Restore Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Restore Body Balance For Longevity

Restore body balance is the way to live a calm, more joyful, and less stressful daily life, while boosting longevity.

restore body balance

Over the past few decades, American culture is becoming more exposed and open to mind-body connection healthy revelations, where we know that our thoughts and mental health affect our bodies and physical health through the mind-body connection.

And that was the premise of the second part of this balance series and what I’m all about as a life balance seeker.

And, the reason why I’ve kept stress under control (and you should too!)… at least after the first 30 years when I started on this health-saving quest.

This has been a high priority for me ever since and I doubt I’m ever going back. I never say never because life is unpredictable, but when you’ve got a taste of the better life, why would you go backward in awareness?

…And I’m sure that’s how you feel.

In earlier years, I didn’t have the means for lower stress wisdom. I wasn’t ready and it probably would’ve hurt me, as I wouldn’t have stretched myself in work as much.

Plus, when you’ve suffered accumulated stress, then you know that you don’t want that life in your second and future acts. Your younger years are the best times to test out “what you don’t want” so life gets better and you grow.

When you’re younger, you’re more resilient and energetic. It’s a good time to develop habits that make you more adaptable and flexible.

And then you can look back and say, “I’m sooo glad I don’t have to do that again”!

And maybe that’s what you needed as encouragement to keep growing your mind-body balance in your life today and EVERY day moving forward.

Internal balance is not all about the better situations, like having work-life balance.

It’s influenced by how we process the situation and find new grounds like gratitude and attitude. Daily, we can choose to see something that appears negative to us (and our ego) and flip it into a positive like what we’re experiencing is needed to get us to where we want to go.

And when we get into the habit of doing this in the small life things like daily interrupts, then we get to feel more joy in this life and our energy comes across to others as approachable.

What people actually think about you (and don’t say to you) in all the important roles you play is one life success measurement that is underrated and often overlooked.

What you are trying to become can backfire if not careful (and I’m sure you’ve seen many examples of people saying they want to be more ____ and end up doing the opposite).

…So much of what happens is based on people’s subconscious reactions in the moment. And the only people you can control is you and your reactions!

So, flipping your script from what your subconscious ego wants to serve up daily as prickly and unattractive personality points is going to be one habit change that leads to your personal success.

At anytime, you can simply walk away from your moody self (and that’s healthy!) and reject the associated thoughts. That empowerment is 100% in your control.

…And you’re wise to do so, because when your mind takes on negative thoughts, then your body feels the effects from immediate feelings that get transferred in the mind-body connection. And over time, they often show up as delayed response symptoms on or in the body.

Body Imbalances

These unwanted body imbalances “show up” as events that often need to be prioritized and take you away from your busy, planned life. You take work effort to nurse yourself in the areas that need attention or take time out to see a doctor so that you get back to normal.

But the opposite is snowball-building body stressor events that lead to chronic inflammations and common diseases. And as mortals, heart-related (CVD) is still in the #1 spot (and in the top 5 list of mortality causes).

A quick, easy scan to know if you’re increasing your chances for body symptoms and illnesses is if you’re accumulating anxiety, anger, or depression. These are the extremes of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas.

And if you have a natural mind-body accumulation for any one of those ways that align with your primary dosha body type, then you increase your chance of being in the hurricane-eye of accumulating body issues.

…So that’s especially why you want to pay attention to your body cues, prevent, and know your Vata, Pitta, and Kapha imbalances. And where we know most are life situation or lifestyle created.

And being conscious of this is a good thing because that means you can make changes that over time make an impact on your body.

Early on, I learned that if you’re sick or not physically well, you’re not helping anyone. And that thought stuck with me. Making impact in this world requires us to be healthy.

Restore Body Balance

Most of us want to restore body balance first (over mind body balance or mind-body connection balance that’s deeper to penetrate). One way to restore body balance is yoga, if you have a tightness.

You can restore your body symptoms and that can be healthy for your mind too as the mind-body and body-mind connection is bi-directional.

When you work to restore your body balance, you focus on doing everything you can to take care of your body so it gets well, and you gain new and better healthy knowledge.

And one piece of knowledge today that’s helpful is measuring body mass index (BMI). It’s still one of the medical relied-upon predictor tools to help determine body health outcomes.

BMI doesn’t measure a stress-free, joyful, purpose, relationship-filled life that contributes to longevity healthy outcomes, but it’s something we can impact and change.

We don’t have a say in our genetics, but we do decide how we take care of our bodies in our environment. We are empowered with lifestyle choices, even if we’re not living our dream life yet.

We can take daily small steps and make quality choices, like in moving daily and choosing quality calories. We know apple calories are more nutritious than cake calories. So balancing our nutritious food choices is in our control.

The point is, we don’t need to see signs of inflammation to know that we are making better or not-so-good choices. We don’t need to test how far our body limits are.

We want to show our bodies love as showing up for us rain or shine… so we can do what we want everyday.

And this love includes knowing that naturally our bodies are deteriorating slowly as we age and as we are exposed to daily pollutants. So better calories are feeding our compost growth, and not the gut weeds that can exponentially grow and leave a jungle path in our intestines.

When we adopt the healthy ways, we love ourselves and that adds a new happy to our lives. And we can show up to the world as our BEST selves that everyone on a similar mission is working toward.

We’re our best advocates. And that lets us live a more enriched life where we get to do more.

Restore Body Balance Healthy Lifestyle Leads to An Easier Life

And this makes our lives easier…

Like, when you eat the quality calories as your healthy habit, something great happens… you no longer have the same taste for the empty-quality calories that go down great, but leave you feeling and looking more full.

Similar to new habits, this takes a few weeks or longer for your body’s getting used to. But if you seesaw back and forth between old and new ways, you’ll not give the healthy way a real chance.

Healthy Mind For Body

To help your body out, start with the mind. If you want to be healthy eating, you want to tell your mind something that will choose the healthier option, especially in the beginning.

And when you do have a bite of the not-so-healthy, that’s okay too. Be okay with that. And actually DO that once a week, so you don’t cycle back to your old ways. That’s healthy wisdom. We’re not meant to be like sloths or koalas that eat leaves.

And every day, just keep on going without beating yourself up or going overboard because you didn’t meet an arbitrary goal.

Your healthy mind will show up on your body if you keep aiming for the healthy.

And eventually over time, the healthy will be your desired choice in every fiber of your being. And one day, fiber foods you didn’t consider before, will be something you reach for.

And I can use the analogy of intermittent fasting as something I do not do for losing weight reasons, but that would be my go-to if that was a goal.

Final Thoughts to Restore Your Body

Restore your body is like restoring your computer in many ways. Sometimes something breaks, like a part that needs to be put back together.

Body parts are resilient but when something breaks, then the area is fragile and open to damage. And that’s why physical therapy is so needed for sports injuries and the like.

And for disease-related problems, it’s the same. Once your body has a weakness, the wound is open and subsceptible to repeat chronic episodes.

If you look at football quarterbacks and how much they have to endure every play, they’ve made a career out of weekly restoration. They know how to bounce back with helpers trained to help them heal faster and to prevent injuries.

And they’re more appreciative to their bodies and how they perform like daily machines. We need that sometimes when we get used to something that we miss.

We need to see what we miss from a new perspective.

Prevention is the #1 defense. And that’s why having a healthy lifestyle is so important. 🌱

Are You Out of Balance? Pitta Mind-Body Inflammation

Cooling Pitta mind-body Inflammation with summer fruits and Jell-O — Jell-O doesn’t win nutrition points, but helps for a happy mind and Pitta cooled body (like these peach choux) 😋

I’m starting with Pitta mind-body inflammation for a series on mind-body awareness and creating more harmony and balance to the drum of your body-mind or mind-body.

Specifically, if you’re not sure what’s wrong, and at the least you’re feeling less than usual yourself, or internally having a unusually high moody out-of-sorts season, I’ve got you.

Because most mood issues are self-curable. And we all know people we’ve come across that are moody (…we would never admit our own occasions though 😊).

I didn’t grow up openly expressing moods other than tears, because we weren’t afforded the luxury to feel and express as much. In fact, you wouldn’t find anxious or frustration openly discussed in schools back then, as now acceptable highlighted sub-moods to happy or sad.

…And along those lines, anger or aggressive moods weren’t emotionally addressed, and that leads to Pitta mind-body inflammation. So, this week I start with Pitta mind-body where anger is a clear outward sign opportunity to address the inside expression.

Pitta tension runs high in the air in these ending summer days and school year starts. Transitions can test any of us.

At any moment we can have an off-balance reaction in our mind when something sets us off. But if that becomes a week and a season, then that becomes a mind-body problem we would endure.

BUT for better living… we should restore Pitta mind-body inflammation, so we can thrive and not just survive in this one life we get because we know better. Nice reminder, huh? 😉

Sometimes all we need is the awareness and knowledge to know what to do, that experience and age can help us with in wisdom.

And in today’s summer heat awareness, if you’re feeling overheated in mind or body, then you’re embracing some heavy Pitta compounding in this already Pitta season.

If it’s causing a problem when you observe in your self-witnessing thought life, then you want to cool it down.

See, the real problem is our shouting ego wants to act like everything is fine when it’s not. And in the act, sends bullhorn loud messages. 📢

But aware and outsmarting your ego, you can proactively restore and fix your moods by daily small-effort choices that takes little effort. It’s not immediate like winning the lottery or a trip around the world can do 🗺️, but it turns the tide in your mind-body.

You gradually restore back to equilibrium so you don’t spend more days in dissatisfied living or misery.

I learned this in one season when I had off-the charts high Pitta daily that I could look at a clock and know it was Pitta o’clock. And it wasn’t 5 o’clock, so jumping in a pool didn’t work in those hours.

And it was winter time, so an indoor pool would’ve been the only pool meditation option.

And in your case, you have a different makeup or one that’s unique to you.

A Vata body’s natural way is on the cooler side. With cooler season, bundling up in the winter with turtlenecks and dormant turtle moves would be aligned in balance. If you’re a Kapha, then you’re also running these cool tendencies, but less dry.

And following the temps was the drumbeat I moved to. Why am I pointing this out? Because you know you’re not in nature’s balance when you’re feeling different body temps going on that changes your tempo and moods.

See where I’m going with this?…

Sometimes you see guys in shorts in the winter, and you may think it’s the extra body hair like bears to keep grizzly warm, but usually it’s the high Pitta trait common in males that exude this. And instead of feeling cool-cold, it’s warm-hot, and that causes unsaid mood changes too.

…And this can happen to any of us as we all have traces of Pitta, Kapha, and Vata.

My work situation triggered that one specific winter where my Vata was outta whack and showing more obvious Pitta mind-body inflammation signs.

Knowing what your personal makeup is, and what your imbalances are is useful because then you can get a formula to confidently change the tide and not live in a season of unnecessary discomfort, that up to now you’ve written off as subtle moods.

And the first step is to know what’s on fire so you can reverse the effects and then enjoy this season in mind-body calm peace.

Cool The Heated Body-Mind Steps

Weather hot vs. cold may sound like small, silly talk, but it’s a good indicator of your balance temperature. It can definitely be more silently dangerous than stress because it takes a while to accumulate.

And stress triggers can be the cause of Pitta mind-body inflammation… like a low-heat slow pot simmering. And overheating is the fiery pan that can cause a fire.

Heated humans don’t pose environmental danger (unless we deliberately react badly). But we do possess the harmful characteristics that can overheat our bodies.

And at its worse can shutdown or shout out like in burnout.

And it can definitely feel fiery inside us (like when we bite into a hot chili pepper)…

We get clues when we have a short fuse for others’ behaviors that irritate us and cause us to be more opinionated or quick to judge.

…Or we can have outward skin inflammations like rashes, redness, or heartburn.

These are all different signs that your body shows you because it wants to cool down. That’s when you want to nip it in the bud so it doesn’t grow from one spot.

You want to team with your body and run in the opposite direction.

But the usual way is we keep unintentionally igniting our mind-body’s heat by not making changes.

And that’s what’s really needed as part of the prescribed cool down: all food, thought, and mind-body intake.

And doing the right steps prevent Pitta mind-body inflammation. You do have a say in the matter.

But when your body has reached a boiling point that’s common with our busy lives, these are the core body cool down prescriptions (that I think are worth repeating especially in the hot summer).

Intensity:

Athletes do this well because they’re more proned to experience inflammation and sport injuries putting themselves in tough body situations.

And when there’s red inflammation, there are two solutions: ice and ice water.

A cold dip is good, and as painful as that first freezing cold dip is to the skin’s touch, the body is screaming “more please!”

Running toward a bear could sound easier in the moment, but stay as long as you can bear. Our bodies are wiser than we are and will calm down when we calm it down.

And like a fire, what matters is:

Immediacy:

Ice as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you get home. Because inflammation grows and can spread into complicated areas if not attended to. You wouldn’t wait to put out a fire, so in the same way act fast on your body’s inflammation sign.

You may remember in school… if you got hurt in gym class, you went to the nurse’s office and she gave you immediate care. As adults, somehow we think getting through meetings or taking care of everyone else’s needs first is more important. Plus, our bodies were more resilient in those younger years.

Awareness:

If your inflammation is not getting better in a few days after icing that may need OTC relief, then take it seriously to seek more intense protocols or medical intervention as though your body is on fire. Because in a way, it is.

See it as your body’s cry for help. You’re not overreacting. And infections (that inflammations can turn into) are real and can happen at any time.

And in bi-directional effects, when you’ve taken care of your body, take care of your mind…

Running independently is a heated mind. When it’s so bad like in burnout or after the burn when you can’t take anymore… take the right steps so you snap out sooner and avoid a season of catchup from inflammation misery.

Prevention and quick restoration is a healthy decision and lifestyle choice you get to make.

🛒 You can checkout this list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods and/or purchase a comprehensive guide with specific food category lists, and learn what’s nutrition research important to know in anti-inflammatory foods and grocery shopping. 🌱

Peach Profiteroles

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup flour (combine bread and all purpose flour recommended)
1 tbsp butter (a small amount will do you for the lighter effect)
1/4 cup milk or nut milk
1-2 eggs (thick, smooth, and pipeable batter)
1 ripe peach
thick plain yogurt or Greek yogurt

Instructions

Cook flour, butter, and milk.
Let cool and add egg. If the batter isn't thick enough then add an additional egg.
Bake on 350°F for about 30-35 minutes.
Optional: brush a whisked egg (egg wash) for additional shine before baking.
Fill with yogurt and decorate with peach bits.

7 Best Habits For Forgetfulness Sometimes

Peach and cherries are summer fruits that pair well together in a bowl. 🍒

Do you experience forgetfulness regularly or daily? Before you start freaking out that you have cognitive decline or dementia running in your veins… or even brain fog that gets described as a common daily symptom… realize that if you worry about this often, then you’re panicking for no reason… as those who aren’t aware are the ones to be more concerned with.

There’s no person out there who has never experienced short-term memory loss or forgetfulness. That’s why we setup reminders so we don’t forget. And why we use calendars to write or type on.

So if you forget easily and often these days, most likely you’re busy, stressed, or not getting enough sleep. And maybe that’s your natural way, as is for Vatas who have this built-in DNA feature along with worry. 🧠

BTW, forgetfulness can sometimes work to your advantage as you recall the important things, and let go of the unimportant ones.

Lists help sometimes and have their place: e.g. grocery store lists, important to-do’s, and details. But lists can also be distractions from priorities.

And some priority items calling you today could lead you to your life of meaning, if that’s important to you. When you focus on the things that matter most in the moment, that’s when you get to experience the best use of your time. You don’t get mired down in what you ought-to-do minutiae that can often turn into negative moods as your good hearted spirit isn’t there.

In balance, daily re-routing your thoughts is healthy along with some planning.

If you’re in the balance flow already allowing in some daily breathing space changes, below are 7 good habits to intake so you never miss anything important!

Plus, the tips (below) can be practical prevention for forgetfulness. You don’t want to leave a bag of groceries or umbrella behind if you can avoid the inconvenience.

You probably don’t remember the first time you forgot something small, but you do remember some of the momentary forgetfulness you experienced in the past as long-term memory is different than short-term blips. It’s just part of the human quirks. None of us are perfect.

When we forget to do something, often the thoughts vanish into thin air or get lost. But instead of beating yourself up, it’s better to think it must not have been important. Because unless it’s a safety hazard, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not important and that helps us with daily contentment and joy.

And sometimes those thoughts reappear later when they are no longer needed. They can confirm how unimportant and no big deal the forgotten is or teach us a lesson to learn about how we can let it go.

Even better, is to set up consistent habits no matter how much you rely on your memory to serve and save you. Consistency will serve you will well in your life, where it’s more important than what you don’t say. And it helps with not forgetting.

Putting focus and energy on being consistent with healthy habits lead to your successful outcomes one (consistent) step at a time.

So here are some habit builds you can make for common important items.

Habit #1: Use a timer for the important items.

For a stove or oven, this can be a matter of safety. There are always interruptions, so setting a timer for your cooking not only gives you perfectly cooked meals, it can save you from burning up the kitchen. And if you’re a Great British Baking Show fan like me, ya know how critical that can be!

And for anything you want to be reminded of you can set a timer. It’s like the trick of tying a string around your finger that some did.

Habit #2: Use a timer when you have a 10-minute break.

Set an egg timer or the timer on your phone when you have minutes until the next activity. More likely than not you will distract yourself in those minutes on your phone or doing something that takes longer than a few minutes. So setting your timer on 9 minutes for a 10-minute break is a good idea to make use of that valuable time and keep track of the minutes. ⏲️

Habit #3: Reminders – write or type reminder notes that you check regularly.

Using the available reminder tools on your phone or tablet is a good habit. Let the reminder ping you on that date/time so you can be in the moment. And that can be a life saver for not missing important events and things to do.

Once you start, reminders are a hard habit to break. When you have a few minutes, you can go over your past and future reminders and sometimes you even pick up new ideas from old reminders. 💭

Habit #4: For your email inbox, use the snooze feature (on some programs, it is represented with a clock icon 🕓).

Snooze reminders are especially good for monthly reminders that are very easy to forget because the habit isn’t frequent enough for you to automatically do. And if forgetting calendar dates is one of your challenges, then this could be a life saver.

When you use a snooze feature, after you complete the task, set the snooze for the next month date. As a bonus, then you won’t doubly forget later whether you competed the task this month as you already set a new future date.

That’s genius… and an assistant assurance better than any AI tool can do! 😉

Habit #5: Have a backup calendar reminder.

Besides your natural memory, a backup reminder like a second calendar to rely on is a best bet, which btw… is s not askng another human to be the calendar. They can just as easily forget, get distracted, or never have prioritized you lists.

It’s a burden when you say: remind me to ______. Unless someone else asks to be used as a calendar or timer, don’t get in this old-fashioned habit that can be disappointing to you and annoying to others in this day and age.

Habit #6: Improve your memory with cardio exercise.

Getting oxygen to your brain helps energize your brain to function better. The more energy you have, the quicker your reaction time is, and sometimes that allows a little break for your brain (like witnessing a break in the clouds) to remember something important.

Plus, walking improves memory, but it won’t necessarily jog your memory. And lowering blood pressure is a good idea that taking a nature walk can help achieve.

Habit #7: Habit stack often.

When you do the activity that you already have a formed habit with and then add your new habit to, it’s proven to be a quicker way to form a habit. It works your automatic memory reflexes that takes less energy.

Animals in the wild do this well. They are natural habit stackers through instincts. They bypass forgetfulness, remembering to stick to what’s simple, natural and essential for survival and thriving in their habitat. Just a thought.

Scents For Joy + Celebrate Your Nose Knows!

Have you ever noticed how certain scents bring joy to your face? Or that warm blanket spritzed with lavender that reminds you of a yoga mat or relaxing moment that instantly makes your troubling life situations better?

Using those olfactory memories and the comforting things available to us, can help us to make it through our day… and sometimes is all we need to get inspired again. That’s all-so Ayurvedic!

One sweet spice way that we can capture daily is in our scents. I like to keep around a few perfumy bottles even though I rarely wear any. But I like to catch a citrusy sweet whiff every so often. Bergamot and citrus light scents don’t last as long as others so keeping them close by is a good idea.

And if you’re a Vata like me, cinnamon spice is one of your faves. Also, vanilla scents and sweet oranges like that from a California navel or Italian blood orange.

Celebrating the orange scents here on this table…

Can you guess what orange is here? It’s a Cara Cara orange.

So on those notes, these are a few of my go-to perfume aromatherapy scents for balance.

The heavy-knock-you-out-cold perfumes are a thing of the past. The kind your grandmother probably wore. And what my mom wore. Those memories are hard to erase.

But for everyday living, these two eau de parfums are more appropriate.

J.Lo Live – the version I bought is very citrusy. I stumbled on the perfume when I had extra minutes (hours) in an airport and decided to make use of that time by finding a good scent. Good idea, right? And this one was the one that got my attention. Yes, it’s Jennifer Lopez’s (J.Lo) Live. And it also comes in a pretty bottle.

A good perfume is like a good dress. When you try it on, you know if it’s The One as you can’t stop grinning from ear to ear.

Viktor&Rolf – Flower Bomb is da bomb when it comes to scents, me thinks 😊 in me-time (that was how I thought in my youthful fun self) 🌼

Btw… do you ever wonder why you can’t smell certain scents that’s more about you liking a perfume scent one day and not-so-much the next day or next season?

There are a few reasons:

For one, as mentioned, the citrusy ones don’t last in the air too long. While they calm your parasympathetic nerves (and help to lower cortisol stress levels), they only last a few hours depending also on what other scents they are balanced with. So it’s fading daily along with bottle age.

And the other reason is… you!

You don’t smell them because you have a heavier imbalance in another dosha. But don’t worry, that can easily be restored back in a day or two. And the right scents can help put your day right back on track.

It always comes back to your Vata, Pitta, and Kaphas. 👧🏻 😡😴

Let me explain… so since I’m a Vata, sometimes I can’t smell the citrus scents strongly. And so I gravitate towards maybe a woodsy or florally scent or a stronger sandalwood burning trees scent. 👃And that would indicate to me that I have a Pitta imbalance. Rarely these days, but back in my corporate work days that was the status quo. …Until I found a better new normal balance.

So primarily these days I like the Vata scents because that’s my natural body.

And if you’re interested in learning more about the intuitive body and how it can help you in your daily life and balance, then take the 2-minute Body Balance Quiz.

There is one scent in particular that I use to instantly know if I’m feeling balanced.

Wanna know what that is?…

I use another Viktor&Rolf’s scent called Bon Bon. It’s in a cute, hot pink cylindrical bottle. Hot pink was my favorite color growing up …and now everybody’s fave. 💕

…I Love how our society is becoming so close-knit and we see eye-to-eye on the important things 😉

So, here’s what I know.

When this candy scent is too cloying or sickenly sweet to me, then I know that my Vata is off. It has a burnt caramel scent to it that isn’t always likable. I figured this out while wearing it one day when I couldn’t wait to wash it off. That’s what happens.

AND… maybe I’ve inspired you to pull out your scents to test.

And if you ever wonder why you like a certain person… it could be the way they smell. Years before our society adopted Ayurvedic balance, a co-worker of mine wore Clinique’s Happy. And every time I was near her, I was happy! 🤸‍♀️

My day was brightened and I distinctly felt calmer. And now I know that’s because of the concentrated citrus orange notes. Once a Vata always a Vata!

So, if you want to be around more people like you, wear the scents you like. And if you wanna balance yourself out and attract your opposite, wears the scents they would like. …Just a scented meeting people advice note I thought I’d leave you on.

Sleep Revolution

Sleep is the revolution we’re in. Previously the ambitious mantra was to forego sleep to get more done.

avocado toast breakfast — A healthy avocado breakfast to break the sleep fast! 🥑

Whether getting more sleep is on your list of resolutions or wellness intentions this year (or not), you’ll get a new side of sleep… not just back, left, or right but a whole NEW angle (in this week’s blog post article)…

Below, I share about Ayurvedic energy patterns that affect your sleep, and why it matters to your daily energy.

…And a NEW change this year I’ve made that’s revolutionized my sleep. 🎉

And sleep is everything to your body… and to you and me!

Even when it was endorsed and en vogue to sleep less to get more done just a decade ago from what I remember, I never bought into that belief.

I always thought sleep was the best thing ever. Better than sliced bread (which I’ve replaced with homemade bread loaves and airy pizza crust with anti-inflam Brussels sprouts 🥬…that’s not a healthy fad.)🥖

…And sleep isn’t a trendy fad.

Amazing sleep is on my daily bucket list. We never know when will be our last day, and sleep is wellness time spent well.

When you look like a Sleeping Beauty sound asleep, you’re at peace.

…Your conscious mind isn’t running where you have to act or make any decisions.

And even if you don’t love sleep… we HAVE to sleep as part of survival, so our bodies can restore and reset. With all the functions our bodies do second by second, it needs a rest.

And after a good night’s sleep, you naturally have more energy to be productive during the day. You run more efficiently as you gain minutes because you get more done in fewer hours.

And that leaves you less stressed. And to your body, less accumulated stress cuts down on oxidative stress (one of the reasons why we work so hard to eat healthy).

We also know we prevent diseases when we prevent chronic inflammation. And long before I became an advocate for anti-inflammation, I was uneasy with the idea of running on lack of sleep.

Sleeping in occasionally was a weekend luxury (that cost nothing!). It’s a happy feeling not having to look at the clock or having a blaring alarm to artificially wake up to. It’s freedom from a duty activity you have to do, like work or school.

But artificial alarm wake-up time is not the time your body wants to get up. If it’s super early or you had a rough night of sleep, that often shows up as bags and lines under the eyes.

And if giving a presentation was part of the new day, adding a few “get the red eyes” drops always came in handy.

We never wanted to show that we weren’t well rested. And I learned this as a child when school started way before it should be legal for a child to have to get up, LOL.

Before the sun rises is way too early, especially for our growing bodies (and adult bodies) that run best along sunshine/sundown circadian rhythms.

Night-time is nature’s way of preparing us for sleep…. and why in my youthful adult years I always felt tired out at social clubs. But the environment and friends kept me buzzing.

And even way back before those times, when waking up, I learned from teen magazines to take an ice cube and soothingly apply under each eye for a few seconds. Instantly that made you look well-rested even though your mind was still half-asleep…

This is how it felt eyes opened until the time my mind and mind-body caught up.

I wasn’t one of those kids whose parents introduced caffeine or coffee to them. My 90-year-old immigrant parents have still never had coffee or a soda EVER as far as I’m aware.

They didn’t grow up with it. And I didn’t either. I only started enjoying daily cuppa joes well into my adult years.

And this is my joyful daily routine over alarms.

…So as a schoolgirl, like many American kids in public schools, I had a bowl of cereal with milk and some juice for breakfast. That was supposed to tie me over until lunch.

By 8 am when I was at school, I plowed through the tiredness. There wasn’t another choice. From what I remember, putting your head down on your desk was only done when we had a classroom survey where we raised our hands anonymously.🙋🏻‍♀️ Or maybe used as a timeout tool that I never experienced. I was an obedient kid. 😁

And then after 11 am, my full day’s energy kicked in. 🤸🏻

But I noticed I was still alert for morning tests as you don’t need high energy to take tests. You need the answers from the mind. And sometimes our teachers gave us a Jolly Rancher candy for our veins so we stayed awake.

Then by the afternoon school lunch, the food that finally entered my stomach sunk like lead and I felt like crashing in the afternoon. (Now as an adult I know it was the heavy, processed carb meals from school lunches that caused the blood sugar rush).

And the change in pace from class and lunch socializing with friends didn’t help either to swing back into learning. Post-lunch, my mind was ready to shut down. (Today, we know it’s part of the gut-mind connection).

…It’s like going to a social event or a game where you’ve eaten party food and then trying to study. That doesn’t work too well if at all.😏

But that was the school’s schedule, and so that was my daily agenda. Priorities misaligned, they put school-age-kid bus schedules in front of the kids they serve.

…And if school started later in the day, school-age kids would have a better chance of getting enough sleep. We need a new sleep revolution in our society starting from a young age.

But that’s a whole ‘nother topic… and this isn’t a rant or discussion about revolutionizing schools.

Outside of school and those years, today we have better food and meal choices. And food is still one of the 4 basic needs along with water, shelter, and clothing.

And sleep should be on that list as a #5.

If you’re a naturally inconsistent sleeper, then likely you’re a natural Vata body where you wake up earlier one day over the next. Each night of sleep is an adventure as it varies.

We can’t change the way we naturally feel. So this stacks against us to be daytime productive unless we learn to use our natural bodies to our advantage.

These are some natural (circadian rhythm) times when we want to lean into each of our Ayurveda dosha “personalities”:

From 6 am – 10 am, if you’re up, that’s Kapha time. And from 10 am to 2 pm is Pitta time. (And as a child, a mind-productive time in the late morning thanks partially to the mind-body connection).

From 2 – 6 pm, Vata time kicks in. Naturally, Kapha-heavy bodies can want to take a nap while the Vata is still alert.

Example: I’m a dominant Vata body, so I enjoy working during those energy-filled afternoon hours (after I’m done with a Kapha coffee morning ☕️). But occasionally if my Kapha is imbalanced and high, then I can feel tired the whole day.

…Not revelationary, but an interesting perspective, huh?

And unless you feel imbalanced, daily tired, or low on energy, then don’t lose sleep over the Ayurveda time concept and idea that’s probably newer to you.

But if you do want to make changes as I do as life-healthy prevention and daily productivity, then you can try something new or a bio-hack that works…

Especially since winter and age are not on our side. We can be more sluggish to make changes. And our bodies want to sleep in but we want consistent sleep year-round to fit our schedules and lives.

…So what I did this month was I started fasting (time-restricted eating) a couple of days of the week on certain weeks of the month.

I sleep peacefully well on fasting nights ( like Sleeping Beauty described earlier). And my body needs less winter sleep (and the same 7, maybe 8 hours amount of sleep I prefer consistent year-round that’s also experienced in fall, spring, and summer).

And the day after fasting I feel naturally more energetic and more alert. Look forward to my fast day tomorrow! …and I’d love to know if that’s something you’ve tried or are doing (…maybe for the same reasons I’m doing or as part of a new year weight loss plan).

I’ll share more of my journey in the weeks to come. Until then, have a peaceful and blessed week! 🙏