Tag Archive for: healthgram

7 Sure Strategies for Women to Increase and Cultivate Their Energy and Focus in Their Forties and Fifties.

What the heck is going on with my energy?

Do you often wonder where your energy has gone? I have been pondering that with great frustration throughout most of my 40s but recently have been reflecting and brain storming on the positive possibilities.

I was up early yet again today, brain on, thinking of you and how I could best share my thoughts and learnings….Here is the brain dump for you….

Last night I had a fleeting visit with a friend (we don’t see each other nearly enough & perhaps we should!), she was on her way to work and I was off to bed.

Our conversation is one I have more than you may think with women like us in our forties and fifties.

The Conversation…

Here is the stream of our chat with my thoughts in brackets.

 

It is so great to see you! – You too….It has been too long! – How have you been feeling? – Ugh, ok, my creativity and focus seem to have gotten lost. – Yeah, I hear you, I am tired a lot and have so much on. – How do you spark your creativity? – (Wait….did I listen to her answer…..slow your brain down Char, listen, really listen, breathe) – I had this shoot I was on for several days, one of them from dusk until dawn and the day after I felt ill and had to be in bed. – Oh gosh, that sounds intense, I know how you feel as when I have a big day now, either on the computer, on my feet etc, my next day is like that too. I feel I have been hit by a truck. I find my body needs more days of rest and I recognize I can’t push through those longer days like I used to as there are consequences the following few days. I know sometimes there is a job we need to get through but maybe we can plan those tasks in better ways? Or accept that the rest we need will be longer. Our bodies do change in each of our decades of life. How are you doing saying no to things and people lately? – ‘friend makes a cringey face’ Well, not great but I am trying! – That is a great start!

 

We went on to discuss other things, some funny that I will share another time. As you can see even though I work in health and fitness I still struggle with things. I am by no means perfect! More and more lately I am realizing that life is a constantly shifting journey similar to how the ocean continually reshapes a beach and shoreline. We need to find ways to change and adjust with ourselves as our bodies change. Does that make sense? Each day our bodies change, grow, break down, rebuild. And excitingly we are learning more about the plasticity of our brains (how they can change over our lifetimes). The two are inextricably linked!

 

I wanted to share this with you to remind you that we do have choices in how we live our lives. There are ways we can fine tune each week, even minor adjustments that can help us to feel more rested and increase our energy, focus and creativity.

 

Small changes can have big impacts!

 

Here are a few things to try in the coming weeks and months to increase your energy, focus and concentration:

The 7 Strategies…

  • START SAYING NO to things that you know will zap your energy, or can be deferred to another time. Be kind to those you are saying no to and if you are comfortable go so far as to explain this is to help you keep your balance in your life for the moment.

 

  • SAY YES to things that nurture and build your energy. What are those things for you? A workout or activity of some kind? Eating the right foods for you? Taking micro rest breaks in a day? List some of your energy giving practices in the comments.

 

  • CONNECT WITH FRIENDS when you can. Like my story above you may find someone going through the same as you. I find sharing our experiences very empowering as we learn from and support one another and know we are not alone.

 

  • ACCEPT that as we get further into our lives that our bodies can take longer to recovery. Plan accordingly. I have several friends who recognize this and now slot in appropriate rest days after a big event, race, work day, presentation, family function etc. This to me is part of life and something we can embrace in a positive way. It took me awhile to see this and feel ok with it. It is just reality and using this knowledge can be used to our advantage and make us more powerful.

 

  • STOP…pushing yourself into the ground week after week! I give you permission….Using this all or nothing, on the go all the time approach will never allow you to top up your energy gas tank. Honestly you will continue feeling like crap, energy in the basement. Being clever about slipping in your own rest and recovery practices each week will help you to build your healthy reserves so your gas tank always has fuel to work with.

 

  • REFLECT on what practices in your life may be zapping your energy and have a break from those. My example is alcohol. As some of you know, I love a glass of wine but last year I found I needed a break. (More on the deeper reasons for this in another post soon.) I am now on day 122 alcohol free. This has helped me to feel refreshed most mornings, be a better listener (I hope), increase my fitness levels and feel stronger. What is something you know down deep is taking your energy? Time to shift or change it?

 

  • SEE AND ACKNOWLEDGE that our lives are a shifting journey and find ways to go with the flow. This is a tough one for me as I like being organized and in control but I am finding my way and I hope you will come on this journey with me.

What I know to be true and real…

What I know to be true through my experience with my clients, myself and with my knowledge of the human body is that we can live vibrant, fulfilling, fun lives filled with energy as we go through our chapters of life.

  • To make this happen I believe as we get into our forties and fifties we must be reflective (think and see what we feel and need), fine tune our practices accordingly and be consistent with these practices.

 

I look forward to your comments on the original IG post here with answers to some of the questions I have posed. If you prefer get in touch privately. Let’s live well together!

Email me at charlene@charlenehutsebaut.com

Charlene

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21 Essential Sleep Practices to Help You Get a Better Night’s Rest

Reflect on your sleep quality & habits to reap the benefits!

Good quality sleep and enough of it for you is essential for recovery, rebuilding and regeneration over night. Sleep gives our minds and bodies time to replenish for you to come back stronger and more resilient the next day. You will benefit from better focus, energy, concentration, fitness and so much more.

Over the years I have worked with many clients who struggle to sleep. In our time together we explored many options to find best sleep practices for them. I am pleased to share this well rounded list of tips & practices for you to explore & use from our experience and current research.

The Sleep Practices, Tips & Tools

  1. Reflect on your optimal range of hours of sleep. After what amount of time do you wake feeling refreshed and ready to go? Research shows that 7-9 hours sleep helps humans function well cognitively the next day. Remember you may be an outlier at either end of this range. The important information here comes from you and your body knowledge. 
  2. Set an earlier bed time.
  3. Develop a pre-bed routine. Pack your morning bag & lunch, brush & floss your teeth, prepare your bedroom (pull blinds, switch on the bedside lamp, generally make the room feel cozy – make this a ritual).
  4. Stop refined sugar & caffeine well before 4pm. These are both stimulants so can keep you awake.
  5. Exercise earlier in the day, especially high to medium intensity sessions. 
  6. Use gentle forms of pilates, yoga or stretch sessions to help you relax & prepare for sleep. (As long as these calm rather than stimulate you. 
  7. Use meditation, breathing or visualisation techniques in the evening.
  8. Shut off emails & technology 2-3 hours before bed. A tough one but I have heard clients sense of relief on this one over and over. I always say…”The work will still be there in the morning.”
  9. Get an old fashioned alarm clock.
  10. Keep phones in kitchen or living room shut off overnight.
  11. Switch off WiFi overnight.
  12. Understand what is the best temperature range in your bedroom for you to sleep comfortably.
  13. Choose covers & sheets to help you sleep comfortably.
  14. Put up black out blinds.
  15. Try a better pillow. Consult with a doctor or physio here on what you need. 
  16. If drinking a lot of liquid in the evening stimulates you needing a pee overnight, drink your fluid intake earlier in the day.
  17. Enjoy a camomile or valerian tea in the evening. (If these don’t stimulate you needing a pee overnight! 😀)
  18. Save serious conversations for the next day. 
  19. Have a notepad beside your bed in case you wake up in the night with an idea you want to save. 
  20. Take a magnesium tablet before bed. This is an essential mineral which has a calming effect amongst other great benefits! You can also add magnesium rich foods to your daily food intake. Check in with your nutritionist, nutritional therapist or dietician before taking any supplements. Dark leafy greens. Seeds and nuts (almonds, cashews, sesame & sunflower seeds). Squash, brocolli. Legumes. Unprocessed whole grains 
  21. Deal with stress in your life.  

Try one or two of these this week…

Mix and match these practices until you find what works best for you.I would love to know which of these practices work for you or if you have any not listed you feel would benefit others. Share them with me in a tweet @positivelyslim

Sleep well my friends.

Charlene