I love this quote fromgreatday.com
“Start every day as a winner. Take responsibility. The person you are, the things you have, the life you live is up to you. You are in control. Make it the best you can. Put your goals into action. Have the courage of your convictions. If it is worth believing, if it is worth visualizing, it is worth doing. Thoughts control your actions. Actions control your life.”
Did you know that you get about 25,000 days in your adult life?
According to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the average life expectancy in Australia is 82 years old. If we use this number and assume that your adult life starts around 18 years old, then you’ve got about 64 years as an adult. (82 – 18 = 64)
(64 years as an adult) x (365 days each year) = 23,360 days.
Let’s call it 25,000 days.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve wasted a lot of those days.
Each day you choose when to wake up, what to eat, how much work you do and how willing you are to learn. These are your choices!
When I realised that every moment is a choice that leads to action and has a profound impact on my life, I decided to create powerful, positive habits to make every day Rock!
Here are 4 Winning strategies I use to make those 25,000 days count.
1. Manage your energy, not your time.
To get the most out of your day and feel good, you want sustained and steady energy. Lack of energy can sabotage your health and productivity in so many ways. You might feel a mid-afternoon energy crash when you need to be most productive.
Energy production in the body is an intricate process, and something I will write about in another blog.
There’s plenty you of things you can do to have steady, sustained all-day energy that will help you focus better, perform better in the gym and get the most out of your day.
A. Your Diet
Choose nutrient-rich foods that will keep your blood sugar levels steady, so that you can avoid energy spikes dips during the day that often lead to sugar cravings and coffee as pick-me-up solution.
I have outlined a few dietary factors that that boost and support your energy:
1.Healthy fats
Healthy fats like extra-virgin olive oil and wild-caught fish keep energy levels steady and are good for brain function. Avoid trans fats in processed foods and some vegetable oils because the ramp up inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.
2.Protein
Proteins supports your body at a cellular level, helping to manage your blood sugar and satiety levels. Try to select organic sources
3.Carbohydrates
Balance your energy by eating a diet full of rich, colourful vegetables and fruits. Focus on eating starchy vegetables instead of white rice and bread sources.
B. Lifestyle factors
I have outlined a few lifestyle factors that support your energy:
1.Sleep soundly
Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to optimize your energy levels. Getting insufficient sleep, on the other hand, can really mess up and crash your energy. Aim for eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep nightly.
2. Exercise consistently
Consistent exercise can improve your energy function and metabolic insulin resistance. Studies have shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can enhance your energy.
3. Minimize energy spikes
Be mindful of your caffeine intake, while caffeine can boost your energy, too much can lead to “crash and burn” leaving you wanting more.
Alcohol can also affect your energy levels and mood the next morning. So, consume wisely
4. Stay Calm
Supporting your mental health and calming anxiety will help your confidence and boost productivity.
I use an app called CALMin the evenings and during the day to calm anxiety.
This app has a Calming Anxiety track and other meditations that are aimed at improving confidence, breaking habits, and boosting happiness. They even have an Emergency Calm meditation that you can use when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
2.Manage Your Thoughts
Thoughts create feelings and to get the most out of your day you want to feel focused and engaged.
A big part of improving your mental energy has to do with understanding your personal patterns and habits.
By tracking your thoughts, you will better understand your moods and behaviours.
I do a thought download every day, this helps me identify what I am thinking and how these thoughts influence my feelings and hence my moods.
I want to share a very valuable tool I use to manage thoughts that will help guide you through your emotions:
Called Rational Therapy and founded by psychotherapist Albert Ellis, this is a comprehensive based psychotherapy which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioural problems to enable people lead happier and more fulfilling lives (Ellis & Abrams, 2008).
(‘A’) refers to Activating event which means whatever it is that started things off: a circumstance, another person’s behaviour or our own thoughts about something which has happened.
(‘B’) refers to our beliefs. These beliefs can about ourselves, others, things, situation. Beliefs can be specific or generalised.
(‘C’) refers to the consequence i.e. our reaction to (A) in terms of both emotions and behaviours
(‘D’) represents Disputing irrational beliefs
(‘E’) represents creating Effective new belief
I encourage you to give this a go and see the impact it has on your perspective
3. Plan the night before.
One key to achieving goals is creating habits and routines that make success inevitable. If you are taking the right steps, the results will follow.
Planning ahead allows you to be deliberate with your choices.
Planning is essential as it takes the stress out of the next day. if you only do one thing each day then spend a few minutes each night organizing your to–do list for tomorrow.
