An excellent article from Harvard Business Review suggests that "endurance, strength, flexibility, self-control, and focus" are just as important as strong cognitive skills in achieving an "ideal performance state" at work. While the article is from 2001, there is nothing outdated about the theory.
Rituals and healthy habits (working out, eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep) allow us to oscillate between sharp focus and periods of recovery, which is necessary to avoid burnout and to provide room for inspiration and creativity.
Positive thinking, music, meditation, visualization and having a strong spiritual foundation are all part of the strategy.
While we all look forward to much needed travel time, some also worry about returning with unwanted souvenir pounds. If this sounds like you, you should know that a healthy vacation doesn't have to be boring or grueling. In fact, it's just the opposite: Making a few healthy choices and folding some physical activity into your trip can help you get more fun out of your time by giving you the energy you need to get through a day packed with activity and excitement. Planning to lay around on the beach all day? Tweaking your food choices and getting your body moving may help you feel more comfortable & confident in your swimsuit. Building on my June 9 post on healthy road trips, Hit the Road...& Have Your Cake Too!, I'm back from my own recent trip with tips for staying healthy while having a blast on vacation:
Hi everyone, please be advised that Piece o' Cake will not be published this weekend while we are on a short vacation; however, you can still find me sharing tips and updates on Twitter. Meanwhile, check out one of my older posts on creating opportunities for relaxing, recharging and inspiration out of the little obstacles that life throws at us: Everyday Vacations.
Next week I will return with great tips for having a healthy and fun vacation.
Have a great weekend!
Photo credit: Lydia Perez DeJesus
Oftentimes the biggest obstacle to getting enough exercise is lack of time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week AND muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). Unfortunately, many people feel they are just too busy to exercise or they find that other obligations will often elbow exercise out of the way. Even as our lives change, they will never be less full. There will always be work to do, friends and family to spend quality time with, and those unplanned challenges that life likes to throw at us. Instead of waiting around for the perfect schedule, the perfect hour of time, the perfect window of opportunity to start working out, make the time now to start moving just a little bit more every day.
