Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, develop a better mindset, make day-to-day life easier, and other shenanigans.
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The Best Supplement of them All:
Many scavenge through health food stores scanning the shelves for the latest and greatest supplements that their favorite podcaster said would relieve stress and make life a breeze.
Sure, there may be a select few that move the needle, ever so slightly… but what if there is one that is better than them all?
One that if it could be packaged in pill form would become a billion-dollar business within days.
You may be thinking you’ve heard this a shtick countless times and that the answer to the hypothetical question is always sleep or exercise.
Yes, both are incredibly important but also harped on enough.
However, there’s one I think gets talked about far too little: laughter.
The idea that laughter is a potent form of therapy is incredibly valid… and that’s not just my opinion either.
Multiple studies have proven that regularly laughing, as goofy as it sounds, improves quality of life by decreasing stress, boosting feel-good hormones, and it even has a positive impact on our immune system (likely due to stress buffering).
To my surprise, I even discovered recently that there’s something called “laughter therapy” where the entire purpose of the therapeutic session is to promote laughter and garner the benefits aforementioned.
Let this be a sign to throw on your favorite sitcom, attend a stand-up comedy set, or spend more time with a friend who never fails to make you wake up with sore abs the next day.
It goes a long way!
Mindset I’m Embracing:
I tuned into a podcast in the recent weeks featuring life coach, motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur Tony Robins and he made a brief, yet powerful statement:
We don’t experience life as it is, we experience what we focus on.
Perception is everything.
And I’d argue it dictates a massive part of our mental well-being.
Whether we see that busy day as an indicator of living a full life rather than seeing it as a nuisance is up to us.
Whether we appreciate not finding a close parking spot as a chance to get extra steps rather than just one more thing gone wrong is entirely in our hands.
Whether we view a sink full of dishes as yet another monotonous chore or a sign that we are blessed with food to cook and eat at home is our choice.
Maturity is realizing that each day is going to bring along trials with it, however, that’s often what makes life fun… especially when we frame them thoughtfully.
Habit I’ve Re-Established:
Delaying caffeine intake 90ish minutes after waking up.
In my post this week, (read here if you haven’t) I threw out the idea that some health “habits” get way more attention than they should… that is, they’re overrated.
Not because they’re useless per say, but because they rarely ever live up to the hype they come with, which is often spread through social media trends.
One thing I failed to mention was that every BODY is different — some things that offer minuscule benefits to me may lead to tangible changes for you.
And for me, one of these is waiting to consume my morning cup of joe until I arrive at work roughly an hour and a half after my alarm drags me out of bed.
Believe it when I say I’ve absolutely been the person to wake up and dart to the espresso machine. No judgment if that’s you.
I’ve just noticed recently that when I allow myself to properly hydrate first thing in the morning — with water and often a pinch of mineral salt (electrolytes) — coffee gives me a smoother energy feeling and I don’t experience any semblance of a crash in the afternoon.
But hey, if the best part of your day is sipping on your warm coffee while completing the NYT crossword cozied up in bed, don’t let me strip that from you!
What else?
Life hack to squeeze in more protein: add a flavored protein shake (my favorite is CorePower Vanilla) to your morning coffee.
A good laugh a day keeps the doctor away.
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.