Exercise:
“Time to get moving if you don’t already keep an exercise routine.” One thing that helps me is to just think about exercise as moving my body. I tell myself, “I’m just moving my body for the day.,” Then, once I get going, I’m usually up for pushing myself a bit harder.
Some great news about exercise is we don’t have to dedicate a ton of time to achieve amazing benefits. I’ve heard lots recently that short, high intensity bursts of movement (thirty seconds of maximum effort with ninety seconds of recovery) is highly effective for achieving amazing health and fitness. Dr. Brogan suggests starting with five to ten minutes of burst exercise and working up to twenty minutes at least three times a week, 5 to 6 times a week is ideal.
Rest and Relaxation:
We all no how much sleep, or lack of sleep affects us. If we don’t get enough ZZZs, we’re grumpy and have to eat more to help our bodies feel normal. To be our best, we need to prioritize sleep. “Go to bed and get up roughly the same time daily, no matter what, even on the weekends.” Dr. Brogan suggests keeping your bedroom, “quiet, dark, and electronic free.”
Regular sleep also helps ward off depression.
Dr. Brogan says, “Time your last meal smartly: Leave at least three hours between dinner and bedtime so your stomach is settled and poised for you to go to sleep. Avoid late-night eating. If you need a bedtime snack, try a handful of nuts.”
A word about exercise and depression:
I get the occasional winter blues. It hit me hard last winter, and it hit me early this winter. I can usually feel it coming on and know how to fight it off, but that doesn’t mean I always do what I should. The thing is if I am feeling depressed, the last thing I want to do is workout. Depression=I’m moving as little as possible. Without regular exercise, we could end up in a spiral of “I don’t want to work out, and then feeling worse because we don’t.
I was skipping my workouts because I felt like I was too busy at work, and told myself I would prioritize exercise when things calmed down. But, like I said, I got hit hard and early with the winter blues. I talked to my sister/therapist about it. She asked me if I was working out and I confessed that I hadn’t been because I’d felt too busy. “Well,” She said, “you can either spend time working out, or you can spend time crying.” Obviously, I keep her around for a reason.
I’ve recommitted to regular exercise. I’m probably getting in a half and hour, 5 times a week. And my winter blues are far, far away.
I hope this helps and motivates.
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