Wake Up on the Right Side of the Bed

Something that alot of people neglect is sleep. Sleep is important, right up there with diet and exercise. A terrible nights sleep can cause a domino effect that lasts all day. Too avoid this and have an awesome day, you can follow a few simple rules.

1.A Good day starts the night before. Make sure your sleeping environment is free for social distractions (cell phone, computer, TV etc). Try to make the room useful for one, well, two purposes. The darker the better. Don't eat a large meal right before bed either. Make sure you get approximately 7-9 hours of sleep, 8 being ideal. This may vary for some people, experiment to find your perfect time.

2. Wake up on time, do not hit the snooze button. That 15 minutes of extra sleep can throw your day off completely. That's 15 minutes you dont have to make a quality breakfast, thats 15 minutes you have to make up for in traffic. Thats 15 minutes you are late for work. See what I mean, the classic snowball effect.

3. When you wake up, start your day off with something invigorating. A warm or cold shower can really get the blood flowing. A nice little workout can release endorphins and get your heart rate up. Follow that up with a nice stretch and your good to go.

4. EAT BREAKFAST. I cannot stress this enough. Eating a good high quality breakfast can do alot of things for you. It keeps you from grabbing those pop-tarts at the gas station, it keeps you full until lunch and eat actually can help you lose weight. Studies suggest that when people skip breakfast, they tend to eat more calories in the day. Start out with some bacon, eggs, an avocado and half a grapefruit. What about cholesterol? Well life is too damn shirt to not eat bacon. So enjoy.

5. Appreciate the day. Go outside, take in a deep breath of fresh air. Sip your coffee, realize how amazing life is.

6. Don't start the day with news. Write down any ideas you have while your mind is fresh and fully recharged. Starting out with the news of some earthquake in some third world country is depressing, and that may carry with you all day.

And Finally, number 7. Attack the day. Don't just sit around and wait for things to happen. You have to set out with the goal to obtain something of value from each and every one of your days. Be a motivation for others.

Following these guidelines for the rest of your life will improve your outlook just about as much as diet and exercise.

WOD:

Rest Day

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Life is tough. Especially as the work place becomes more fast-paced. We are
expected to physically and mentally be prepared to keep up with the demands
at work as well as at home. It sucks. Stress in small amounts is good. It
keeps us on edge, sharpens our mind and trains us to occasionally perform
well under pressure. But c'mon! I have bills to pay, work to do, dinner to
make, clothes to wash, dog to feed and I have blog to finish. If only there
were a way to make it easier.

There is. Just effin' relax.

Stress in large amounts can be extremely detrimental to your health. Stress
has been linked to obesity, sleeplessness, depression, heart disease,
digestive problems and autoimmune deficiencies. Sometimes people have to
take a minute a prioritize what's on their plate. Eat your meal, then if
you have time, make dessert. That simply means, take on the most important
tasks, then if you have it in you, take care of the smaller tasks. If your
overwhelmed give it the ol' surfer boy attitude and say "whatever, it can
wait until tomorrow, bro."

Too often, I personally find myself stressing about things that aren't
exactly life threatening issues. If I'm late paying my cable bill, will the
world collapse in upon itself? No, at the worst, I will be forced to get up
and go outside. Oh! The humanity!

Another example. Would you rather your kids be 15 minutes late for school,
or would you rather them go to school hungry?
But, hey! At least there on time. Opinions may differ on this, but I don't
think missing 15 minutes of American school amounts to anything more than
what they could learn on Spongebob Squarepants in 5 minutes (did you pay the
cable bill?)
Feed your kids, they learn better with a full stomach
anyway.(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85094.php)

With all this being said, there is some stress that cannot be avoided or
disguised with laughter. Divorce, death, injury, illness retirement, and
being fired are huge examples that really do effect our livelihood. For
these, I recommend seeking professional help, talking to family and friends,
or join a group or gym. Vent these frustrations, talk about your feeling.
Don't be ashamed. Everyone has gone through the same thing that you are
going through.

A lot of things in life that we worry about aren't really that serious. We
have to understand the trivial tasks can be pushed aside temporarily, while
bigger priorities are dealt with. As Elbert Hubbard said, "Don't take life
too seriously, you'll never get out alive."

Relax

WOD: Weighted Dips

5-5-5-3-3-3