Personal productivity depends on being strong and healthy, in mind and body. But sometimes, wellness practices are the things that get thrown by the wayside when you’re focusing on building your business. You know what we’re talking about – cooking your own food instead of hitting the drive-through, actually going to those yoga classes you claim to attend, practicing relaxation techniques before you reach the break-down stage, visiting your health care practitioners on a regular schedule – those sorts of wellness practices. You might be surprised to know that countless women, in spite of eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and scheduling lots of “fun” activities, still suffer from insomnia, irritability, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, depression, and problems with their cycles.
According to a recent report from Price Waterhouse Coopers LLP, consumers are focusing on health and wellness. Does that surprise you that it’s a newer trend? After all, didn’t many of us live through the workout craze of the 80s? This isn’t new, or is it? What is different is the shift toward functional foods. Functional foods are foods fortified with nutrition to promote better health and foods that possess disease-preventing qualities. So it should come as no surprise that consumers desire healthful foods that are convenient and loaded with as much nutritional value as they can find. What hasn’t changed is the consumer’s desire to have all the health benefits without changing their behavior. As much as we’d really like to believe we can get something for nothing, it doesn’t work like that. You have to take charge of your health, just like you take charge of your business.
Our eating habits are often affected by our stress levels, and poor nutrition further compounds stress. Stress is the fuel that keeps our motivation going, when present in moderation. Stress is a part of everyday life, but the foods you eat can help support a healthy body and a healthy mind, good sleep, an active sex life, and a greater sense of satisfaction and well-being. Eating junk food, eating too much, or skipping meals may be symptoms of stress and may be an indication that you are out-of-balance.
One woman relates the following story that illustrates the predominant mindset in our culture: “While working at a large consulting firm several years ago, my boss appointed me to an innovative life-balance committee because he believed I was a role model for life balance since I was working 70 hour weeks while simultaneously training to run in the Los Angeles Marathon. He thought I exuded life balance because I made time for work and play, but the truth was, I was out of balance because the “get adequate rest and sleep” part of the equation was missing. For the two weeks following the LA Marathon, I was limping around the office at work because I tried to sprint the marathon without adequate preparation and rest.”
Sound familiar? Who’s rewarding you for wearing yourself out? Are you pushing too hard, and going past your limits routinely? In spite of knowing what you should be doing to take care of yourself, you might be starting to skip meals and grabbing less nutrient-dense foods because of stress affecting you at work. Stress causes wear and tear on our bodies through aches and pains and illnesses of both the mental and physical variety. Stress increases your vulnerability to accidents, flu season, insomnia, depression, and a host of other ills.
Don’t be a victim to poor health. Try to get to the root of the problem that is causing stress. When you feel stress building, stop and listen to your body, and then do something proactive to diffuse some of the stress. A massage, a nap, a little exercise, or a well-balanced fresh meal can work wonders in alleviating stress, bringing you back into balance, and helping you maintain your focus and energy.
To continue learning more about how to improve your wellness and productivity, please join Loni Anderson, L.Ac, Licensed Acupuncturist, Karen Doolittle, Creative Cooking Consultant, and Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, for “Wellness 360: Maximizing Productivity, Energy, and Well-Being” on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., in Culver City. RSVP here
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