Frenetic Productivity versus Flow Productivity

As entrepreneurs, we all want to be productive and feel like we are doing the things that get us closer to our goals.

However, we live in a very fast-paced world and each day seems to be disappearing faster. What can happen is that we think we need to be keeping up with the frenetic energy. This is the worst thing we can do. If we keep going without stopping, we are bound to get sick, fatigued or at the very least stressed and in a negative head space. I call this frenetic productivity.

What if we could be productive and feel like we are in the flow? I know this sounds counter-intuitive in this nonstop culture of ours. Well, it is possible when we take the time to structure our day in a more humane way.

First, we want to be aware of our Big Goal and our WHY. Then we arrange our days around this aspiration. This is important to keep front and center, for when the time waster activities show up each day, we can look at our goal and remind ourselves to refocus.

Next, we have to consider the type of person we are. Some of us are night owls and others are the early birds, the larks. Even though there are many productivity books, etc. giving advice on how to structure your day, it is important to put into the equation your internal clock. It is very hard to fight natural impulses. Once you are in harmony with your rhythm, it will be easier to structure your day. So some will start very early and some will start later.

Then we need a plan. Plans can be yearly, monthly, weekly and daily. It is best to do your daily planning the night before. That way you are ready to go first thing.

Set up your planner so you can color code your appointments, then you can differentiate them easily. That way you can easily see your meditation time, your gratitude time, your exercise time and you could even mark in your planner to remind yourself to drink more water. These need to be written into your schedule to keep you in the flow of your day. Highly productive people put themselves into the equation and start their day doing something that makes them happy.

Your planner could include your current projects and what has to happen to move them forward. List your highest priority activities including the people you want to connect with. You could include people you are waiting on, people to see, items to send out, delegations, a monthly focus, and make sure you leave some space for your new ideas.

Studies have shown we work best in 90-minute segments as our brains need a break after 90 minutes of concentrated effort.  At the end of the ninety minutes then that is a good time to stretch and hydrate.

Remember we are living lives full of ingrained habits, emotional programming and cultural reinforcements that need to be challenged daily. So don’t let your old patterns of conditioning suck you back into the frenetic energy of our fast paced world.

Be consciously productive and be in the flow.

To your success,

Charlene

What Diet Should I Eat?

The word diet means “a daily allowance” or “a way of life, a regimen”, depending on the origin of the word. In our current vocabulary, it usually is associated with weight loss programs. But a diet can refer to what one eats or drinks daily. So a diet goal could be to get healthy or live longer.

There are thousands of diets. Too many to list. But I thought I would mention some the common ones so you get the idea of the variety of diets out there. Weight Watchers diet, The Zone diet, Atkins diet, Paleo diet, Mediterranean diet, Ketogenic diet, Ayurvedic diet, Bernstein diet, Nutri System diet, Okinawa diet, Feingold diet, Macrobiotic diet,  Thermogenic diet, Bulletproof diet, Hallelujah diet, DASH diet, Virgin diet, Dukan diet, Low sodium diet, Alkaline diet, Plant based diet, Juice diet, Hormone diet,  Gluten free diet, Vegetarian diet, Vegan diet, Raw food diet, etc., etc.

The typical Western diet or some call it the SAD diet is a diet associated with increased disease. Many studies show that the abundance of over-processed, high-calorie, low-nutrient foods is responsible for a range of illnesses and diseases. The increase of heart disease and strokes, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease is very apparent everywhere we look. The stats are now saying cancer will affect 1 in 2 people.  We all know people who are dealing with this diseases or have dealt with them.

So you may be asking, “What diet should I be eating? What is the right one for me?”.  There are so many choices and it can be overwhelming with all the advertising we are bombarded with.  The advertising takes us outside of our body when we really need to be listening to what our body wants.  Every day our bodies require the energy we know as calories in order to function. What is interesting is that we all have different needs.

We are all biochemically individual. What that means is that we are genetically and biologically different from each other. We are all unique and have different dietary needs. Some people need to eat meat and others do best with little or no meat.  We all process enzymes, hormones, amino acids, and vitamins differently and we have different metabolic pathways. Also, heredity, constitution, life cycle, and stress contribute to our differences.

That leads us to look at the role environment, stress, food, and emotions all play in our bodies. This is where epigenetics comes in. Previously it was thought our genes were the molecular units of heredity and we were predestined to what we inherited. It turns out that is not true anymore.  An outer expression of the genetic data called the epigenome causes the genes to express themselves differently. These modifications affect how cells “read” genes.

What we need to pay attention to is that epigenetic tags react to signals from the outside world. Now research is showing gene expression can be changed by habit, beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, emotions, diet, lifestyle, even unconscious beliefs through the epigenome. The epigenome is flexible and modifies gene expression in response to our environment.

So our individuality really needs to be taken into consideration when looking for the right diet. I have had the privilege of working with many people over the last 40 plus years and in that time have never given the same diet twice.

If you want any help tailoring a diet that is right for your body and lifestyle, please contact me at http://charleneday.com/contact/.

To your good health,

Charlene

5 Natural Must Haves for Hormone Balance

This month in honor of Mothers’ Day, I am going to address women’s hormone balance.

The hormones of the endocrine system are an essential part of all our womanly functions. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands and pancreas. Also, men produce hormones in their testes and women produce them in their ovaries. In addition to the specialized endocrine organs mentioned above, many other organs such as the kidney, liver, and heart have secondary endocrine functions.

The endocrine system is one of the body’s main systems for communicating, controlling and coordinating the body’s work. It works with the nervous system, reproductive system, kidneys, gut, liver, pancreas and fat to help maintain and control the following:

• Growth and development such as preparation of the body for a new phase of life, such as puberty, parenting, and menopause
• Metabolism – digestion (including hunger cravings), elimination, breathing, blood circulation and maintaining body temperature (homeostasis)
• Sexual function and reproduction
• Mood swings and body energy levels
• Activation or inhibition of the immune system

Hormones need lots of nutrients. Some of the main ones are protein, B Complex, Vitamin E, GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and zinc. These nutrients are all depleted by stress, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, junk foods, and medications (including birth control).

1) Protein

Protein means “of first importance”.  All the cells in the body need amino acids from protein. Hormones included. Our bodies use amino acids (the building blocks) to form the proteins which build everything from muscles and bones, skin and hair, to internal organs and fluids.

2)  B Complex

If you are deficient in Vitamin B, that affects the brain and nervous system (you can’t think, feel uptight, etc.) and the lack also affects the hormones thus creating PMS symptoms, menopausal and menstrual problems, and even birth defects. The lack of B can also affect the immune system, the health of your skin, and cause junk food cravings.

3)  GLA

GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) is essential for hormones as that essential fat is a necessary raw ingredient for prostaglandins to be produced within the body. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that play a part in many of the biochemical and metabolic processes of the body. A good fatty acid metabolism benefits some very important aspects of our health such as maintaining a good blood pressure, low cholesterol levels, preventing inflammatory and immune system conditions such as arthritis, allergies and some skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, and also improving the strength of the keratin-dependent tissues such as our nails and hair.

A deficiency in essential fatty acids also seems to stimulate the overproduction of a hormone in women called prolactin that can lead to the severe mood changes commonly referred to as pre-menstrual syndrome, or PMS. GLA appears to have a beneficial effect in the treatment of PMS, and some other conditions such as breast discomfort and preventing osteoporosis.

4) Vitamin E

Vitamin E acts as an estrogen antagonist and has progesterone-like properties. Vitamin E regulates prostaglandin production and can alleviate menstrual cramps.  Vitamin E is reported to alleviate many of the symptoms of menopause, from vaginal dryness and hot flashes, to breast tenderness and nervousness. Vitamin E is a hormone normalizer. It appears to have a stabilizing effect on estrogen levels, increasing the hormone output in women who are deficient and lowering it in those who are prone to excess.  Vitamin E protects cells, including the cells of the immune system and boosts immune activity. Vitamin E lowers blood glucose, is an energy promoter and acts as an anti-inflammatory.

5) Zinc

Zinc, an essential trace mineral, is required for the metabolic activity of 300 of the body’s enzymes and is considered essential for cell division and the synthesis of DNA and protein. These enzymes are involved in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol. Zinc is also critical to tissue growth, wound healing, taste acuity, connective tissue growth and maintenance, immune system function, prostaglandin production, bone mineralization, proper thyroid function, blood clotting, cognitive functions, fetal growth and sperm production. Adequate zinc can help pre-menstrual syndrome, pregnancy, and lactation and post-menopausal health.

Hope all you mothers have a wonderful, healthy Mother’s Day.

To your good health!

Charlene

Four Ultimate Productivity Hacks

We all have 24 hours each day.  At least eight hours of that time is spent with some form of work. That amount differs for each individual depending on what type of work they are doing.  Some entrepreneurs can have longer hours because they love what they do so much, it doesn’t feel like work.  Others though, feel overwhelmed by everything they have set out to do in a day.

Within that time frame set aside for work, everyone wants to make the best possible use of their time. Especially entrepreneurs, as the more effectively they use their time, the more success they experience.  We label this productivity.

The biggest thing that gets in the way of productivity these days are distractions. Smartphones or any type of personal technology,  emails,  phone calls, social media, instant messaging, browsing, noise and interruptions from other people/family are examples of some of the current external distractions.

Distractions can be internal as well. Feeling sleep deprived, dehydration, physical discomfort, self-doubt, worry or anxiety, fear or other emotional states, resistance, and especially not being clear on our vision/mission/goals are examples of internal distractions.

In our North American culture, not only are we less productive, we are estranged from our creativity and our spiritual journey with all the distractions. Or another way of looking at it is we are keeping ourselves distracted so we won’t look at the spiritual side of ourselves. Distractions can be a great excuse.

Since total health to me means physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, then I am going to suggest four productivity hacks that will keep you more balanced while being productive.

1. Meditation is an important habit for improving focus, clarity and attention span, as well as having a calming effect. Benefits include: being mindful of your breathing, relieving stress, trauma and anxiety, calming the amygdala (the fight or flight trigger), counteracting aging, improving concentration, relieving depression, reducing insomnia, improving the immune system, increasing energy, improving communication skills, enhancing empathy, improving health, and refreshing the mind. Great moments of inspiration and creativity can come from those still spaces during meditation where you can hear your inner guidance.
2. Gratitude connects you with creative thought and brings you closer to the source energy. Gratitude aligns you with abundance and increases your faith.
3. Hydration – water is important for the brain. It improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain, improves memory, counteracts mental fatigue, and maintains the balance of body fluids. Water also energizes muscles and keep joints more lubricated, helps your skin look good, improves the quality of sleep, keeps your bowels moving and aids kidney function, and eliminates toxins. Bottom line, when you are hydrated you have more energy and it boosts your creativity.
4. Exercise boosts energy, improves mood, reduces stress, releases endorphins, improves self-confidence, boosts brainpower, sharpens your memory and increases your creativity.

If you would like more productivity hacks, then check out http://30lawsofflow.com/going-for-the-flow/. Or if you would like to schedule a zero cost “rapid change” session go to  http://charleneday.com/

To your success,

Charlene