Snack Your Way to a Healthy Summer

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Guest post by Ed Carter of Ablefutures.org

Did you know that unhealthy snacks can contribute to weight gain, mood swings, anxiety, and even depression? Not only do a number of common snack items contain unhealthy ingredients, but they also lack the nutrients people need: vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The absence of healthy fats and soluble fiber keeps your body from being able to absorb all that extra sugar and salt. The result? Spiking blood sugar levels that leave you feeling irritable, tired, and still hungry.

If you want to prevent the post-snack crash, ensure you are eating foods rich in protein, healthy bacteria, and plant-based nutrients. Here are some tips from My Fitness Reflections.

Why Protein?

Eating an adequate amount of protein is essential for our bodies and brains to function properly. High-protein foods including hard-boiled eggs, meat, lentils, and tofu help stabilize blood sugar levels and provide our bodies with the amino acids needed for cell growth and repair. While it may be difficult to ensure three protein-rich meals each day, you can ensure an ample supply of protein through snacks. You might be surprised to find that adding a bit more protein to your diet helps with weight loss, mood stabilization, and even hair growth.

Be Aware of ‘Gut Health’

The term “gut health” is used to describe the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and filter toxins, as per UC Davis Health. More specifically, the “gut” refers to the gastrointestinal tract that includes vital digestive features such as the mouth, stomach, small intestine, colon, and pancreas. Our gut accounts for 70 percent of our immune system and can either help or hinder a healthy lifestyle. If you want to keep your gut happy and healthy, bacteria-rich snacking can help.

Healthy gut bacteria are essential for the effective breakdown of food. Eating bacteria-rich foods (aka probiotics) can ensure that food moves through your body smoothly. Probiotics are found in a variety of foods, including kimchi, kombucha, tempeh, and buttermilk. If you are looking for a bacteria-rich snack for the road, try making your own gut-healthy guacamole using yogurt and/or sauerkraut. Your gut and body will thank you!

Plant-Based Nutrients

Fruits and vegetables are an essential component of a healthy diet. Not only are these foods low in calories, but they are also high in a number of nutrients including fiber, potassium, folic acid, and vitamins A and C. Plant-based nutrients help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, and decrease bone loss. You can also get heart healthy nutrients from certain vegetable oils. Fruits and vegetables also contain water, which can help you stay hydrated during the heat of summer.

Snack Garden

A snack garden consists of snackable fruits and vegetables, which is a perfect project for the summer. Decide what you want to grow, then plant the seeds and water the garden daily. Research ways to enrich your garden by using nutrient rich soil, and as Miracle Gro states, plants should still be fertilized during the summer months since that’s when they grow the most vigorously.

A garden not only makes an inviting outdoor buffet, it can be a delicious feast-for-the-taking for any animals in the area. To protect your garden, you’ll want to install a fence. Consult a professional for the right type and size needed for the wildlife you’re trying to keep out. If you’re not sure where to begin your search, online services can help you find a fencing company that has already been vetted and reviewed by others in your area.

If you want to make the most of your summer, start incorporating healthy snacks into your daily routine. Protein, probiotics, fruits, and vegetables can contribute to maintaining a healthy body and mind. While it may be difficult to make each individual meal perfectly balanced, it’s easy to ensure you consume healthy snacks. Now, get out there and start planning for a fun and snack-filled summer.

This article is brought to you by My Fitness Reflections, where I hope by sharing my fitness related experiences I can help others achieve their goals. My goal is to connect with other fitness lovers and inspire each other to reach our fitness goals. For more information, please contact me today!

Just Walk

The simple things can go a long way. We often ignore them for new trends or something fancy. If you want to improve your health, performance, or appearance all you need to do is walk. Just walk. It doesn’t have to be exaggerated or at a fast pace. Despite the different training methods I’ve used in my life, I always make time to go for a walk.

Walking to your fridge or to the car doesn’t count. I’m talking about walking continuously for a certain duration. Good things happen when you walk.

Benefits of Walking

Muscle recovery: Walking is great for muscle recovery because it gets blood flowing throughout your body. This blood flow reduces muscle soreness. Unlike other forms of cardio, it doesn’t lout much stress on your body or eat away at your muscle. The less stress you experience the better you can recover from the stress of training. You build muscle and stress when you’re recovering.

Fat loss: Walking is a simple but effective fat burning exercise. Anything that engages your entire body is good for fat loss. The best times to walk to maximize the fat burning benefits are first thing in the morning or right after a meal. First thing in the morning is great because your body only has fat as a fuel to burn due to you having an empty stomach.

Walking after eating a meal allows you to digest your food better. The more food you digest and absorb, the less that’s stored as fat.

Physical Performance: Walking can be beneficial to your physical performance as well. What makes walking so good for your physical performance is that it helps to reset your nervous system. This comes from the Contralateral nature of walking. Contralateral movements like walking use both hemispheres of your brain at the same time. Contralateral means when opposite limbs are working together like right hip and left shoulder and vice versa.

Walking can also be used as a test to improve physical performance. The way you walk says a lot about your ability to move. If your walking is unbalanced it can reveal what areas of your body need work. Another way walking can be used as a test is to see if you’re walking motion is contralateral. If it’s not then you may need to do some exercises like the leopard crawl.

If you want a simple ways to improve your overall health and fitness, just walk!

Head-to-Toe Health Strategies for Everyday Living

Guest Post by Ed Carter of ablefutures.org

Maintaining your health isn’t something that happens by accident. Instead, you have to make sound choices day-in and day-out, which may be easier said than done. Luckily, by embracing some simple strategies, you can improve your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing with relative ease. If you want to achieve better health, here are some straightforward methods that you can start using today.

Making Sleep a Priority

Getting enough sleep is essential for health and wellbeing. As you rest, critical body processes take place that help you recover from the demands of the day. Without enough sleep, those processes may not occur correctly.

Generally, the CDC says adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, though some may need up to 9 hours to feel rested and recharged. Make sure you allocate enough time to get the rest you need, and that you are getting quality sleep. If you aren’t sure, you might want to try a sleep tracking gadget to verify whether you’re sleeping deeply or not.

Additionally, if you wake up during the night frequently or are experiencing any signs of sleep disorders, seek out care from a medical professional. They can determine the cause of your sleep disturbances and create a treatment plan that will help you get the rest you need.

Reducing Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on the body and mind. Along with normal pressures, many people are still negatively impacted by the pandemic. Overall, the APA notes 78 percent of adults feel COVID-19 is a major source of stress in their lives.

When stress rises, it can take a toll, ultimately impacting your behavior in negative ways. Chronic stress can lead to or exacerbate anxiety and depression, along with other mental health conditions. Plus, it can harm the body, potentially increasing a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, and hypertension.

Finding ways to reduce stress is essential. Options like meditation, yoga and deep breathing are fairly simple to integrate into daily life. Making time for activities you enjoy and socializing may also have a positive impact. Pick up some stylish and comfortable clothes that leave you feeling great like leggings, pajamas, or a breathable dress.

If you have a fireplace in your home, building a fire can be a stress reliever. If you haven’t used your fireplace in a while, be sure to have it inspected by a professional. You’ll want to have your chimney swept as well. Search “chimney cleaners in my area” to find highly rated local chimney sweepers. Having your chimney swept typically costs around $225.

Getting Enough Exercise

Exercise is critical for many aspects of health and wellbeing. For example, exercise can improve the cardiovascular system, help people maintain a healthy weight, and reduce stress.

Generally speaking, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, or an equivalent combination of the two each week. Ideally, muscle-strengthening activities need to happen at least two days per week.

Receiving the Right Care

While caring for your health personally is a must, it’s also crucial to get the right medical care when you need it. Physicians and other healthcare providers are a critical part of the wellness equation, ensuring any health conditions are diagnosed and properly treated. Many medical facilities across the country are now offering telemedical care, so you can find support even if you can’t come in person for an appointment.

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The Best Time To Plant a Tree

“ The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now “ – Chinese proverb

If you plan on starting your fitness journey, start now. Don’t weight till the new year to do it. Don’t wait till tomorrow either. Do it today. The more you put off the less likely you’ll do it. When you say I’ll start something tomorrow, you’re programming tomorrow into your brain. When tomorrow comes, your brain still has the word tomorrow in mind.

That means if something unexpected happens or if something is taking up your time, the default part of your brain will kick in and push you to start your journey tomorrow again. If you can do something today, just do it. You can do something as simple as pushups to get in the mode. Start now!

Photo courtesy of: https://www.pexels.com/@lum3n-44775

How To Stay Fit During The Holidays

The holidays can be a very busy time for people. With the holiday shopping and events, it can be difficult to keep your normal workout regimen. This shouldn’t be an excuse to slack off. If you’ve been working your ass off all year, you don’t want to have most of it go to waste in a month. There are simple things you can do to at least maintain your fitness during holidays if you’re unable to stick to your regular schedule.

Short Workouts

If you have a lot going on during the holidays, your best bet to stay active is doing short workouts. One way to approach it is minimalist workouts. This means limiting the number of exercises you do in a workout. You can do as little as two exercises per workout. This will save you time and you won’t have to hop around using a bunch of equipment . My go to minimalist workout at the gym would be squats and deadlifts. Choosing this pair allows you to stay in one place throughout your workout

Sprints are another way to get in a short workout. This might be the easiest approach since it doesn’t require any equipment. All you need is an open field, a healthy body, and a fire in your belly. It’s one of the top exercises I recommend for busy people.

Don’t Drink Your Calories

This one takes discipline. With the different holiday events and meetings going on, you’ll often be tempted with lots of food. As someone who likes to pig out from time to time, I try to minimize the damage by not drinking my calories. Sticking to water will limit your overall caloric intake and help you get full faster, which will reduce how much you eat.

Stress Management

Stress management is crucial when trying to stay fit. The holidays can be a stressful time for a number of reasons. Too much stress can have a negative effect on your fitness and overall health. One way to keep stress in check is something I’ve already mentioned. Doing short workouts will significantly reduce the accumulation of workout related stress. This can come in handy if you have a lot going on this season. You can even replace one of your intense workouts for a yoga session.

Aside from shortened workouts, you can also do things like watching comedy, doing an artistic activity, or various breathing exercises. Keeping your stress in check will help you tremendously with maintaining the progress you’ve made.

If you have a busy holiday season there are still things you can do to stay fit and healthy. What are some ways you’re maintaining your fitness?

Photo courtesy of: https://www.pexels.com/@pixabay

Keeping Yourself Healthy When You’re Hustling on the Side

Guest post from Ed Carter of ablefutures.org.

Keeping Yourself Healthy When You’re Hustling on the Side

Unfortunately, many of us simply can’t get by on a single income. But, there is good news, and that is that it’s pretty easy to start a side hustle given our almost unrestricted access to the internet. Further, as individuals and businesses alike become more acclimated to outsourcing talent-specific tasks, such as graphic design and accounting, freelancing is no longer taboo. The biggest caveat here is that we often sacrifice our health for our wealth.

Don’t Put Yourself On The Backburner

Read that headline again: don’t put yourself on the back burner. No matter how much money you need, you’ll be most effective at earning it if you simply take care of yourself. This starts with prioritizing self-improvement and self-care. A few tips include:

• Read often. Reading is one of the best ways to keep your mind sharp. And, even more importantly, the right book can even inspire you to do more and be more.

• Get help when you need it. As a budding entrepreneur, you may find that you also have to outsource some heavy lifting in areas where you don’t have expertise. One area to consider here is when forming your LLC. Registering your business means understanding state regulations, and using a formation service such as ZenBusiness can help you establish your business legally in your state.

• Get enough sleep. You need sleep just as much as you need experience on the job. According to Corporate Wellness Magazine, sleep deprivation can affect productivity. When you’re trying to start a side hustle, this means that you will make less money comparatively than if you sleep at least seven hours every night.

Exercise And Nutrition Are Essential

Eating well and getting enough physical activity are important forms of self-care that deserve a special mention. While reading, getting help, and sleeping are also paramount to success, the way you fuel and flex your body matters the most.

Make a point to eat right each day. Depending on your size and activity level, this might mean you need anywhere from about 1,500 to 2,200 calories. You also want to get enough exercise, which, again, is dependent on you. 

Steer Clear of Stress

When you’re already stressed out about money, the last thing you want is to take on a side job that exacerbates your anxiety. After all, stress is terrible for your well-being. For this reason, choosing your part-time gig is something that requires lots of consideration. If you’re looking for something low stress, consider photography, massage, or marketing. Each of these may require additional training or education, but they might be worthwhile if you don’t want to wind up causing more harm to your mental health than you are adding money to your bank account.

Avoiding stress goes far beyond which type of side hustle you choose. If your home is cluttered, disorganized, and messy, it could lead to negative thoughts which will lead to tension. By removing clutter and deep cleaning your home (and keeping it clean), you’ll improve your focus.

A final piece of advice: Whether you choose to embark on a new side hustle or stick with what you know, start slowly. You don’t want to overwork yourself to the point where you are unable to effectively complete projects at your 40-hour-per-week job or your side hustle.

When money, or lack thereof, is causing you stress, and you’ve already taken measures to reduce your monthly expenses, you may have to take on a side job. But, don’t neglect yourself in the process. While you have to work to take care of your family and pay the bills, you also have an obligation to yourself to stay healthy, happy, and whole throughout the process.

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How Fitness Is Only One Part of Overall Self-Care

Guest post by Ed Carter of Ablefutures.org .

Fitness and exercise are an integral part of our health, but they aren’t the only ways we should look after ourselves. We need to find balance and ensure that we address every aspect of healthy self-care. From My Fitness Reflections, here are some ways you can incorporate looking after yourself in your daily routine.

Focus on Nutrition

What we eat plays a significant role in healthy living. Nutritious meals not only keep our metabolism up, but they also supply the fuel necessary to thrive. However, many of us take shortcuts when our time is limited or when we’re too tired to cook. That’s why it’s important to think ahead and plan your meals weekly to prevent a Wednesday pizza delivery or fast-food hamburger binge. Plot out a meal plan, gather all of your ingredients, and then spend a day prepping for the upcoming week so you have everything at hand and ready to go.

Meditate or Practice Mindfulness

We can feel our blood pressure rising when we experience prolonged stress, yet the effects can last much longer, even after our pulse settles. You might feel tired constantly, and not only from lack of sleep but from the stress itself. Your memory and your body can be affected, and you may see your weight begin to climb. All in all, stress is not a sustainable condition to endure, which is why it’s something we need to overcome. Two excellent tools for doing so are meditation and mindfulness, and while they are functionally different, they have the same goal: letting go of stress. Mindfulness is learning to be aware of your thoughts, choosing how to respond and retraining your brain to think positively, while meditation is the act of clearing out the mind to center oneself and be at peace. If one doesn’t work, then try the other.

Invest in a Wearable Gadget

Thanks to smart technology, you can stay on top of your health and fitness goals by wearing a fitness band or smartwatch. A fitness band isn’t just for exercise; it gathers all kinds of health-related data like how much sleep you get and what your heart rate is. Meanwhile, a smartwatch has the same features but also lets you send text messages and view notifications. Think about the features you’ll likely use on a regular basis, then choose a wearable device and a sturdy band that fit those needs. And of course, your phone can be a great fitness companion, too, so if you don’t want to invest in an additional device, you can always use an armband to comfortably incorporate your phone into your workouts.

Declutter to De-stress

A huge source of stress can occur in your home: clutter. Although it’s easier to accumulate unwanted items than it is to get rid of them, a cluttered space can only do harm to your health—you lose focus when there are too many distractions, it’s more difficult to find what you’re looking for, and you spend more time and energy trying to keep up with chores. Your home should be a sanctuary, and that can be achieved by keeping it tidy and organized. Need help with the tidying part? Search online for a local reputable cleaning service that charges a rate within your budget.

Find a Hobby

Another approach to combat the stress of everyday life and support well-being is by developing or engaging in a hobby. They give us something to do that isn’t work-related, provide us with occasions to look forward to, and give us an opportunity to meet other people with similar interests. Don’t think that because you tried one and didn’t enjoy it that there isn’t a hobby for you. From kayaking to geocaching and wine tasting or cheese making, you can find an activity that appeals to you and fits your lifestyle — it might just take some trial and error.

Get More Sleep

There’s no avoiding the consequences of sleepless nights, but the causes are varied. It could be due to certain foods, stress, or not maintaining a schedule — whatever the reason, self-care involves getting plenty of rest. To do so, start by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, including weekends. Unwind before bed without an alcoholic beverage, a heavy meal, or technology that can stimulate the brain. Lastly, to really improve your slumber, keep your room cool and use an eye mask or noise machine to help stay asleep longer.

Spend Time with Loved Ones

It’s not only fun to see friends and family regularly, but it’s good for you, too. When you have a strong support network, you may laugh more, live longer, get sick less, and have a positive outlook on life. It doesn’t need to be daily, but try to set aside some time each weekend to catch up with someone who brings you joy, whether that’s a parent or your best friend from college.

Self-care is a choice we make each day. Yes, hours are frequently limited, but that doesn’t mean making time for ourselves shouldn’t be a priority. Sit down and plan if you need to, but figure out how to take care of yourself the way you deserve.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

How To Be Superhuman

If you want to tap into new levels of physical performance, you’ll need to pay attention to your nervous system. The nervous system is often the most overlooked aspect of fitness. We all have various goals but rarely do we pay attention to the health of our nervous system. To maximize your performance in any fitness activity, your nervous system will have to be functioning well. In terms of physical performance, every elite athlete has a highly efficient nervous system. In general, your nervous system is responsible for things like your digestion, quality of sleep, and ability to process information as a few examples.

Spinal Hygiene

If you want a strong and healthy nervous system, your spinal health will have to be a priority. Your body functions based on the information your brain sends to your spinal column. If you’re spine is out of whack, you won’t be able to function or perform at your best in any activity. One of the biggest culprits of spinal deterioration is sitting. When you sit, you’re decompressing the spine.

The solution to this is doing spinal hygeine exercises. I recently learned about them through listening to a podcast by Chiropractor Dr. Tommy John. I’ve been using these exercises for months now and have reaped the benefits. Two things I notice from doing these exercises is that my spine feels a lot better and I can think more clearly as a result. I usually do each of the spinal hygiene movements repeatedly for 3-5 minutes. You can spread them out how you want or do each of them consecutively as part of a spinal hygiene workout. Below are some of the spinal hygiene exercises I do. I also shared a video at the bottom of the page of a spinal hygiene routine.

• Head Nods- move your head up and down as far as possible.
• Head Shakes- Turn your head side to side the way you’d do when shaking your head. Turn your head far enough that you’re looking over your shoulder.
• Cross-Crawl Superman

Cross-Crawl Movement

Cross-Crawl movements can help your nervous system tremendously. This is due to the fact that they cause both of your brain hemispheres to work together simultaneously. My favorite cross-crawl movement is the leopard crawl. However, there’s many other movements to choose from. Below are the top 3 cross-crawl movements for nervous system health.

• Leopard Crawl
• Cross-Crawl Superman: Anything that fits in multiple categories is a must do!
• Baby Crawl

Hands and Feet

If you want to maximize your nervous system health, you’ll have to address hand and foot health. There are so many nerves in your hands and feet that any disfunction in those areas of your body will have an impact on the rest of your body. Why do you think people often lift weights barefoot or use flat shoes? Or why squeezing a bar tightly boosts your lifting performance?

• Dead Hang Stretch for time
• Barefoot walking
• Standing Straight Leg Raise- 5 minutes each leg

High Stress Exercises

The hardest way to optimize the health of your nervous system is through high stress exercises. High stress exercises force your nervous system to upgrade in order to be able to do them again. The key to doing high stress exercises is to give your nervous system time to recover from them. The other keys to a healthy nervous system will help speed up that recovery. Below are the top high stress exercises to boost your nervous system health.

• Sprints
• Heavy Farmer Walks
• Heavy compound lifts
• Extreme Isometric Lunges- 5 minutes on each leg

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are your nervous system’s best friend. Too much stress can inhibit your nervous system’s capabilities. One way to balance out the stress you face in training and in life is through breathing exercises. Breathing exercises will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the rest and digest function of your body.

• Meditation
• Alternative Nostril breathing
• Wim Hof Breathing

Beliefs

Your beliefs will dictate your actions and your outcome. If your beliefs are not in line with your goals, you’re going to have a difficult time. The key to getting your beliefs to align with your goals is to work with your subconscious mind through repetitive positive thought. This can be done in a number of ways.

• Positive Affirmations
• Visualization
• Writing and re-writing goals

Complex Movement

Anytime you perform a complex movement, you’re developing new neuropathways in your brain. This means you’re using your brain in a way it’s never been used before and further develops it. When I talk about complex movements, I’m talking about the circus tricks you see people perform in the gym to get social media likes. I’m talking about movements that require high levels of coordination and brain usage. Below are some examples.

• Dancing
• Gymnastics
• Using opposite limb, something as simple as brushing your teeth with your opposite hand.
• Cross-Crawl movements as previously mentioned
• Any movement you’ve never tried before

Building a powerful nervous system will not only help you set new weight lifting records and excel at your sport, it’ll also make you better at every area of your life. It’ll also improve your overall health tremendously, since every function of your body is a result of the nervous system.

Photo by Evelyn Chong from Pexels

Video of Dr. Tommy John Spinal Hygeine routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iryqejKOUXU&t=101s

Leopard Crawl Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY-PDU_LhUI

Straight Leg Raise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJvrDA6f2U0

Nose Breathing Exercises For Better Workouts and Recovery

What if I told you there’s something you can use to give you energy before a workout and calm you down after? This tool doesn’t cost a dime. It also won’t put a bunch of caffeine and strange chemicals in your body. This may sound crazy but the tool I’m talking about is your nose. I’ve previously talked about the importance of nose breathing for stress management. I’ve recently starting using some Yogic nose breathing exercises to help me prepare for my workouts and recover after. The exercises are so simple, I’ll share them below.

Pre-Workout

Save your money and ditch the pre-workout supplements. You’re your own source of energy. All you need to do is breathe in and out of your right nose. Doing this puts you in a more alert state of mind. In yogic traditions, the right nostril is related to the masculine energy, the type of energy that makes you want to take action. This is the place you need to be when getting ready to crush some weights or do any intense workout. I do 3 rounds of 6 breaths before my lifting sessions and I always feel energized as a result. This is very useful if you didn’t sleep well the night before.

Post-Workout

For post workout recovery you’ll do the breathing exercise through your left nose. In yogic traditions, the left nostril is related to feminine energy. This is the type of energy you should tap into post-workout to help you cool down. I speak from experience when I say this works. Just like with the right nostril, I usually do 3 rounds of 6 breaths but you can do more or less as you see necessary.

Nervous System Health

Everything you do is possible because of the nervous system. If you want to be more efficient in any activity you do, you’ll need to strengthen your nervous system. This next breathing exercise does that by getting the two hemispheres of your brain working together. It’s called alternative nostril breathing.

The way to do this breathing exercise is to breathe in through one nose and out the other and vice versa. Do three rounds of six and you’ll feel your head feel a lot more clear. In terms of timing, I like to do this at night or after a yoga session.

There you have it. You can tap into different levels of energy as you see necessary just by using your nose. These are useful for fitness purposes but can be used in other areas of your life. If you’ve been on your fitness journey long enough, you’ll know that fitness is an analogy to life.

Right and Left Nostril Breathing- http://total-yoga.org/right-vs-left-nostril-breathing/

Alternative Nostril Breathing Benefits- https://chopra.com/articles/nadi-shodhana-how-to-practice-alternate-nostril-breathing

Photo by Kelvin Valerio from Pexels

My Top Sleep Hacks

When it comes to achieving your fitness goals, sleep might be the most important factor. Without high quality sleep, you’ll be limiting any progress you can make. Sleep is crucial for muscle building, performance, fat loss, and other areas of fitness.

Grounding

What is grounding? The answer is in the name itself. Grounding is walking around barefooted on a natural surface like grass and mud. Barefoot walking has a very calming effect. If you’ve ever had a foot massage, you’ll experience the same feeling of relaxation when grounding yourself. From my experience, most of the time that I ground myself I’m able to fall asleep faster and I wake up less frequently. Do you ever wonder why you sleep so well when you go to the beach? It’s because you ground yourself when you walk on sand.

Beside getting great sleep, grounding has numerous health benefits like reduced inflammation, better mood, and faster injury recovery. One of the best times to ground yourself is after a workout. It’ll calm your nervous system.

Delta Wave Music

Nowadays I like to experience complete silence during the last hour before going to sleep. At some point I listened to Delta Wave Music and even meditated to it before sleeping. The idea behind it is throughout the day our brains are in different ways, depending on what we’re doing. When we’re fully awake our brains are in the beta wave. When we’re relaxed we’re in the alpha brain wave. When we’re drifting into sleep or waking up , we’re in the theta brain wave. When we’re in deep sleep, we’re in the delta brain wave. By listening to delta wave music, I’d fall asleep easier and drift into deep sleep. I stopped listening to delta wave music because I didn’t want to become reliant on it. I’d reccomend it if you find yourself desperate for quality sleep.

Boost Seratonin

It’s commonly known that melatonin is the brain chemical that helps you sleep better at night. You can do things to directly boost your melatonin or you can boost your nightly melatonin productions by boosting your seratonin during the day. The easiest way to boost seratonin is through natural light exposure, especially from the Sun. If it’s a cloudy day, you can still get more natural light exposure spending time outside than you would indoors.

Photo by Aldo Picaso from Pexels

Explanation of the different brain waves: https://nhahealth.com/brainwaves-the-language/

Scientific journal on Grounding: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/

The role of Seratonin in sleep quality: https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_11/d_11_m/d_11_m_cyc/d_11_m_cyc.html