Bursts of Energy - From the Outside, IN! (AKA - The Lazy Girl's Guide to Energy 😄)

Bursts of Energy - From the Outside, IN! (AKA - The Lazy Girl's Guide to Energy 😄)
When we talk about boosting our energy, we often hear things like "drink more water", "get some exercise", "take your vitamins", and other things we need to physically DO. 

But what are some external sources that can sometimes increase - or zap - our energy?

Exposure to Light

Have you heard of Seasonal Depressive Disorder? It's a real thing. That's when some people experience feelings of depression during the months when there is much less sunlight. The weather isn't as pretty, so we often stay indoors.

It's also common for people who work indoors under florescent lights all day to experience some symptoms of fatigue and depression, due to lack of natural light.

If you find this is the case for you as well, try making a habit of spending at least 10-15 intentional minutes outdoors each day. Even if it's cloudy, you can still reap the benefits of UV exposure and increased Vitamin D, which will boost your energy.

Scent

Our sense of smell is very powerful and can bring up a lot of memories. If we smell something that reminds us of something painful, that can drain our energy. Synthetic fragrances made in a lab with lots of chemicals can be incredibly draining as well, because our bodies weren't designed to process manmade chemicals. When we're around a lot of "fragrances", our bodies are fighting to work through those which means other functions (e.g. energy producing functions) can sometimes lag. 

It's helpful to surround yourself with natural scents that uplift and encourage you. Fresh baked bread or desserts are wonderful if they invoke happy memories. Flowers and plants are great choices. An easy way to access scents like this is with essential oils! Just be sure you know the source of the oils you use, because so many are mis-labled and actually contain fillers or synthetic chemicals to make them more cost effective (I will only use Young Living because of their transparency and commitment to quality).

What You See

Scientists tell us that many different colors can invoke certain emotions, which can greatly affect our energy. Surrounding yourself with bright colors like yellow, orange, and green can be helpful. More muted colors such as grays, browns, and blacks might drain energy. 

If you're able to paint your walls with colors that energize you, go for it! If that's not an option, some things you can do are to buy decorations like wall art, flowers, pillows, desk accessories in the colors of your choice. 

What You Hear

When you surround yourself with sounds of complaints, or the musings of the melancholy, it's easy to take those feelings on yourself. Negative feelings like these can very quickly suck the life and energy right out of you! 

If you find yourself listening to people who tend to complain a lot, make an effort to infuse the conversation with positivity, or consider spending less time with those people and more time with those who are upbeat. 

Take some time to think about the music, podcasts, and shows you listen to. Do you feel encouraged, lifted up, and optimistic afterwards? Or do they leave you feeling sad or downtrodden? What enters our minds via words and music can have a dramatic effect on our emotions, which can then affect our energy levels.

After evaluating these different external elements, what are some areas where you think you could benefit from a few tweaks or changes? 
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My Favorite FREE YouTube Workout Instructors!

My Favorite FREE YouTube Workout Instructors!
Gyms can advertise all they want that they're no judgement zones and everyone is welcome, but for me...NOPE. I just don't like them. 

Lee and I have gone a few times (pre-Covid) and mostly do the 30-minute circuit because no one else uses it. But honestly? I hate the gym.

I do not like working out with other people around. I am not that graceful, I do not flow well, I look ridiculous, and I'd much rather look silly in private, thankyouverymuch.

For those of you who are like me and hate the gym, I thought I'd share a few of the FREE workouts I've found to do at home!

First, you have your basic walking/jogging/swimming (if you have a pool - I don't).

Second, YOUTUBE.

It's my favorite.

Here are some of the best (in my opinion!) fitness instructors on YouTube, who have full workout videos available.

If you're just starting out...
If you're intermediate...
For the more advanced peeps...

These are only a few of the ones that I use regularly, but there are SO many more for you to explore! 

If you try one, let me know which one and what you think!

Do you have any other YouTube favorite fitness instructors you would add to this?
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SNOOZE! What Snoozing Really Does To Your Health, And How To Break The Habit

SNOOZE! What Snoozing Really Does To Your Health, And How To Break The Habit

Monday morning. 6 a.m. Your alarm goes off and your first thought is to tap that Snooze button once or twice, because really, you don’t have to get out of bed until 6:30 a.m.


But wait - those extra few minutes of “sleep” could actually do you more harm than good, and here’s why.


Think about the stages of sleep: light, then deep, and finally REM.


  • Light: your heart rate slows and body temperature drops.

  • Deep: your body is regrowing tissue, building bone and muscle, and strengthening your immune system.

  • REM: this is the good stuff, when your body goes through all of its restorative process.

This whole cycle takes about 90 minutes, and different stages are repeated throughout the night.


When your body wakes up, and then returns to sleep but isn’t able to process through a full cycle, it can result in:


  • Drowsiness

  • Irritability

  • Inability to concentrate

  • Inability to recall or retain information

  • Difficulty sleeping

Those aren’t quite the health goals we’re reaching for!


So how can you break the snooze button habit? 

Good news - it’s easier than you think with just a few simple tweaks. 


  • Put your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room, so you have to physically get up to turn it off.

  • Start going to bed 10 minutes earlier each night, until you’re consistently going to sleep 30 minutes earlier than you were. If you’re still tired upon waking, repeat until you’re getting to bed an hour earlier.

  • Make sure your sleep is productive, by discontinuing use of electronic devices 90 minutes before bed, ensuring your mattress is comfortable, the temperature in your house is cool enough, and your room is dark and quiet.

  • Avoid caffeine by mid-afternoon (even if you think you fall asleep just fine with a double espresso before bed, it could hinder your sleep quality)

  • Find something that makes you excited to get up, like a new workout, a new devotional book, a morning beverage you love.

  • Exercise regularly. The ideal is at least 30 minutes per day, but even just 10 minutes will give you some major benefits.

You’ll find that the more often you wake up as soon as that alarm goes off, the more alert and rested you’ll feel during the day. 


Tell me, which of these tips do you think you can implement today to help you break the snooze habit?


And if you’re looking for more energy throughout the day, be sure to grab my free guide on 5 Ways to Boost Your Energy!


5 Ways to Stay Positive During a Pandemic

5 Ways to Stay Positive During a Pandemic
How often would you say you complain?

According to an article on entrepreneur.com, research shows most people complain about once a minute during a typical conversation. That's a LOT! 🤯

Most of the time we complain because we want to "vent", and it just feels good to know that other people feel our pain and empathize with our situation.

When we complain, our brain builds pathways to ease the flow of information, which just makes it that much easier to complain again and again. And again...

Eventually complaining becomes our default behavior, which not only damages our relationships, but it can also physically damage our brain as well.

Stanford University ran a study that shows complaining can damage the hippocampus. The hippocampus is what Alzheimer's primary destroys, so let that sink in for a minute.

You can cause the same type of damage that Alzheimer's causes just by complaining.

Complaining can wreak physical havoc as well. When we complain, cortisol is released in order to prepare our bodies for fight-or-flight mode, and this raises blood pressure and blood sugar. The extra cortisol released also impairs our immune system which makes us more susceptible to a whole host of issues.

Have you heard the saying that you are the sum of the 5 people closest to you? That's because our brains tend to subconsciously mirror the moods of the people we spend the most time with. If you're around people who complain a lot, you can experience the same damage as if YOU were the one complaining.

Likewise, when you complain, you can damage those you love and are closest to you in those ways as well.

In this season of stress and unrest due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 virus, it is more important than ever to protect ourselves against anything that can damage our immune systems, our bodies, and our minds.

Fear makes it so much easier for us to complain under these circumstances, though, right?

So what can we do to keep ours hearts and minds positive and avoid the damaging effects of complaining, when our worlds feel like they're in a tailspin?

1. Be grateful. 
We've all heard the suggestion to start our day with gratitude, but I would challenge you not only to start your day, but maybe set a reminder for throughout the day to think of more things to be grateful for. The floors in your home, the roof, the people who built it, coffee, your family, your pets, a safe environment, anything you can think to be grateful for.

2. Hear truth. 
Recognize that our feelings are NOT truth. We may feel scared, we may feel hopeless, we may feel lonely, but we have to remember that God promises to protect us, to give us hope, and to never leave us. Focus on TRUTH.

3. Practice self-care.
Take some time to participate in some soothing self-care. Take a bath, go for a walk, search YouTube for some quick workouts, read Scripture, pray, listen to worship music. Just enjoy some relaxation and peace.

4. LAUGH! 
Watch a funny movie on Netflix, search YouTube for comedians, Google jokes you can share with your family. Laugh together, play some board games, just have fun.

5. Stay connected. 
Make sure to stay connected with the outside world however you safely can, whether by phone, social media, video chatting, or sending snail mail. Now is the perfect time to handwrite some letters to loved ones and brighten their day. Staying connected and doing something kind for others will surely brighten your day and lessen any need to complain.

The next time you feel tempted to complain or release any kind of negative energy, keep in mind that our goal right now is to stay healthy.

Try this: keep a rubber band or hair tie on your wrist and snap it when you notice yourself complaining. You'll start to see just how often it actually happens, and it can be surprising!

Which one of these tips will you try today to help yourself break the habit of complaining and get through this pandemic successfully?

4 Areas of Self Care to Energize Your Life! A Guest Post

4 Areas of Self Care to Energize Your Life! A Guest Post

I have been wracking my brain to think of how I can best serve and help you during this time when we're out of our normal routine and thrown into unusual circumstances. I met Deborah and loved how she infused self-care with energy, and I gratefully accepted her offer to guest post on the blog this week. 


I hope that you find as much value in these tips as I did! As always, please let me know what you think and if I can help you in any way. 

We all have demands on us that drain our energy. In fact, that is how humans are designed right? We put forth all day and then sleep hard at night! 


But sometimes we struggle to really RESTORE ourselves and our energy. 


The truth about Self Care that gets lost in pop culture is that it is more than getting massages, or treating yourself to a girls day, or taking the most amazing vacation ever. 


Self Care is any intentional action we take that cares for our mind, body, spirit, or emotions.  Using that as an outline, let's talk self care!


1. Care for Your Body.

It’s so easy to let caring for your body slide, especially if you don’t like what you see in the mirror. Out of sight, out of mind, you’ve got more important things to do right!??! Wrong! 


Taking care of your physical needs is most important, because if you don’t, then you have nothing to give. 


It’s so easy to recommend sleep to reenergize, but if you are a mama, sleep doesn’t just come! 


So what are other, practical ways, to recharge you throughout the day?


  • Schedule yourself 10-20min to exercise: yoga, walking, bench pressing babies... 😊

  • Pause to rest your mind and body for 10 minutes. 

  • Make your favorite smoothie.

  • Honor your physical space; cleaning can be a gift to yourself.

  • Celebrate one aspect of your body; this will lift your mood and improve your ability to care for it well.  


2. Care for Your Mind.


Mental health is no joke and we see the effects of neglected mental health everywhere. 


The truth is, our minds aren’t safe. At some point we can get so wrapped up in our own thoughts and beliefs it can be difficult to untangle them all without professional help. 


The first step of good mental health is acknowledging where you are. Is postpartum still kicking your head? Are long, lonely days at home leaving you confused as to the day? Are you struggling with being a working mom, the battle between heart and need? You aren’t alone! So why stay alone? 


  • Acknowledge out loud where you are mentally, telling your partner or a friend. 

  • Remember to take time throughout your day to talk to other adults.

  • Make a list of topics or tasks that excite your brain, and make time to enjoy them. 

  • Read books and write in a journal.

  • Remember to dream a little, set your inner creative free, down a happy path, and enjoy the ride!


3. Care for Your Spirit. 


We don’t always like to think about our spiritual selves; religion might not be your thing, but you still have a soul. 


In ancient Greek the word used is “Psuche” which means breath. The idea is that your spirit is your very breath, it is the core of who you are, and the ultimate purpose in your life. The Greeks also didn’t break humans down into these four parts, instead recognized that they are all one, all interconnected, and all valuable. 


In neglecting your spirit, free, religious, or otherwise, you neglect a very important part of who you are and all you can be. 


  • Make time for your daily religious practice.

  • Identify passions that you can live out every day within mom-life!

  • Identify your personal values; if you aren’t living in line with these values, you will have inner battles that are very draining. Living aligned with them, you will free up energy. 

  • Take time to identify who you are now, and who you want to be growing forward, and embrace your true spirit!


4. Care for Your Emotions.


Emotions, feelings, are just information telling us about what is happening around and in us. 


Because so much can change moment to moment, our feelings can often feel like a roller coaster. 


Scientists have now begun to see how these feelings are stored in the cells of our bodies, trauma, anxiety, and such. 


Remember that when you feel like you cannot care for your emotional world, that it's too overwhelming, psychotherapy can really help.


  • Crying is healthy. There is no shame in it. So have that good, cathartic cry.

  • When juggling multiple emotional worlds, remember your kids' emotions are theirs, they need to learn to process them. While it is your job to teach this, it's not your job to process it for them.

  • Make a habit to enjoy self-soothing practices, anything that calms and re-centers your emotional world.

  • Name your emotional need, and learn to identify what meets it, so that you can learn to ask for what you need. 

  • Giggle, flirt, and celebrate life with your partner; it's easy to get bogged down in the emotional depths of life - pause to enjoy the fun parts, too.


Today’s guest blogger is Deborah Sprague, a Certified Professional Coach who delights in helping clients break through barriers and reach personal goals! Teaching others how to Self Care has long been a passion of hers, and her favorite ways of caring for herself are hiking; listening to music; viewing art; and enjoying healthy, delicious, food! She can be found encouraging you to self care on Instagram and Facebook @PsucheLife


 
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