Let’s take out your inner “rear view mirror.” It’s January 2. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s have passed. And you feel awesome. You spent quality time with family and friends. You shared delicious foods with others. And, you stuck to your wellness plan!
What?!
Yes, you stuck to a plan and you feel even better than you did before the holidays began. Hive five!
Every week has a plan. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve and all of the parties that are celebrated. Your plan includes placing the proverbial “barbed wired fence” around these activities at the beginning of the week. Not the night before, the Sunday before the week starts. They are accounted for in your weekly calendar just as you would a meeting with the teacher, your boss, or your lawyer.
Step 1
Awaken 10 minutes early for a 5 Minute Flow. Do not hit the snooze button! A 5 Minute Flow includes five minutes of movement without stopping. People who exercise in the morning are healthier, more productive, and maintain their weight with success. The 5 Minute Flow can be any form of movement. Just do it continuously for five minutes straight, setting a timer in another room so you won’t be tempted to turn it off – or to clock watch!
Some other ideas:
- Stretch every limb of your body standing, lying down or seated.
- Mobilize all of your joints (toes, ankles, knees, hips, etc.)
- Yoga poses like downward facing dog to upward facing dog or any other pose you know – yep for 5 minutes!
- March in place or around your house for five minutes. Use your arms!
- Walk around your house at a quick pace or climb your stairs for five minutes, using perfect posture. Bonus points: throw on a jacket and hat and walk outside for five minutes!
- Exercises like squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, getting up and down from the floor – each for :30 for five minutes until the timer stops.
- Crawl around your house for five minutes. When you want a break, just put your knees on the floor – but keep in crawling.
Step 2
Get your 10,000 steps. That’s about five miles a day. Listen to nothing, while paying attention to beauty along your walk. Again, leave the phone at home it will be a huge break for your brain resulting in stress relief.
Step 3
Build movement into your day. Little habits add up. Park far away from your destination. Pull your shoulders into your car seat at red lights. Set your timer throughout the day and at each interval — 30 minutes or an hour — do the following, then set the timer again:
- Do five push-ups
- Walk around the office/house with big swings of your arms
- March in place
- Deep breathe 10 times
Step 4
Get your 7 to 7½ hours of sleep per night. Your brain will thank you and help you get to sleep when ready. Lack of sleep causes irritability, lack of productivity, weight gain, cravings (for unhealthy foods), and many more serious illnesses. Establish a rock solid, non-negotiable bedtime routine. Make it your most important appointment of the day. I’m often the first to leave an outing. Its okay. I place my sleep as a top priority for my health.
