All Day Long

Last week I started a summer internship for KSL, working with the HR department to create a wellness program for the employees. I already love it and am so excited for what the summer will bring!

With that internship, though, comes sitting at a desk from 9 to 5. This is my first time ever doing a desk job like that for a full day. So based off my large amount of experience (ha) I thought I'd share some things that we should ALL be doing ALL DAY LONG, whether you have a desk job or a busier day.

1. Drink Water: I take a water bottle with me to work and make a goal to drink it all the way once before lunch and once before I leave to go home. There are so many benefits to drinking water, and having a water bottle at my desk makes it easy.

2. Move: Every hour or so I make sure I take a break. Sometimes that means simply standing up and stretching, or other times I go walk a couple flights of stairs to get my body moving. It is good for your body and your mind!

 

3. Eat: You've heard me talk about eating small meals throughout the day and never skipping breakfast. Lots of people skip meals and end up eating their largest meal at night. Even if you aren't going over your calorie limit for the day from that late night meal, you're cheating yourself of extra burn during the day. Without fuel, your metabolism will slow down to the slowest it can go. So when you eat breakfast on the run, skip lunch and then get home and eat a big meal...you just revved up your metabolism for a few short hours before bed. Think about how much more you could be burning if you kept your metabolism up all day. So eat a good breakfast, eat small snacks through the day, and come home to a normal sized dinner of lean protein and vegetables. 

 

4. Smile & Laugh: Enjoy what you do, or find things that you can enjoy even if you're not the happiest in your current situation. Life is too short to not smile and laugh your way through it. 

~What do you do every day that helps you live a healthier life?

 

Happiness and Health

It has been proven that happiness, or similar mental states like hopefulness, optimism and contentment, appear to reduce the risk of several diseases, colds and infections.

Laughter can promote increase in heart rate and respiration rates and can reduce levels of stress hormones.

So it’s clear that our mental health greatly effects our physical health. So maybe we should take a little time to focus on that, just like we do exercise and eating right…right?

Here are some tips on how to enhance that aspect of our lives”

1. complete required tasks: This makes me think of how much I love crossing things off a to-do list. You can build self-efficacy (the confidence you have in completing things successfully) by learning new things and completing them.

2. form realistic expectations: If you expect perfect grades, a steady stream of Saturday-night dates, and the perfect job, you may be setting yourself up for failure. So look at what your goals are and set reasonable, yet challenging ones.

3. make time for you – Take time to do something you enjoy each day, whether it be for 10 minutes or for an hour

4. maintain physical health through exercise – Regular exercise fosters a sense of well-being. You treat your body well and you will learn to love it more and more

5. get adequate sleep – Our bodies need and deserve rest to conserve energy for the daily things. Also, when you sleep your body restores many of the neurotransmitters it uses during waking hours…kind of important!

These are just a few things to focus on to help your mental health. #4 just proves how working on each aspect of health in a reasonable way: mental, social, physical, spiritual, emotional, we in turn help other aspects.

What are you doing to do to help yourself today?