Mindset - Healthy Habits Breed Success

If we want to be even more productive in any line of work, we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves. Small steps bring amazing results.

We all know what we should be eating or doing every day to make us feel good, but we can often find excuses like ‘I’m too busy’ or ‘I don’t have time’ that stop us from taking the plunge! However, if we want to breed success, we need to start showing up for ourselves – we deserve it. What makes this even better is the fact that we can start small with ‘habit stacking’ activities. For example, if your drink of choice on a morning is a coffee, then take your coffee outside and get the light on your eyes. This will not only boost your mood by producing more serotonin, but it will also help you sleep better that night as it tells your body to start producing melatonin 12 hours later, so it’s a win win! Regulating your circadian rhythm is crucial for great quality sleep allowing you to be more alert through the day and therefore more productive. In fact, even if you work in an office or behind a desk at home all day, you need to try to get outside over lunch or in the afternoon as it’s not just nature that helps boost our mood and reduce anxiety but the sunlight and fresh air too.

 Before we delve any deeper into sleep and mood boosting habits let’s look at other examples of healthy habits for success:

1)    Move your body:
Wake up 20mins earlier and do stretches in the garden or go for a walk around the block. This improved circulation will help blood flow and detox everything from hormones, toxic chemicals from foods and the environment we live in, along with clearing negative thoughts. A walk or getting outside after lunch has also been shown to reduce blood sugar spikes, which helps to maintain steady energy levels, increasing your productivity throughout the day.

2)    Breathwork:

Wim Hof breathing for 10 minutes will boost the oxygen flowing round your body and increase blood to the brain. This not only calms down the nervous system but improves energy levels and clarity. Breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 6 seconds at certain times of the day can also help regulate the body and mind and find your ‘zen’ again – especially following a stressful call or email. I like to do this on the sofa in the evening to create a calm mind before going to bed.

3)    Relaxation:

Waking up, getting outside with a cuppa and reading is a great way to start the day. Our stress hormone cortisol is at it’s highest first thing in the morning to get us out of bed, which is why they say have a coffee mid morning so not to raise this any higher first thing. Coffee can be great but it’s all about timing around our bodies natural rhythm. So a warm drink and a good book in the garden can really help calm the cortisol stress levels and allow us to step into the day feeling calmer and ready for anything. I love to read motivational books which I find really uplifting and help give me a positive thought for the day. I often tell others what I learnt and the uplifting ripple spreads.

These are just a few areas to think about adding in, if you don’t already, but try to add just one at a time and add it to a habit to make sure it’s as easy as possible to achieve. Personally, I think sleep, movement, breathwork and relaxation are absolutely key to create a clear mind and positive outlook for the day.

Some of my favourite go tos are Gary Brecka, the human biologist who loves getting sunlight first thing and doing breathwork, often barefoot whilst grounding. The DOAC, where Stephen Bartlett has interviewed him recently, is a great place to start along with Brecka’s Instagram and his own Podcasts. He loves a cold dip, as does Wim Hof! The Wim Hof app helps guide you through his breathwork routines along with his amazing yoga stretches and cold showers. There’s also Wim’s TV series with Holly Willoughby from a couple of years ago, ‘Freeze the Fear’, where he shows how the cold and breathwork really help clear the mind and build resilience in all areas of your life. He overcame his own ‘healthy mind’ challenges by building these activities into his routine.

Roxie Nafousi is also great to follow for clearing out the old and building new healthy habits. She encourages us to align our behaviour to what it is that we want by:

1)    Stepping out of our comfort zone and being clear on why we want to.

2)    Remove self sabotaging thoughts and excuses.

3)    Never give up and find our grit and determination.

4)    The 5 second rule when you feel the fear – count down from 5, take a breath and do it anyway, 4,3,2,1...GO!

Another favourite book of mine is The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I still think of his message each morning – SAVERS! This simple acronym is a great reminder and can be done in those 10-20mins first thing. Or he encourages us to get up earlier and extend each one! Hal also has loads of resources on his website and YouTube.

Silence

Affirmation

Visualisation

Exercise

Reading

Scribe (Writing/ journalling)

‘Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualise not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualising the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.’

Cherie Carter-Scott

The body and mind are totally connected and if you work on one they both benefit. Healthy habits are uplifting and help create a healthy attitude in all areas, allowing you to raise your vibe and bring a positive mindset to your day. The challenges will still be there, but we will be better equipped to deal with them. Now breath…ahh…and relax.

Kate Dawson