by Michael Plank
Move
Stand up and stretch for 30 seconds every hour at work. Any stretching is fine. The point isn’t to get the exact right yoga pose, it’s to move your body. Breaking it up and linking it to something like a one-hour mark at work can be an easy way to get it in.
Eat
Swap out white bread for a whole grain option. There’s nothing inherently wrong with white bread (or white rice or regular pasta). But whole grains are definitely more nutrient dense; largely because they tend to be higher in fiber. For one meal this week, get in whole grains instead of more refined grains.
Sleep
Keep a notepad by your bed to jot down late-night thoughts. Writing down thoughts before bed can improve sleep by reducing nighttime rumination. Much of what we call “thinking” at night is actually getting stuck in mental loops that play over and over in our heads. Writing them down organizes those thoughts and gets them out of our heads and onto paper, which can calm our brains down enough to prep them for sleep. (Note: this works any time, but because sleep is the goal here, pen and paper is better than screens for this).https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-015-9688-3
Manage
Listen to your favorite music for 10 minutes to relax. Research in Psychoneuroendocrinology shows that listening to music reduces cortisol levels and stress. Read more HERE.