Hey There Friends!
Are we all making it over the hump? This week started busy and will end just the same…story of life I guess, right?!? Anyway, since today is the last Wednesday in March this will be the last installment of my sleep series. Since I have covered most of the basics, I thought I would hit one more – the morning routine – waking up in the healthiest way to start your day. 
We’re all guilty of hitting the snooze button a few too many times in a desperate attempt to get more sleep, only to end up rushing out the door and jolting your body into a panicked start to the day – no bueno! Below are the five things, no matter what, I do every morning to ensure I have a healthy, happy start to the day.
- No Snooze – set your alarm for when your realistically need to get up, and get up. Place your phone or alarm clock far enough away from your bed that you have to physically get up to shut it off.
- Drink a tall glass of warm or room temperature water. If you’re a tea or coffee drinker this is the perfect time to start the kettle, french press, pot, whatever…
- Clean Routine – whether you like to shower in the morning or not, take time to thoroughly wash your face, neck & check, brush your teeth & hair, as a signal to your body that its time to refresh & restart.
- Make your bed and tidy up – I guess this one is a bit of a personal thing but its amazing how much better it feels to come home to a clean and tidy home (or at least bedroom/bathroom).
- Keep things quiet & screen free for 30 minutes if possible. With the exception of shutting off your alarm, try to avoid the TV, iPad, computer, and cell phone while you’re getting your day started – the world can wait another 30 minutes.
I hope these and the last few weeks of tips can help you maximize your energy throughout your day & keep you feeling happy/healthy!
’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂
I have always been on the fence about napping – I felt time was more importantly spent doing other things – foolish me! I did a bunch of research, tested some theories, and now I’m sharing my results with all of you to round out this month’s Wellness Wednesday. Here are 5 things I’ve learned about napping, why it works, and what to avoid.
It is very difficult to get up at 5am when you finish work at 9pm and still need to eat & unwind; which is why falling asleep quickly to get as much sleep as possible is paramount. I haven’t exactly established a perfect routine yet, but below are 5 easy tips to help you unwind and prepare for a more restful night sleep.
The poses shown above are as follows: Big Toe Hold A & C (Top Row), Happy Baby, Plow, & Legs up the Wall (Bottom Row). Each pose is to be held for around 7-10 breathes or about 2 minutes. Use a towel, strap, or t-shirt to help with the first two, feel free to bend your knees in plow (the middle one on the bottom row), and make sure your but is touching the wall in the last one.
I’m gearing up for Phil to leave for another business trip and making sure to spend as much time together as possible! One of the worst things about Phil going away is getting to sleep. Some people may think it’s a blessing to have the bed all to themselves but for me, it’s hard to get settled. Thanks to yoga I have a few proven techniques to calm my anxious energy & for Wellness Wednesday, I’m going to share them with all of you.
Find a comfortable position, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. As you deepen your breath start to imagine yourself sinking into the mattress, one body part at a time (starting with your toes and working to the crown of the head). Once you are settled, the real magic begins… Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds, and repeat until you are asleep. It might sound simple but is incredibly powerful. For me, as soon as I think “Man, this is taking forever, maybe it isn’t going to work” I fall asleep. A good night sleep is a foundation to a healthy life, so what do you have to lose?
This week is definitely a bit bumpy but we’re half way through and I am confident that things are smoothing themselves out. With my new transition of working for the studio there is a bit of a learning curve and I am finding some of it harder to navigate than I anticipated…similar to how I felt on the mountain this weekend.
While I mentioned Phil and I pushed past our comfort zone during our ski weekend, I didn’t include the fact ski patrol had to help me navigate a portion of one of our runs. We had been progressing to more and more challenging runs decided to take our friends up on a little guided tour through a run they felt we could handle. We went up for round 2 and our friends decided to take a detour to harder terrain and when we hit a fork in the trail and went the wrong way. We were doing okay until I ended up stopped. I was staring down at completely unknown terrain after only a few days on skiis and felt frozen. I was immediately aware of all the potential ways in which I could injure myself and ruin my career…not so motivating. A ski patrol dude happened to be riding by & stopped to see if I was okay. He noticed I clearly wasn’t and immediately began to start calming me down….He gave me the option of radioing in a sled to take me down but said he thought I could do it. So with a deep breath I turn my skis down mountain and made my way down. 
The point of the story and the theme of this Wellness Wednesday is listening to the voice inside and deciding where it’s coming from. There are so many fears, apprehensions, insecurities, etc… that can keep us from pushing past our comfort zone and while it’s important to listen to your body’s limits, its doubly important to decide when it’s fear. Taking a few deep breaths, reminding yourself of the basic facts, and evaluating what’s really going on can be hard but incredibly rewarding. In the end I was able to realize I have much more ability than I was giving myself credit for and I could make it down runs like that again.
We’re half way through the week and I hit a bit of a road block today. Well, at first I thought it was but then I realized it was just another opportunity to practice…practice putting my ego in check. I had planned to post something else today but after this morning’s experience, I had to make this week’s Wellness Wednesday about putting your ego in check. 
Soooo, I subbed a class for one of our veteran teachers who happens to be leaving at the end of the week. She has quite a loyal following and we’re all very happy for her but sad to see her go…ANYWAY: one of our students came into class this morning, looked at me, and said “you’re teaching?!?!” sighing as I confirmed what seemed to be her greatest disappointment to date. Oh course I immediately made it about myself, texting Phil and my family about how shitty it felt to have a student say that to you right before you have to teach a class. Realizing I obviously needed to get out of that mindset I took a deep breath and told myself, it’s not about you, and really, it wasn’t. This student was looking forward to saying goodbye to her teacher today and that was why she was disappointed NOT because I was teaching…we in fact had an awesome class (her words)!
I am over the moon and so excited for today you have no idea! In a few hours I will be giving my first corporate wellness presentation here in San Francisco. I have been prepping like a mad woman while balancing the family visit and thought it would be fun to share some of the tips I plan to talk about today.
Since the target audience is modern business professionals I’ve included 10 tips to energize your day without an energy drink or excessive coffee consumption.
Livingleen 