Shift work, you say? - Part 1

Shift work is on the horizon.  Well, at least for myself it is.  In fact, in exactly 1 1/2 weeks, I will be moving from the set 7am-4:30pm schedule I've been working for the past 2 years into something entirely different.  Ugh.

You see, working for a large company is a great: I make a stable income, have awesome co-workers, and have the free time to post interest things on this blog for readers such as yourself.  But on the flip side of things, the company's wish is often my command (if I want to keep a paycheck, that is).  Thus, enter Shift work.

Do a quick search online and you'll find not only a huge, scientifically - proven database of studies and trials confirming that shift work is detrimental to human health, but also a huge, scientifically-proven database of studies and trials confirming that shift work is detrimental to human health.

Yes - I did just repeat myself.  I said it twice.  Because it's that important.

And, to be honest, I'm not really looking forward to it.  But you know what? I'll get over it, and I'll make the best of it.  I'll play the odds in my favor by controlling sleep, exercise, and supplementation to ensure my health is optimized on a daily basis... and to ensure the contrived consequences of our modern world don't get the best of me.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3, wherein I discuss my strategies for this situation, how the day-to-night-to-day swings affect my health, and much more.

Cheers

Currently reading: Seat of the Soul
Currently listening to: Steve Wilson, the Raven that Refused to Sing

Habits, habits, habits

Okay, I'm sure you're thinking, "Really? A post on habits? Aren't there enough of these on the internet already?" Touche, health enthusiast, touche.  But not to worry, I'll keep it short and sweet.

Habit: "An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary" (dictionary.com).  Sound about right? It should.  We all have habits, both good and bad.  Things we do without even thinking about it.  Thoughts we allow to enter our minds without challenge, without question of their origin and validity.  In a way, our habits are the auto-pilot actions and thoughts running in our subconscious background.  And in a way, literally speaking, they direct our way in life.

So, it would seem the better our foundation of habits, the better we will feel about ourselves, interact with others, and steer the boat along a more positive path.  Think about it: All things start with a thought, which affects our mindset and mood, which affects our intentions and actions, which affect the course of our lives.  Good habits lead to a better life. 

You couldn't tell from looking at me (I'm not nor have ever been obese or even close to it), but food addiction has played a catalyzing role in my own life.  Food was my solution to issues I did not know how to wrestle with, starting at an early age.  And, rather than deal with the issues, I let binge-eating deal with them instead.  When I finally took a step back, evaluated things, and took corrective action, I created new habits, and changed for the better.  

At present, with stress a bit higher than usual due to certain circumstances, irresponsible eating has attempted to rear it's ugly head back into my life.  In effort to fortify my position, I decided to play around with HabitForge.com.  And, after one week of use, I can definitely say it's working.  I simply input a habit I want to create/improve/change, then follow up with a couple daily emails that ask me how I did, and remind me why I'm doing this.  So far so good! I encourage you to check it out if you are interested in creating new habits for yourself.

Okay, not so short and sweet as I would have liked it to have been.  But habits play a massive role in our lives, and should not be left to run free without our attention and guidance.  

Cheers and good luck!

Currently listening to: Les Baxter - Space Escapade
Currently reading: The Twelfth Planet, Seat of the Soul, Four Hour Work Week

Yerba Mate > Coffee

Anyone who knows me, knows that I frequently like to drink weird tea straight from the leaves through a straw with a filter on the end.

Yes, it sounds weird (because it is), but the smoky taste, smooth caffeine buzz without a crash, and affordable cost outweighs it's social irrelevance.  Welcome, Yerba Mate. 

There are few things I can say I truly love on this earth, and the drink above is one of them.  Do a quick Google search for the stuff, and you'll find I'm not the only one.  In fact, master intellect and life-long-learner Tim Ferriss is a huge fan of the stuff (http://tinyurl.com/2mmzh5), so you know it's gotta be good. 

As someone who has suffered from severe adrenal problems in the past, I can really only drink coffee once a week max without feeling like crap afterwards.  But with Yerba Mate, I can enjoy it all day long, feel great, and feel great when I'm done! Win win.

There is a certain method to making the tea correctly, however, so if you don't do so, you'll quickly know it.  But once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature, and an enjoyable part of the process.

Because I know you're interested in trying this stuff, and because I also don't want you to think I simply pulled some weeds off the dying lawn outside, put a straw in them then snapped a shot, head over to guayaki.com and take a look. 


Cheers

It's worth it

Yeah, I never feel like doing it.  I can always find other things to do.  Things to think about.  Things to fill my time up with.  I'm sure many of you are thinking of different activities in your life right now that meet these qualifications... but for myself, I am referring to Meditation.

Or as I like to call it, "Just sit down and shut up," time.  A time to quite my mind, to end the loops of nonsense information that so often to seem to plague my thoughts.  A time to just sit, be still, and be present.  And it is way harder than I would like it to be.

I have to fight that initial urge to skip the session.  Fight the thoughts about what's going on that day, and focus on breathing instead.  To purge all the information that has built up over the last couple days, that doesn't matter anymore, but that for some reason I continue to think about.

But in the end, it's totally worth it.  It's like clearing out all those files on your computer that have accrued over the years (to-do lists from 2007 anyone?), so that the programs left run more efficiently.  It's like jumping into a crazy cold pool of water, so cold that you have no choice but to focus on the cold and nothing else.  And when you dry off and wait a couple minutes, you realize you feel fantastic, strong, and cleansed... and that you may have even received up to 100 benefits for quieting your mind for those 10 minutes! (http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/05/100-benefits-of-meditation/)

The biggest benefit, however, is that I have set the tone for an awesome day to occur.  I have taken a first step in the morning that says, "I control my thoughts, I control my life."  You don't get much more powerful than that!

I encourage you to experiment with meditation.  Try it a couple times a week, or couple times a day.  Set aside a time slot, and when that time comes around, don't think about it, just do it.  You'll be glad you did.