Do Less, Be More

I don’t know about you, but getting back into routines after a nice break is really rough for me. This week back to work after 2 weeks off felt like it lasted forever. And the normal, day-to-day things stressed me out way more this week because I hadn’t had to deal with it in awhile.

I came across this HuffPost blog post that says the only resolution you need to make is this: do less, be more. I love it. I think it’s exactly what I need to re-center myself and not get so crazy stressed about tiny things.

This article is full of great advice, and I promise something will resonate with you if you read the whole thing. Out of the 62 ways to do less and be more, I’m guessing you’ll come across a few that you think would really solve some problems and stressors in your life.

I’m someone who worries all the time… about what I’m going to do every minute for the rest of the day (1. Ditch the itinerary), what I should be doing (5. Ditch the boundaries, constraints, and rules that you normally place upon yourself), and who I should be keeping in touch with (6. Ditch the wire).

“Worry is a misuse of your imagination.”

Some of my other favorite pieces of advice for this particular problem of mine are
11. Rest your brain
13. Release your heart
29. Connect with your well-being, your mood, your happiness
38. Organize, clean, Feng Shui, rearrange, create good vibes in your environments
41. Decide that today’s the day to forgive someone else
49. Give yourself permission to not please everyone.

I know I’ve heard each of these ideas a dozen times before and deep down I know these are things I need to incorporate into my life, but this article hit my twitter feed at a great time because I really needed to read this. I hope it’s something that helps you recenter at least one aspect of your life today, this week, this year. It almost seems like there are very few things in life we can control, but we can control how we react and handle the chaos that comes at us. We should stop multitasking and doing a hundred things halfway, whether to satisfy others or ourselves. So keep in mind to do less and be more as you start your week and your year- thanks for reading!

Eve Carson 5K

I ran the Eve Carson 5K again this year, and although I was slightly less prepared, it was still a successful race! I’m not a huge fan of running, so a 5K is something I needed to mentally and physically get ready for. Luckily I had a great motivator by my side on a beautiful day in Chapel Hill, not to mention there was a swarm of people cheering the runners on.The 5K raised over $116,000, a lot of which funds the Eve Carson Scholarship. I finished the race just a few minutes slower than last year, and my treat afterwards was a string of sugary, fried foods from the NC State fair- probably not the best way to refuel, but it was the most delicious ice cream I’ve had in years!

Below are the 5 stages of my 5K experience:

Pre-race excitement!

Beginning of the race high

Crossed the finish line.. barely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhausted

Recovered and happy in front of the Old Well

Gratitude

I wanted to write a quick post about gratitude mostly for my own sake, but I’m grateful for anyone who’s reading it (: Leaving my wonderful Chapel Hill bubble and entering the working world in Raleigh was a tough transition. But to better embrace this new normal, I wanted to start consciously acknowledging the things that I am grateful for. I had seen a few articles around this time about the benefits of being grateful, and while some people may not think these benefits can be tied definitively back to being more grateful (myself included), it can only improve your life/perspective and make you happier. Some of these benefits include:

• Stronger immune system
• Better sleep and increased energy
• More confidence
• Deeper relaxation
• Easier bounce back from tough situations
• Improved mental health
• Better relationships

Over a month ago I decided to write down 3 things that I was grateful for each day… unfortunately I’ve only done it about 10 times. But it’s better than nothing right? And hopefully this post will keep me more accountable for doing it since it’s now out in the world. I hope you and I both are able to appreciate the little things a little more! Let me know your thoughts on gratitude and anything you do to be more appreciative.

Standing Desk or Exercise Ball?

During my internships I never had a problem with sitting all day long, but I think it’s hitting me that I will, for the indefinite future, be sitting for 8+ hours a day. And it’s driving me crazy. I drive to work, sit all day staring at my computer, and the cafeteria, printers, and bathrooms are all 30 seconds away. So unfortunately, the 1 minute walk to and from the parking lot is the most walking I do during the week. I get so fidgety and bored and apparently it’s not good for you either. Even 30 minutes of exercise doesn’t counteract the damage caused by sitting all day, so what should I do? A few people at my office have standing desks, and I’m really tempted to try to get one for my cube. Some of the girls I work with sit on exercise balls all day and love it –  mostly because it helps them stay focused since they have to stay engaged. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, but anything seems less boring and better for you than sitting the entire time.

Do you have a standing desk or sit on an exercise ball and like/dislike it? I’d love to hear about it!

Also to counteract being bored, I’m looking for ways to decorate my horrible gray cube. Pinterest has become my inspiration for all things adult… aka lame (recent pins include healthy packed lunches and closet organizational tips- yikes). The pin on the left was my favorite/cheapest/most useful find, so I thought I’d share it. Anyone else have cute ideas?

Knuckle Cracking Myths

I crack my knuckles…and hips and ankles and back…and arthritis runs in my family, so I thought I’d look into whether there is a correlation between the two.

How Stuff Works explains that when you hear your knuckles popping it’s because the joint is stretched far enough that the pressure in the connective tissue capsule drops low so bubbles in the fluid surrounding your joint burst. Really only one in depth study has been done examining possible joint damage caused by knuckle cracking. It found that there wasn’t a connection with arthritis and joint cracking, but there were signs of soft tissue damage to the joint capsule and a decrease in grip strength. Another study found that knuckle crackers were more likely to have swollen hands and reduced hand strength, but the counter argument suggested that people with looser ligaments have the ability to crack their knuckles and have reduced hand strength because of it. Other “experts” and studies seem to find the same (somewhat inconclusive) result. However, there is risk of a stroke if you crack your neck (I’m guilty of that too). Even though the risk is low it sounds terrifying enough for me to stop cracking at least my neck.

Should I stop cracking my knuckles/everything? Yes. Is it annoying to everyone around me when I do it? Probably. Am I going to stop completely? Maybe one day. If there was more evidence that came out to convince me, I would definitely try harder. But if you have never cracked your back or been to the chiropractor, you don’t know the joy that comes from the feeling after your back cracks. Yes, joy.

De-stress

I’ve touched on stress before when talking about using meditation to combat it, but I wanted to revisit the subject and hopefully someone tense and overwhelmed in Davis will take a second to read this and de-stress.

When you’re stressed or anxious, your body releases cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine which is good in certain circumstances, but can take a toll on your body if it’s chronic. Too much cortisol can suppress the immune system, increase blood pressure and sugar, decrease libido, produce acne, contribute to obesity, etc. And if something stresses you out, it could take anywhere from half an hour to a couple of days to return to your normal resting state after these hormones are released. 

UNC Campus Health Services has a list of things you can do to deal with stress better including asking for help, taking a break to exercise or take a warm shower, and breathing or meditating. Another de-stress list from Huffington Post suggests 20 scientifically backed things you should try right now if you’re stressed:

1. Go for a 10 minute walk
2. Breathe deeply
3. Visualize
4. Eat a snack
5. Buy yourself a plant
6. Step away from your screen
7. Pucker up
8. Apply pressure in certain places on your hand
9. Turn off your phone
10. Eat a piece of candy
11. Try web based stress management programs
12. Chew a piece of gum
13. Watch a viral video
14. Progressive muscle relaxation
15. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE
16. See your best friend
17. Eat a banana
18. Try eagle pose
19. Craft
20. Put on some music

For time management especially during finals, CHS suggests making a master schedule and a to-do list that is *prioritized*. That’s the best advice about to-do lists I’ve heard in a long time, because they can be daunting. Prioritizing your tasks can help you focus less on the endless things it seems like you have to do and more on the one thing you should be concentrating on first.

Good luck everyone! Keep in mind you won’t remember this one test that you’re stressing about, or even this one class. There are much bigger and better things going on in your life- this one exam is just a drop in this ocean.

Advocating for Sleep

I often need 9 hours of sleep (plus a morning cup of coffee) to feel fully awake and energized all day. I know that’s a lot more than some (most) people get, but I feel fairly useless the next day unless I get enough sleep and practice good sleeping habits. Either insomnia or poor sleeping habits run in my family, so I’ll continue trying to prevent both.

A lot of people in different stages of life don’t get enough sleep and sometimes they don’t know that some of their problems stem from getting a poor night’s…. week’s or month’s…sleep. It takes a toll on your body and you’ll definitely be able to feel the difference when you’re finally well rested. The infographic to the right shows all of the benefits of getting enough sleep (and that means catching up on “sleep debt” from that all nighter you pulled).

I was having a rough patch for sleeping well and feeling rested, so I started using the app Sleep Time. It’s free and tracks your sleep- duration, depth, and timing. It also allows you to set an alarm to wake you up when you’re in the lightest stage of sleep – ever been jolted awake in the middle of a dream by your alarm and didn’t feel like you were actually awake until 30 mins later? It can help prevent that. It can also help you track your sleep schedule so you go to sleep around the same time every night, get enough sleep, and identify reasons you aren’t sleeping well. To the left is a screenshot of one night’s sleep (it also shows a weekly version so you can compare each night side by side).

Try out these tips for better sleep from the National Sleep Foundation if you’re having trouble sleeping or aren’t feeling rested:

• Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on weekends
• Create a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath or listening to soothing music – begin an hour or more before the time you expect to fall asleep
• Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool
• Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows
• Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex (keep “sleep stealers” out of the bedroom – avoid watching TV, using a computer or reading in bed)
• Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime
• Exercise regularly.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol products close to bedtime and give up smoking

Salmon with Spinach & Artichoke Mac ‘n’ Cheese

This year was the first time that I’ve ever cooked chicken or fish… I’m trying new things and it’s going (pretty) well! I’m not a huge fan of fish, but I hadn’t eaten it in so long that I wanted to try it out again. And I wanted to attempt to cook salmon since it’s uber healthy for you- it relieves stress, boosts your memory, and prevents cancer and diseases. I grilled it with butter, lemon juice, and garlic which I thought might not have been enough flavor, but it turned out really well. However, next time I’m going to try baking it in the oven so it’s more evenly cooked. This pesto salmon with roasted artichoke recipe looks amazing and I definitely want to try it out in the future!

With the salmon, I had spinach and artichoke mac ‘n cheese. I know the picture may not look that appetizing, but it was delicious. I’ve made it homemade before using this recipe, but I simplified it a little bit this week. I used Annie’s Organic White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese and added in 6 oz. of chopped canned artichoke hearts and 1/2 cup of chopped spinach. It’s super easy to add in a little healthy greens when you’re already making mac ‘n cheese!

Thoughts? Recipes I should try? Let me know!

The Sugar Struggle

After tracking what I ate for a week and guessing that I eat a lot of sugary foods, I have to admit that I had no idea I was consuming this much sugar. Even on days when I didn’t eat an actual “dessert,” my sugar limits were still over the recommended amount (this app said my recommended amount was 61 grams). I’m so glad I tracked what I ate, even though it was just for a week, because now I know where the problems areas are (props to the people who always track what they eat – I was definitely glad when the week was over haha). I found out that eating some delicious sweet treat every now and then isn’t really my problem when it comes to sugar. And although I want to limit my sugar intake from here on out, I have to say it’s going to be hard because sugar is loaded in EVERYTHING.

Breakfast is the hardest place for me to limit sugar, surprisingly, because apparently flavored greek yogurt with granola is very sugary. Bummer. I always thought it was the healthier of my breakfast favorites, and it is good for you, but it was still surprising to see the actual amount of sugar I get right at the start of the day… my vanilla coffee creamer probably doesn’t help. Besides that, soda was another problem for me (note the huge spike on 4/03). I went out and had 2 sprites as mixers, which was a whopping 90 grams of sugar right there. The only other time I drink sodas is an occasional Mountain Dew when I’m falling asleep at work, but that also has 45 grams of sugar – 20 grams over what the World Health Organization recommends for women.

The picture on the right emphasizes how terrible sugar is for your well being. Added sugar is the baddest of the bad. However, moderation has got to be the key, because otherwise I have no solution for me or you. I’m going to keep eating the cake that’s in my fridge from my roommates birthday, but I am also going to make limiting sugar more of a priority in the future (after the cake is gone).

My Fitness Pal was great for tracking what you eat, and highlighting the amount of each nutrient you are getting, so I highly recommend it. Let me know how it goes if you try to track what you eat and definitely share any ideas you have on how you limit your sugar.

 

Update: Here’s a great blog about natural vs. added sugar.

Your Personal Bill of Rights

I recently came across a list of “Personal Bill of Rights” – things that every person has a right to. A lot of them are obvious and are things most people would expect. But a lot of these things people forget that they are allowed to do or that they should expect from other people.  It seems like a lot of Carolina students forget they can say no to things (#2) and forget to have personal space and time for themselves (#17), because you can look around and see people who are way too stressed out. One of my favorites (probably because I’m so bad with feels) is #16, which is also repeated at #18 (mistake or emphasis?). Keep these things, or maybe one in particular, in mind as you go through your week 🙂

I have the right to…

1. ask for what I want.
2. say “no” to requests or demands I can’t meet.
3. express all of my feelings, both positive and negative.
4. change my mind.
5. make mistakes and not be perfect.
6. follow my own values and standards.
7. say “no” to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values.
8. determine my own priorities.
9. not be responsible for others’ behaviors, actions, feelings, or problems.
10. expect honesty from others.
11. be angry at someone I love.
12. be uniquely myself.
13. feel scared.
14. say “I don’t know.”
15. not give excuses or reasons for my behavior.
16. make decisions based on my feelings.
17. my own needs for personal space and time.
18. make decision based on my feelings.
19. be healthy.
20. be in a non-abusive environment.
21. make friends and be comfortable around people.
22. change and grow.
23. have my needs and wants respected by others.
24. be treated with dignity and respect.
25. be happy.