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, save money, and make day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable.
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Strategy I’m Using to Ease into the Day:
Do you ever wake up with a racing heart?
Once that alarm hits, the wave of the to-do list pressure often hits hard, and we think about all the energy that’s required of us to get through the day.
Oftentimes it’s not even that we aren’t looking forward to what’s to come but we understand there’s a lot of it and feelings of anxiety can ensue.
A two-fold simple strategy I’ve been using to combat against these feelings are the following:
Changing the tone of my alarm and waking up ten minutes earlier.
If you’re still using the obnoxious (& slightly frightening) pre-set alarm on your iPhone, consider an adjustment.
I’ve been using the “seedling” tone and notice that it gradually wakes me up rather than jolting me out of bed to turn off the alarm ASAP.
Similarly, getting up ten minutes earlier has offered me a little extra time to get ready and take the day in stride rather than scurrying to rush out the door.
Any subtle steps you can take to make the mornings a little more peaceful pay dividends for a less stressful day!
Podcast I Listened to This Week:
Speaking of mornings, I’ve really been enjoying my morning commute because I throw on a podcast during the drive related to personal development.
One I really enjoyed this week was Luke Hopkins on The Nick Bare Podcast.
Luke is a 21-year-old athlete who’s competed in marathons and recently finished his first Ironman Triathlon race in Wisconsin.
If you aren’t familiar, an Ironman is composed of a 2.2-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike and capped off with a 26.2-mile run.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The Ironman is considered the pinnacle of endurance races and takes incredible physical and mental fortitude to complete.
Especially as someone in their early 20s, Luke maintains a unique perspective and is incredibly well spoken on psychological insights – particularly related to self-belief and positive mindsets.
One topic he shared on this podcast was about maximizing potential.
Each one of us has an incredible amount of potential in all areas: our fitness, our work, our personal lives, and beyond.
And to give life purpose, our goal should be to move towards this potential by putting in the time and effort.
No, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to compete in an ultra-endurance event while also trying to climb the corporate ladder and become CEO before 40.
But I’ve personally felt (as I’m sure many of you have as well) that life is more fun and meaningful when we make strides each day to fill the gap between our current selves and our potential selves.
Seeing progress is incredibly satisfying and it’s more attainable than most of us think.
At any age, there’s more out there for us and it’s our duty to ourselves to push in that direction.
I highly recommend taking a listen if you need a little motivation to keep driving forward as we head into winter.
Food I’m Incorporating More Often:
Pickled beets.
Call me crazy but if you haven’t given them a try, you’re missing out.
It’s well known that beets are a nutritional powerhouse as they contain a boatload of vitamins and minerals alongside nitrates.
Nitrates are converted to a compound called nitric oxide that promotes vasodilation and can assist in the lowering of our blood pressure and improve our cardiovascular health.
Beyond this, pickled beets are great addition on salads and are a tasty side dish to fulfill your vegetable needs!
Give them a go!
What else?
October has arrived. Some love it, others fear it since winter is on the doorstep. Instead of thinking ahead, enjoy the great weather while it’s here and stay in the moment!
What are you doing today to move an inch closer to your potential?
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.