By Carol Lindsey
Approaching your workday from a good place, mentally and physically, makes it a lot easier to be productive, creative, and stress-free. Good health can mean the difference between burning out at 2 p.m. or acing that presentation!
So, what can you do to make sure that you are attacking your workday with a healthy mind and body? Let’s break it down.
Eating Well
Making sure that you have enough energy for your day is the first step to making sure you’re prepared to think up all of those creative ideas! For optimal energy, make sure that you eat a balanced and nutritious diet with the right amount of calories. Choosing healthy foods such as veggies, protein or healthy fats will give you more consistent energy throughout the day than sugars or caffeine, which cause energy spikes and crashes. As we all know, energy levels can even affect emotions during your work day, and no one wants to be hit by mood swings while trying to be productive at work.
Exercising
Endorphins are one of the reasons many people choose to start their day with exercise. Start small with a handful of yoga moves or basic sit ups before you start getting ready. If mornings aren’t your thing, try a light jog right after work. Even thirty minutes of activity a few times a week can be the groundwork for more intense exercise down the road. Be patient – you might surprise yourself with how much you enjoy exercising (or the endorphins that follow).
Your Mental Game
It’s impossible to control everything that happens in life, but we can control how we react to things. The way we approach life can affect outcomes, including our work and career.
How would your workday change if you approached a tough project with a positive attitude? What about praising yourself for a job well done? These are simple things that have the potential to lift your mood and, in turn, give you more energy to do excellent work.
Luckily, by being more aware of our negative thoughts, we can begin to turn things around. Mindfulness and meditation can help decrease all kinds of stress, including work-related stress. Make a point of scheduling time to recharge, whether that’s an hour at the gym or a night with out with good friends (laughter does wonders for stress-reduction as well!).
Bringing it all Together
Improving your mental and physical health may not be an easy task but there are ways to make it fun! Try Apps like MyFitnessPal and Happify to help you keep track of your goals. Pinterest is also a great way to find pretty much any kind of healthy recipe you may be looking for. YouTube is full of how-to videos where you can learn how to do yoga or meditate.There’s never been a better time to get healthy!
