| Five Little Changes That Could Really Change | | | | The easiest commitment to make is a |
| Your Life | | | | commitment to good hydration. Most people need |
| | | | two liters of water a day... so just get a half-liter |
| How's your energy? | | | | water bottle and make a commitment today to |
| Maybe you're going through one of those "busy | | | | fill and drain it four times throughout your day. |
| times" when it seems tough to maintain your | | | | Some people don't think sleep belongs on this list. |
| personal health. Maybe you just took on a big | | | | "I'll sleep when I'm dead," I've heard people quip. |
| project at work. Maybe you're getting a new | | | | Sure, when you're a hard-charging leader or |
| business off the ground, or even dealing with | | | | entrepreneur you don't spend a lot of time |
| some important things in your family life. And if | | | | sleeping... but I bet you've realized during hectic |
| two of these "stressors" hit at once, it can be | | | | times that you're not getting enough sleep. This is |
| very difficult not to slide into a pattern of poor | | | | actually one of the most crucial health habits, and |
| health habits... yet these are the times during | | | | definitely belongs on the list. Your body must |
| which you most need to be at your vital, | | | | recharge, and it's often lack of sleep that causes |
| energetic best! | | | | your body's chemical make-up (especially |
| You need to take personal responsibility to | | | | regarding cortisol) to start creating bad things like |
| protect your vitality. Take charge today; make | | | | bloating and weight-gain. Once you get a bad |
| five commitments, even little ones, to new health | | | | disease, you may not be able to sleep your way |
| habits that will help you take back your energy. | | | | back to wellness; but sleep definitely helps your |
| The five most important habits I refer to as The | | | | body keep from developing illnesses. Make a |
| NEWSS: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sleep, and | | | | commitment to add 30 minutes a night to your |
| Supplements. | | | | sleep time. If you can get an extra hour, that's |
| When you're busy and/or stressed, your diet is | | | | even better. Eventually you will need at least eight |
| often the first thing to go. These are the times | | | | hours a night, but today, commit to that extra |
| people tend to eat for convenience more than | | | | half-hour, whatever it takes. If you can't set your |
| nutrition, and often just to have something to | | | | alarm for half-an-hour later, get to bed earlier. It |
| comfort them when they're worried or anxious. | | | | might help to take a natural sleep aid (such as |
| Are you eating a lot of garbage these days? | | | | Valerian herb) to help you maximize the amount |
| Make a commitment today to cut out one bad | | | | of time you spend actually sleeping. |
| snack a day. Just one. If you have the time to | | | | Finally, make a commitment to supplement your |
| find some real-food treat to replace it, like a piece | | | | body with the things your hectic lifestyle isn't |
| of fresh fruit or some raw veggies, great. But | | | | providing. You need vitamins. I recommend a liquid |
| simply refusing to eat that one bag of chips or | | | | nutraceutical that has everything you need and is |
| drink that one can of pop per day is a good start. | | | | very easy for your body to absorb and use. Even |
| It's also a cinch that you're not exercising | | | | if it means just taking a store-bought |
| regularly... not if you feel you don't have the time. | | | | multi-vitamin, get something, and commit to taking |
| How can you get your heart-rate at least a little | | | | it every day (or with every meal). |
| higher for a few minutes each day? Eventually | | | | Stress can be a killer, but we need to |
| you want to get to a point where you've | | | | acknowledge that it's also a necessary part of life. |
| developed (or redeveloped) a strong habit of | | | | To put it bluntly, you don't get paid NOT to have |
| exercise, where at least five days a week you | | | | stress in your life. Part of why you haul down the |
| are raising your heart rate to its aerobic target | | | | big bucks is that you do get paid, in a manner of |
| (roughly 220 beats per minute minus your age) | | | | speaking, for stressing yourself. So accept that, |
| and keeping it there at least 15 minutes... as a | | | | and then work on the five habits you need to |
| minimum. Today, make a commitment to remind | | | | add to your day to make sure you live long |
| your body of what exercise feels like by taking | | | | enough to enjoy the fruits of your labor! There's |
| the stairs instead of the elevator once a day, or | | | | plenty to worry about in today's world, from the |
| parking at the far end of the parking lot and | | | | global economy to political changes to the simple |
| walking briskly into the office. Maybe you can grab | | | | day-to-day stress of running a household. But if |
| ten or fifteen minutes to take a fast walk at | | | | you make a commitment - even a small one - to |
| lunchtime, before you eat. Whatever you choose, | | | | change the five NEWSS habits in your own day, |
| make a commitment. Build it into your daily | | | | you can take back the energy you need to |
| routine. | | | | handle it all. |