HOW TO START, AND END THE DAY THE RIGHT WAY
90 Seconds will change your day!
HOW TO START AND END THE DAY THE RIGHT WAY.
How we start the day is critical to how we will feel throughout the day. Just as how we end the day is critical to how we will sleep. But do we know what it is exactly that we should be doing?
There is a plethora of information available to us about what we should be doing, eating, thinking, feeling. And just as much about who we should be, what we should have, and do and by what age. Let alone what we should look like. So how we do really know what is best for us and can help us each and every day?
Well the answer is actually really rather simple.
Here in the UK the advice is:
Never skip breakfast
Walk 10,00 steps per day
Exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week
Eat 5 portions of fruit or vegetables per day
Get 8 hours sleep per night
And I don’t disagree with this advice at all. However I also know that following this advice doesn’t mean that anyone person will always feel happy and confident. This is in part because it doesn’t address mental well-being directly, (although I grant you, less than 8 hours sleep and you’ll soon enough feel the effects).
But what if I told you you can burn extra calories without having to do any extra exercise? Well, read on and I promise you all will be revealed without the need for gimmicks, and in fact it may even cost you less money!
The great and exciting news is that a number of recent studies have shown the importance temperature plays in our lives. Whether we are hot or cold, and even what time of day it is, has a massive influence on our physical and mental well-being.
And so this is where how you start and end your day, will influence you day and night. A poor bedtime routine can lead to a poor nights sleep which means a bad start to the next day, which leads to a poor evening ad bed time routine etc etc, and so you can see how easily the cycle can start and perpetuate.
So what do you need to do today to start and end your day the right way?!
Control your temperature.
The modern world has got us very used to being warm all the time, in the same way it’s got us used to never being hungry. We don’t cope well with either of these states any more, and yet they are both very important and useful.
There is nothing wrong with feeling hungry and different points in the day, and equally there is nothing wrong with feeling cold sometimes either.
Feeling hungry, will kick start your metabolism and get your body burning up its fat stores between meals.
And feeling cold…well that just does your whole mind and body wonders! Studies have shown that keeping your house temperature at 14C rather than 17C+ will burn an extra 240 calories per day! Surely that’s an easy, and cost effective win?! (told you it wasn’t a gimmick!)
This is not about finding extra time or energy in your already busy day, it’s purely about controlling the ambient temperture.
But that’s during the day, so how do you use temperature to start and end your day the right way?
To start the day – it’s time for a cold shower! Yes, studies have shown that turning the temperature of your morning shower water right down for just 30 seconds will kick start your brain and body into action. Your brain will receive messages from all over your body telling it to wake up and start sending hormones and messages to the heart for blood asap! This in turn will get your body, and more importantly your metabolism, awake functioning and burning calories (remember that 75% of the calories you need everyday are spent kept your bodily systems and temperature in check, so all you’re doing here is giving it a morning boost).
Now if you can manage it, it’s even better to then crank the shower temperature right up and stand up to 30 seconds of hot water (be careful not to scold yourself) and then return to the cold once more. Giving you a 90 second cycle of cold, hot, cold. This alternating in extreme temperatures is basically a type of hydrotherapy that has been used for thousands of years, and is proven to strengthen the immune system, improve blood circulation and reduce stress levels.
To end the day – well its time to retire to you bedroom 30 minutes before you intend to sleep. Keep the lighting low, and stop watching TV or using any form of mobile device. And finally, kept the room temperature cool. Studies have shown that we sleep longer in our deep restorative sleep in cooler rooms than warm rooms. Warm rooms lead to restlessness during the night which means sleep patterns are disrupted and so we don’t wake up feeling restored in mind or body. Sleep is essential to mental and physical well-being, and it is not a commodity. So it’s time to get that window open and let in some fresh air either before, or during your sleep.
So in short, in order to start and end the day well, we need to toughen up and cool down. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘chill out’!
Wishing you a happy and confident day, with a cold start and a cool close.
Lydia x
If you would like help or support looking at the different areas of your life and what you can do to think and feel more happy and confident, get in touch.