As the novel coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated, you are better placed to survive any kind of health crisis if you already enjoy robust health. It has shown up the dangers of debilitated bodies, and compromised immune systems. Vigorously implemented hygiene will need to be supplemented by nutritious food eaten at correct times; hitting the gyms, doing freehand exercises at home, or practicing yoga; and sleeping adequately to prevent sleep deprivation resulting in brain damage to protect you and your loved ones.
Dangers of Inadequate Sleep Outweigh the Benefits
You need to be well rested to be able to focus sharply, remember with clarity, perform your work better, and think clearly. If you thought working long hours with little or no sleep is the way to go; then keep in mind that it follows the law of diminishing returns, and damages your health irreversibly. Mood swings, increase in probability of having accidents, and impaired judgement are only some such issues which hit you. Staying awake late into the night, and too few hours of sleep leads to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, unmanageable stress levels, restless legs, daytime drowsiness, dementia, fatigue, and higher levels of hunger. Additionally, unexplained weight gain despite eating sparingly and being a teetotaler is usually attributable to sleep deprivation.
Rely on Home Cooked and Brain-Healthy Food
Even ordinary dal and roti or rice will provide you with most of the nutrition you need, if it is fresh home cooked food. If you supplement it with fresh vegetables, especially beans, and fruits for a balanced diet; you put yourself on the high road to excellent health. Avoid fast foods, bottled carbonated drinks, and the heat and eat kind of food. Add brain-healthy foods like various kinds of lean protein, fish, beet, krill oil, walnuts, honey, and berries to your menu.
Whether It’s Convenient Or Not, Maintaining Your Health Should Come First
Many people find take out foods more convenient. However, you should make your own health your priority as what you eat will impact your productivity. When you substitute greasy, high carb food with fresh vegetables and fruits at breakfast and lunch, you will be amazed to find yourself more energetic, and your brain activity becoming sharper. Follow the principle of walking a mile after dinner. Then, give your body time to cool down before going to bed. Switch off electronic devices at least half an hour before bedtime to give your brain time to calm down.
Speed Up Your Metabolism to Get Energized for the Day Ahead
When you begin the day with exercise, you speed up your metabolism to get energized for the day ahead as more blood reaches your heart and brain. Speeding up your metabolism releases hidden energy; whereas a slow metabolism leaves you sluggish throughout the day. You may not have realized it, but when you exercise before beginning your work day, you tend to achieve more — for some almost twice as much — than you would normally. Apart from releasing inner energy, exercise is a great stress buster. So, you would be more relaxed as you go about your work, better able to focus, and better able to think through issues. At whatever level you are in the work chain, the organization you work for benefits more when you put in a finer effort. The ladies who run the home have an equal, if not greater need, to stay fit as the burden on them is both physical and mental.
Make a Conscious Effort to Stay in Shape
Walking or cycling to work in fair weather to taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator are some small, easy steps to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. This is vital for people who are unlikely to be able to squeeze in gym time to their schedule. Spend at least 10 hours on focused physical exercise every week to stay in shape if you are in your mid-40s. For youngsters and students, it is vital to have a regular, ideally daily, exercise schedule to boost their immune systems, relax jangled nerves which are constantly under exam and peer pressure, and ensure they grow up healthy young adults.
Make Fitness as Natural an Activity as Brushing Your Teeth or Bathing
Part of the reason that exercising gets sidelined is that it isn’t perceived as a natural activity on a par with brushing your teeth and bathing daily. Many people who developed orthopedic issues like spondylosis, stiff joints, or unstable knees have been shocked to hear their doctor say that these emerge from unhealthy posture, and lack of adequate or regular exercise. When you develop cardiac issues, the first thing your cardiologist tells you is to lose weight, and begin exercising. So, why do it only after some medical disaster strikes? Why not begin today, and prevent future health issues?
Maintain a workout diary:When you maintain a workout diary, you consciously set out a time for exercising. If you add details of the kind of exercise you do every day, then it would become easier to track if, and when, you have cheated on your schedule. You should also incorporate the reason why you missed a workout schedule, and what steps you took to rectify it. Further, it will help you define your fitness and health goals, which might keep changing as you achieve the smaller, more immediate, ones.
Indulge In an Activity You Enjoy
The easiest way to incorporate exercise and hectic physical activity into your daily routine is by indulging in some activity you enjoy. Apart from lowering your blood pressure and heart rate, it uplifts your mood. Since it compels you to breathe faster and deeper, it automatically improves the health of your lungs. Try dancing while dressing, or doing stretches while bathing. Do spot jogging, skip a rope, or take time out on the mat for some yoga. It will make your limbs more flexible, correct postural defects, strengthen the muscles surrounding your lungs and diaphragm, and leave you calmer as you work off all negativity.
Do this: There are certain exercises you can do while working at a desk. Since being desk bound for the major part of the day is a leading cause of several health issues; indulge in things like deep breathing or stretching your legs under the desk while at work. Stretching restores your knees’ flexibility. Just take short two minute breaks. The deep breathing will force more oxygen to the brain which releases dopamine and glutamate to drive away the fumes of tiredness, making you more alert and active. Say goodbye to fuzzy thinking, and become more creative.