Five Healthy Habits

Last week I was feeling extremely tired, weak and unmotivated. I slept about 7-8 hours a night and drank coffee like my life depended on it. I had foggy brain and the caffeine just wasn't working. I would jumble my words when I spoke and come home from work with absolutely. no. energy.

Frustrated with constantly feeling tired and weak, I decided to step back and take a look at the factors that could've been contributing to the problem. I went through the previous week in my head and wrote down everything. Everything I ate, how long I slept, what I was doing, etc.

There is only so much we can do when it comes to getting enough of the right vitamins and nutrients in a day. I'd honestly thought I was eating all the right foods, however it just wasn't enough when it came to vitamins.

Another thing I realized, (I had actually known for a while but finally accepted) is that I had stopped exercising. With the start of winter, a new job, a new class, and no gym membership, I had ceased all physical activity for a while.

Lastly, although I was getting about 7-8 hours of sleep every night, my schedule was all over the place. I would go to bed and wake up at all different times during the week. On weekends I was going to bed at 2am and waking up at 10:00am, and on weekdays I would go to bed at 11pm and have to wake up for 7am the next morning. My circadian rhythm was extremely thrown off.

Five things I changed about my daily routine that have positively affected my mood, energy and motivation over the past month!

1. Make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need.

Even if you're eating the right foods, chances are you are in need of at least one vitamin or mineral. Maybe you don't eat enough foods containing iron or vitamin B12. Whatever it is, it won't hurt to take a multivitamin. After taking "Vitafusion Womens Multivitamins" (not sponsored) religiously everyday, I felt a huge difference in my mood and mental clarity. (And to be honest, I like taking them because they taste like little candies. It's just an added bonus.)

2. DRINK WATER.

A lot of it. It not only works wonders for your skin, but it greatly effects your energy level and mood. I have started trying to drink 8 (8oz) glasses of water a day, and so far I actually see a difference in my skin hydration as well as my energy. I no longer come home from work exhausted and weak, but excited and can carry out activities even past work hours still feeling motivated and awake!

3. Exercise!

This makes a HUGE difference. Your body is not meant to slouch over in a chair all day long. Get the blood pumping and muscles contracting, it does SO much for your mood, energy, and metabolism. I've made a plan to get back into the gym and so far it has felt amazing! Even just working out for half an hour can really benefit your mood!

4. GET SLEEP!

This is a given. However, when you stick to a sleep schedule, it helps your body know when to sleep and when to wake up. I have been constantly going to bed within the same hour every night, and now I wake up at the same time no matter what day it is. My body's "internal alarm clock" says "time to wake up!" and won't allow any of this so called "sleeping in". Some people may find that to be kind of a bummer, but personally I love it because I can start early and get more out of my day!

5. Have a "wake up" plan that WORKS.

Okay, let's be honest. Not many of us like getting up in the morning. I always got that gut wrenching feeling whenever I heard my alarm go off. I decided if I wanted to start my day off on the right foot, I had to change how I was being woken up. I've always had a Bluetooth speaker, but failed to ever really use it other than when I had friends over. I took some time to explore the settings and features of the speaker and found that it actually has an alarm setting! I get to set the song I wanted to be played as my alarm. This. changed. everything. Eventually I began making entire playlists to wake up to so I wouldn't have to wake up to the same song every morning! I let the playlist run throughout my morning while I'm getting ready for the day and it not only wakes me up, but sets my mood for the rest of the day. This was probably the best lifestyle change I could have made in 2018. Now I wake up motivated, happy and excited as opposed to cranky, annoyed and trying to hit snooze every 5 minutes. I know some phones also have this capability, so don't think you need to go out and buy an expensive Bluetooth speaker just to wake up.

I hope this post helped you in some way! Leave a comment or question on the "About me" page if you have any tips and tricks you like! I'm always looking for ways to self-improve and grow so please feel free to share :).

#Healthy #sleep #energy #motivational #Positive #vibes