Staying Mindful Under Pressure: Energize Your Body & Brain
Posted on April 19, 2014 by Dr Romie Mushtaq, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
How can we conquer stress to boost our brainpower during our work days? Here are mindful living tips to energize your body and refocus the mind.
Stress in an inevitable part of our personal and professional lives. I often start by asking corporate and coaching clients, “how I can help with their stress management? “ The answer is always the same, looking to change external factors. “Get rid of my demanding boss.” “Get me a pay raise so I can pay bills.” How we perceive and cope with stress is what determines our health, state of mind, and success. The answer is to look within, a mindful approach. This helps us to reset our threshold for how we handle external stress. When we are feeling stressed, our minds work in a fog and our bodies move at a slower pace. This is what slows down our day and gets in the way of time management. How can we conquer stress to boost our brainpower during our work days? Here are mindful living tips to energize your body and refocus the mind.Conquer stress through these health and wellness tips for your mind and body.
1. Breakfast is a must. Protein is key. It keeps your blood sugar levels steady until through the morning so you feel energized. By adding fruits and vegetables, you consume important antioxidants that keep your memory sharp. See my personal brainpower protein shake recipe below. Also add protein snacks throughout the day in place of vending machine snacks. Examples are nuts, cheese, peanut butter, and greek yogurt.
2. Try water before coffee. First symptoms of dehydration are fatigue, headache, and difficulty focusing. Take your weight and divide it by 2. This is how many ounces of water your body needs daily. I’m not opposed to drinking coffee in the morning or the afternoon, but balance this with enough hydration.
3. Breathe Mindfully. Meditation has been scientifically proven to improve memory and decrease the effects of stress. Are there too many tasks in front of you? Walk away and take a breath break. Then focus on one task at a time for a block of 15 minutes. Multitasking has been scientifically shown to reduce productivity. If we walk away from the office and change the scenery, our senses are
Dr. Romie’s Prescription for Brainpower: Morning, Noon, & Night
MORNING: Dr. Romie’s Brainpower Protein Shake recipe: 12 oz. almond milk, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 1 cup berries, 1 kale leaf, 1 handful of spinach leaves, 1tbsp flax seeds, and 6 ice cubes. Mix in blender for 30 seconds.
NOON: 3 Minute Breath Break: Get up from your desk, and ideally go outside. Stand tall, roll your shoulders, and close your eyes. Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply. Repeat for 3 minutes.
NIGHT: Write down your to-do list one hour before bedtime so it doesn’t prevent you from falling asleep. If there are emotions associated with a task, write that down. By writing down our to-do list we emotionally and psychologically release it from a running on repeat in our minds. 6-8 hours of sleep nightly is the best remedy to prevent stress and have peak performance during the day.
Romila “Dr. Romie” Mushtaq, MD is a neurologist with expertise in the field of mind-body medicine — a branch of medicine that promotes the science behind mindfulness based techniques. She is also a certified professional life coach and certified hatha yoga & meditation teacher. Dr. Romie helps clients heal by teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques at the Natural and Integrative Medical Center in Orlando, Florida.
