Equilibrium
Only when one makes a conscious lifestyle change does one find themselves happier and in a better frame of mind
Most mornings one wakes up feeling lethargic and exhausted. You’ve slept the required seven or eight hours. You haven’t done anything the day before that was even remotely physically tiring. And yet, you still don’t have the energy to get out of bed.
Ever wondered why this happens? Well I have; many times.
Exhaustion is our body’s way of telling us to wake up and make a drastic change, a message most of us ignore. In the case of exhaustion, this message is not about one big thing; rather it is about a number of seemingly small things.
First and foremost, our body is telling us to start our day with a healthy breakfast. Coffee and/or dry toast isn’t breakfast! There is a reason why our parents ensured we ate a full and healthy meal before we went to school. Many of us completely ignored this advice when we went to college and laid the foundation of a lifetime of skipping meals, especially breakfast. Either there was no time or there was a brilliant new plan to lose weight without working out. Skipping meals only slows down your metabolism, which ultimately leads to weight gain.
This leads us into another very important, but ignored aspect of life. Experts believe that if you want to lead an active life, you should work out for at least 30 minutes a day. Here, I must add that balance is essential. One reason for being tired is working out too much. It’s human nature to get over-excited about getting fit and then overdoing it by starving and spending every free moment on the treadmill. Sustainable things usually last longer.
Another important factor in feeling fresh is drinking water. One common misconception people have is that they think that tea, coffee and colas constitute as water intake. Even a little deficiency of water can affect our energy levels. Dehydration thickens our blood, drops our energy level and causes premature aging.
Iron is one nutrient that most women need to be careful about. When your iron level is low, you feel agitated and weak. Iron is found in green, leafy vegetables, liver, nuts and eggs. And if you are not getting your daily requirements from your food intake, I heartily advocate the use of multivitamins and supplements.
You must sleep at least six to eight hours a day. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t get a chance to recuperate and rejuvenate itself. Then you wake up feeling cranky and angry. Sleeping should mean that the person actually closes their eyes, closes off the noise inside their heads, and rest.
Finally, one major cause of waking up irritated is unnecessary and trivial thoughts. We tend to start obsessing about issues that we usually have no control over, like being scared that your boss will fire you or you won’t get the promotion you have been working towards. Such thoughts exhaust us.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that balance is key to having peace of mind and body. Only when one makes a conscious lifestyle change does one find themselves happier and in a better frame of mind. You want to wake up feeling good and literally bounce out of bed like you did as a child? Then make it happen. There is no miracle pill that can make us thin or successful or happy. When you lose your balance in life, you have to dust yourself off and find it all over again. However, this time stick to it.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2014.
Ever wondered why this happens? Well I have; many times.
Exhaustion is our body’s way of telling us to wake up and make a drastic change, a message most of us ignore. In the case of exhaustion, this message is not about one big thing; rather it is about a number of seemingly small things.
First and foremost, our body is telling us to start our day with a healthy breakfast. Coffee and/or dry toast isn’t breakfast! There is a reason why our parents ensured we ate a full and healthy meal before we went to school. Many of us completely ignored this advice when we went to college and laid the foundation of a lifetime of skipping meals, especially breakfast. Either there was no time or there was a brilliant new plan to lose weight without working out. Skipping meals only slows down your metabolism, which ultimately leads to weight gain.
This leads us into another very important, but ignored aspect of life. Experts believe that if you want to lead an active life, you should work out for at least 30 minutes a day. Here, I must add that balance is essential. One reason for being tired is working out too much. It’s human nature to get over-excited about getting fit and then overdoing it by starving and spending every free moment on the treadmill. Sustainable things usually last longer.
Another important factor in feeling fresh is drinking water. One common misconception people have is that they think that tea, coffee and colas constitute as water intake. Even a little deficiency of water can affect our energy levels. Dehydration thickens our blood, drops our energy level and causes premature aging.
Iron is one nutrient that most women need to be careful about. When your iron level is low, you feel agitated and weak. Iron is found in green, leafy vegetables, liver, nuts and eggs. And if you are not getting your daily requirements from your food intake, I heartily advocate the use of multivitamins and supplements.
You must sleep at least six to eight hours a day. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t get a chance to recuperate and rejuvenate itself. Then you wake up feeling cranky and angry. Sleeping should mean that the person actually closes their eyes, closes off the noise inside their heads, and rest.
Finally, one major cause of waking up irritated is unnecessary and trivial thoughts. We tend to start obsessing about issues that we usually have no control over, like being scared that your boss will fire you or you won’t get the promotion you have been working towards. Such thoughts exhaust us.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that balance is key to having peace of mind and body. Only when one makes a conscious lifestyle change does one find themselves happier and in a better frame of mind. You want to wake up feeling good and literally bounce out of bed like you did as a child? Then make it happen. There is no miracle pill that can make us thin or successful or happy. When you lose your balance in life, you have to dust yourself off and find it all over again. However, this time stick to it.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2014.