Week 19: Wellness Warrior
Hi everyone and welcome back! Now this is a very broad area and what might motivate one person may not inspire the other. Sometimes we have to slow down in order to speed up. You might think that cutting back on an hour or two of sleep will give you more time on your work. One the other hand you might think if I skip exercise I'll have more time to do my projects. This is actually limiting belief. You may think you're gaining time but really you're just gaining more stress in my opinion. Ask yourself one question, is your business important to you? And if the answer is yes then you need to start getting serious about YOU (for now and not the business). As the saying goes ‘no wealth without health’. This is even more important now than ever before as in the outbreak of the Coronavirus only the fittest will survive (literally). So if longevity is of any essence I suggest you make a start now. Pick a topic of interest: for me wellbeing is trending at the moment. I have decided if I'm going to be stuck in my cocoon I shall come out an immaculate butterfly on the other end and this is how I'm going about it.
Start with the end in mind, for example you want to drop a few pounds, get a bit lean or improve your fitness or a combination of the above. This is what you will need:
Yourself (whole heartedly, not wishy-washy)
Some cool exercise gear (you can always nick your other-halfs T.Shirt)
Lemons (I will tell you why in a moment)
Teeny tiny work-out space and your done
Glass of water
And this is it guys just KISS, (keep.it.simple.stupid). Chug a glass of warm water with a fat wedge of lemon squeezed in on an empty stomach 1st thing. Think of it as an internal rinse plus its warming and kick starts your metabolism. Now I am not going to write you a fitness plan, because I don't know who I'm exactly talking to, what your needs are and/or limitations. So please just be sensible and try not to sue me because you weren't using your brain. And if you're still not sure then call your GP practice to get the thumbs-up. I do have a fitness background so rest assured you are in good hands. I'm just not as active in the industry as concentrating on the launch of this property business.
Now pic an activity or sport. You can go for a walk/jog around the block, play frisbee in the garden, do some workout vids plenty streaming out there or some bodyweight exercise to build mass. All you ladies please don't get your knickers in a knot, you won't bulk up I swear to you but, will have amazing elongated muscles which are in proportion to your body. Start off with 20 minutes for a couple of weeks then raise this in increments of 30, 40, 50 or even 60 minutes depending how pumped-up your feeling. Pick your desired activity and with a little side of music just go for it.
Tip: Cheesy cringe music really helps by the way!
This is it, see very simple and you were scared for no reason. I have chosen a combie of Yoga, HIIT (hi intensity interval training) or Joe Wicks, no particular reason but he is streaming live every week day at 9am if you fancy getting told what to do.
Next up is diet. No need to complicate this and get into a frenzy. As an instructor I can tell you you don’t need any fancy foods. It doesn't matter if you don't have asparagus, avocado, quinoa and the likes. You don’t need to spend a fortune on green juices or a blend-it machine for that matter.
Tip: Just eat the whole fruit from your fruit bowl!
A bit of home economics, half of your plate should be filled with greens (ved or salad items-as this is the fibre bit) the other half split between proteins and some carbohydrates. For all you carb haters out there you heard right I eat carbs and I reallllllly enjoy it too hehehe (I will tell you why in a mo). You pick a protein (meat, fish, eggs or pulses) pair it up with some good carbs (brown rice, brown bread, sweet potatoes or whole-wheat pasta) and a miniscule amount of healthy fats (olives, drizzle olive oil or a scatter of mixed seeds). That's basically it, don’t get bogged down with it. There is nothing wrong with having ‘beans on toast’, it's balanced, its nutritions it’s cheap and cheerful and takes minutes to prepare. All these you will find in your store cupboard essentials. Health and fitness is a billion dollar industry, Why? Because you're giving them your money!!! Stop it. I am your friend, I am not gaining anything by saying this but they are getting richer from your “lack of”. Bake, grill, saute, or steam. Only deep fry in an event of a melt-down or crisis, it really helps then and if you're anything like me and have these episodes more often than desired then sadly it's going to have to be down to willpower. It's good to practice this sometime, it is a dying art.
Tip: Simplicity is the key
Other stuff; get to bed at a reasonable time, pray/meditate/zone-out and practice ‘gratitude’. I can’t express this enough. Stop watching the news it's depressing so replace it with stand-up comedy and stay in tune with nature. We are beings from nature after all. Concrete buildings are detrimental to health. For your spiritual well being be helpful and do nice things that will benefit others. Give this a go for 30 days and see what happens. If you slip-up just go back to plan the following day. For those who are thinking this is not property related well yes it isn’t. Sometimes you have to step away from your craft to gain clarity. When you come back you will be more refreshed and ready to go.
A final Tip: You work to live not live to work; embrace this and you will be much happier in life.