance. Time has become a commodity. In order to get more time, you have to be willing to give something up. Revisiting priorities and life values can help to assess where exercise fits in your daily schedule. Making room for regular movement needs to be at the top of our list. Without regular exercise, energy levels and overall health can be compromised. The recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise can be achieved. Walking briskly, a 30 minute resistance workout, interval training, 30 minute run all can provide the basic benefits required from incorporating active living into your life. Research shows that you can even split your exercise session into two 15 minute blocks and still receive the benefits that a 30 minute workout would give to you.
