I love the snooze button. But I hate the person who invented it. If you’re like me, there is no better place to be than under the covers on cold mornings. However, sleeping in is not a strategy for success. With that said, I have tried many methods and have found some great strategies for getting up quickly and easily.
Go to Bed When You’re Tired
Sounds like common sense but there is a little more to this strategy. I’ve read articles on sleep that say you should go to bed at the exact same time every night. This is nonsense! Mostly because depending on your day’s activities, your energy usage will greatly vary from day to day. When heading to bed make sure you are tired enough to fall asleep within 5 minutes. If it takes longer than a few minutes to drift off, you are wasting your time. Conversely, if you rob yourself of sleep by postponing bedtime you may throw off your sleep cycle and wake up tired.
Wake Up At the Same Time Everyday
Standardizing your wake up routine is key for easy mornings. If you wake up at random times (which you probably do now) your circadian rhythm will be in constant disarray. By waking every day at the same time your brain will be subconsciously trained to prepare for waking at your desired time. Personally, I have found that I am so accustomed to waking at 6am that sometimes I wake up a few seconds or minutes before the alarm goes off. Which is slightly eerie but definitely a reinforcement that this strategy works for me.
Furthermore, if you had less sleep than desired during the previous night, you will simply become tired sooner that day. And, in turn, want to head to bed sooner. Therefore your circadian rhythm will begin to self-regulate more accurately and your sleep cycle will find an equilibrium on a daily basis. [click to continue…]
Two years ago, the book Green For Life completely changed my life and lifestyle. No joke. Before I read the book, I had a typical western diet and unfortunately, my health followed suit. I was constantly tired and constantly sick with colds, head aches and other illnesses. It was no fun and from my experience, this is a normal lifestyle for most Americans. After the second reading of the book in under a week, I was prepared to take the leap into my first green smoothie.
What Makes It Healthy?
In one word: Assimilation.
Our teeth and digestive system are not designed to harness the extraordinary benefits of greens, fruits and seeds to the fullest. For instance, if you watch our evolutionary siblings (primates) eat, they chew and grind their food for a very long time. This crushes the greens before swallowing. Since we usually fail to thoroughly chew our food, our digestive system cannot properly assimilate the nutrients. Therefore, most greens pass right through us. By blending greens, we simulate the thorough grinding action of primate-like chewing.
Don’t believe me? Head to the nearest zoo, check out a gorilla’s diet, then challenge the gorilla to a weight lifting contest… Good Luck!
My First Green Smoothie
I perused the aisles of Whole Foods and decided to buy some romaine, frozen strawberries, mangoes and fresh bananas. Against the recommendation in the book to have a good blender, I dusted off my $20 blender and added the ingredients. About 2.3 seconds into the blending, a loud clunk followed by smoke told me I should have bought a new blender. Undaunted I ordered a Vita-Mix – now extremely determined to make a green smoothie. [click to continue…]
“Vegetarian – that’s an old Indian word meaning ‘lousy hunter.’”
- Andy Rooney
Living healthy is an important variable in an entrepreneurial lifestyle. I try to eat as much fresh, raw and organic produce as possible. However, this is not cheap. By utilizing these ten tips you will not only save your health, you will save your wallet:
1. Buy flash-frozen fruits and vegetables
When it comes to buying fresh vs. frozen fruits and veggies the only consideration is the nutrient content. However, the small loss of nutrients in a flash-frozen fruit or green is insignificant and thus makes a great alternative for buying fruits, especially varieties that are out of season. Also, frozen fruits are ideal for smoothies.
2. Not everything needs to be organic
(prelude: while the fact that organic is always better for the environment, it’s just not always better for the wallet) There is a common misconception that all produce needs to be organic, while in fact there are many options in which non-organic will suffice if cash flow is tight. One such example is a banana in that the peeling helps protect the inner fruit from any pesticides or other harmful chemicals used in the growing and distribution process. Conversely, keep your items such as leafy greens, berries, and other produce that would have direct contact with the outside world should stay as organic as your budget allows.
3. Farmer’s markets
If you shop at your local farmer’s market, not only will you help save the environment and support your community, you can find extremely good prices. A tip to keep in mind is the later in the day you attend the market, [click to continue…]
