If you’re just joining the Bare Minimum Mondays posts, here’s the premise…
Action always gets more results than ideas. (Related to this: the thing you do is better than the thing you don’t do, progress is better than perfection, consistency, even with something small, is more effective than occasional bursts of excellence).
Every Monday, we send out things to try in four areas: movement (exercise), nutrition, sleep, and stress management. These are, without question, the four most powerful tools available for tackling a massive number of maladies. The goal isn’t for you to do all of them forever. It’s not even for you to do all of them this week. The goal is to give you enough things to try that you can find a couple that stick, and then for you to have some intentionality in each of those areas that you can stick with for the rest of your life.
Take what you need, discard the rest.
Let’s get into it.
Move
Set a 5-minute timer to dance to your favorite song. Free movement (like dancing; as opposed to things with rigid technique rules) is helpful for recovery, especially for sore and stiff muscles, improves cardiovascular health, expresses full range of motion in joints, and, as a bonus, improves mood. Dance by yourself with the lights off if you’re self conscious.
Eat
Add a handful of nuts to a snack or meal. Tree nut consumption is linked to better heart health. Read more HERE.
Sleep
Expose yourself to natural light within an hour of waking. Research suggests that early light exposure improves circadian rhythm and sleep efficiency. Read more HERE.
Manage
Set a 1-minute timer and list everything you’re grateful for. Gratitude practices are consistently associated with improved mood and well-being. There’s a reason that nearly every religious and spiritual tradition in the world includes it.