Say Yes To An Active Lifestyle

Happy 27th week of the year 2016 :)

As I was very impressed on the no. of views I had on my last post on positive living, I thought I should maybe do another quick post on lifestyle.
Since this is a more practical subject to talk about & also since I believe it will add value to your daily routine in aspects of organizing / healthy living & energy saving.

Frankly speaking, I'm not in an age where people would expect me to be forever exhausted. More like, at this age people would expect me to have the amount of energy to go club hopping like almost every other day & I myself couldn't help but wonder why or rather how my energy levels have dropped so much & I decided to do my own research. I found a good read & the answers were to my own surprise.


Here are the links to what I found >> http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20818045,00.html#more
>> http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/10-reasons-youre-always-so-tired.html/?a=viewall

Now I'm not going to discuss all these reasons that drain your energy. I'm going to take the topics I'm guilty of & tell you how I turned it around to gain more energy & make the most out of my time.

• You stay up late on weekends

When you get caught up on a new tv series, or start newly dating, or maybe even for up coming exams or assignments, it's normal that you stay up late. I have always been a late sleeper. Upto date, I don't go to bed at the usual time a normal person is required to do so. But I used to stay up excessively late. Even on weekdays let alone the weekends. Not getting an adequate amount of sleep is the biggest cause of energy draining. In this era it aint normal to sleep at 9.00 p.m. But manage your time & tasks in such a way that you manage to go to bed atleast by half past eleven o'clock. The time you go to bed depends on the time you have to wake up in the morning in order to catch atleast 6 hrs of continuous sleep. So finish as much as work as soon as you get back home from work so you have free hours to relax until it's bedtime.

• Sleeping In

I surely can't be the only one who's guilty of this. I mean, the only reason most of us long for the weekend is to get those extra hours of sleep. But sadly, it's time to say "NO" to this. During the week, in order to get to work on time, I usually wake up between 6.30-6.45 a.m. and catch up on all the sleep I could get during the weekends. There were times I used to wake up pass 12, yet feeling extremely exhausted. Now I sleep in till 9.30 a.m max but I try to wake up even earlier and I get so much done within the day. The earlier you wake up, the merrier the day is.

• You rely on caffeine to get through the day

Coffee for me, is like the heart for the body. I have been totally depending on caffeine to stimulate my nerve system. I was such a caffeine addict that without it, I literally feel zombi-fied. There was a time I used to have up to 3 mugs of coffee a day to keep my self awake. Now I have cut down so much. I still need my coffee like a vehicle needs fuel, but just in the morning. But I make sure I drink enough water right after I wake up & before I have my coffee. I never thought it was possible but I get through an entire, tiring, working day with just one mug of coffee & yet manage to feel alive.

• You skip exercise when you're tired

Let alone skipping exercise when tired, I never exercised at all to begin with. For me exercise was all about staying in shape rather than keeping fit. Now I realize how wrong I was. The more inactive you are, the more lethargic you become. So be as active as you possibly could. You don't have to gym everyday. Just the basics like a small walk, some yoga or some skipping or even some simple stretches just to wake your body up. The motive is to wake your nerve system up & increase the blood circulation. Adding this simple step to your lifestyle would make a big impact in a good way.

• Too many screens

In this fast growing world with rapidly advancing technology, our homes consists of more devices than actual beings. We have gotten so used to switching from our phones, to the PC to the laptop to the tab. Its like our fingers were almost automatically programmed to switch from app to app within a fraction of a second. What we fail to realize at this young age is, not only does this affect our vision but it has a direct negative impact on our nerve system. Stressing your eyes to focus on these devices weakens the left side of your brain. A week brain not only causes lack of energy but also results in forgetfulness, lack of concentration & lack of focus. Keeping away from regular access to multiple screens throughout the day can increase your activeness so much more than you think.

• You skip breakfast

Skipping breakfast was a habit I practiced for years, unaware of the damage it caused not only to my physical well being but also my mental well being. But it's not only about having your breakfast, it's about having it on time. For many years I've been having breakfast past 11 & I completely skip it on weekends due to my habit of sleeping-in late. However, for the past year or so I've been forcing myself to have breakfast at least by 9.00 a.m on weekdays & for the past couple of months I never miss it on weekends either. If at all, I atleast make it a point to grab some cereal with some yoghurt. This has vitalized my body & helped me stay awake and energetic throughout the day.

• You live on junk food

Now, now! Don't we all?? Or atleast most of us. With our busy lives that's always on the go, who has time for healthy food. Now there are so many health junkies I know of, who's very conscious about their intake of meals. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the most health conscious food consumer, I'm definitely a 1000. I have heard & read that junk food slows your stamina but little did I realize that in other words it makes you lethargic & I'm a person who was used to grabbing fast food from out on a daily basis for almost all three meals. I now experience a boost in my energy levels since I put a stop to this. With my lifestyle & schedule, it ain't practical to eat healthy. But I eat fresh & solid meals. Cooking your lunch the night before saves time in the morning. Make it a habit. When I do go out for lunch I mostly stick to pastas or noodles. I eat junk food/ fast food every now and then but I no longer live on them. Solid meals are very essential for an active lifestyle.

• You check e-mails at bedtime

For me, personal & professional life is never a confusion. I always make it a point to leave behind my office work in the work place & be free at home, unless otherwise there's something urgent to attend to. But sometimes your phone just doesn't stop buzzing, and office mails start cramping up even past midnight. You just can't help but to scroll through your phone. It may seem like no big deal at the time but by keeping in touch with your work right before bedtime, you become stressed without realizing. You set default reminders in your brain. This affects your sleep & you end up waking tired in the morning no matter how early you go to bed. What you can do is to customize your tones or prevent the mail previews from being visible on your lock screen, atleast only at night. Maybe put your phone on silent or set a timer to turn off your notifications at night. Prevent yourself as much as possible from accessing your mobile devices in bed right before sleep, especially for work related matters.

My goal here is to help someone who has these issues, get through the day with ease.
Say goodbye to your exhausted self & hello to an energetic you.

No one but you are the navigator of your lifestyle.

-- LIFE IS SHORT. DON'T BE LAZY --