Feeling energized and positive all day isn’t as difficult to achieve as you may think. Simply taking care of your general wellness can do wonders for your mental and physical health, giving you the power that you need to hit the ground running and make the life you want for yourself. These helpful tips can help women who are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or fatigued find a new passion for their daily grind.
Take Control of Your Time
The endless tasks required of you at both work and home can make you feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day. Try to manage your time with schedules, to-do lists and calendars. By organizing your hours in the week, you can maintain a better work-life balance and ensure you don’t take work with you into your leisure time.
If you constantly feel like you’re too busy, stop trying to do everything yourself. Delegate some of your chores to family members or hire outside help such as a maid or nanny. Hiring a dog walker can take some time off your hands and also keep your dog happy while you’re away during the day. Most importantly, be sure to set limits on how much work you take on, saying “no” to tasks you just don’t have time for.
Don’t Skip Breakfast
Breakfast is the meal that fuels your body and mind for the day ahead. Aside from preventing mid-morning snacking, starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jump-start your concentration, boost your memory, improve your mood and help you feel more energized all day long. According to Healthline, some of the best breakfast foods include eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, fruit and nuts. Avoid foods high in sugar such as breakfast cereals, muffins and white bread. These will give you that terrible sluggish and fatigued feeling we all hate.
Make Sure You Get All Your Essential Nutrients
Busy women can fuel their hectic lives by sticking to a balanced diet. A healthy diet keeps your immune system working optimally, lowers blood pressure and helps fight stress. When meal-planning, make sure you’re getting all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs, including iron, folate, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.
According to the Harvard Medical School, it’s better to get the nutrients you need from your food rather than supplements. A diet primarily consisting of fruits, veggies, whole grains and various protein sources can provide all of the nutrients our bodies require. Some of the most nutrient-dense foods include avocados, leafy greens, mushrooms, eggs, beans, nuts, fish and lean meats. However, women may need additional supplementation of folic acid to support reproductive health. If you aren’t exposed to sunlight too often, it’s also advisable to supplement with vitamin D.
Fit Exercise into Your Schedule
Did you know that exercising is one of the best things you can do to reduce stress? Employees who workout at least three times per week report better work-life balance and lower stress levels than people who get less exercise. Not only that but getting active has the power to boost cognitive performance and increase your energy day by day.
Many people think you need to work out every day to receive these benefits. However, the official Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week. It’s not required that you exercise for a solid block of 30 minutes each day. Instead, you can distribute your weekly minutes over three to seven days. You don’t have to get your daily workout done in one chunk either! Just try to work out in episodes of at least 10 minutes each.
On top of ensuring you eat healthy, exercise regularly, and manage your time well, don’t forget to rest. Contrary to what you may believe, relaxing is not a sign of laziness. In actuality, rest is essential for rejuvenating your brain so you can tackle work and life tasks with energy and positivity. Plus, you deserve it!
Julia Merrill is a retired board-certified nurse practitioner. With many years in the medical field, she made it her goal to bridge the gap between those who receive care and those who provide it. You can find out more about Julia’s work and advice on her website Befriend Your Doc.
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