Shanti Douglas ~ 8 limbs Holistic Health, LLC
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Got Rhythm?

2/19/2020

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Just like you, I’ve got a ton of things that need my attention through the day. There are a lot of pieces to keeping a business prosperous and, if I’m not careful, shiny objects can’t tantalize my attention away from what’s really important. I want, and need, to stay focused.
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My tendency, though, is to be a pendulum swinger, going from being FULL ON for days and then, invariably, swinging in the other direction and feeling fizzled out. I swing from 100% to near zero… and then have to energize myself to get going again. This wide swinging is terrible.

Something I’ve been doing for the past year, though, has changed all of this. As much as possible, I work with my ultradian rhythms throughout the day.

I’m sure you’ve heard of circadian rhythms. These are the 24 hour cycles we go through each day that help us with sleep-awake cycles. They’re connected to our hormonal system, specific brain activity, cell regeneration, and other biological processes.

Ultradian rhythms are smaller chunks - typically 90 minutes on then 20 minutes off. During the 90 minutes, we can give it our all and be really energized and focused. After that, though, we need to take a rest of at least 20 minutes, doing something that relaxes our body and brain or changes the energy of what we were doing before. AKA, this means not scrolling on-line, staying seated, or trying to hammer out “one more thing” even if it’s a small task. Be ALL IN and then be ALL OFF.

Personally, most of the day I break this 90 minutes down even further into 30 minute cycles, giving myself a 2-5 minute break in between. I do a few simple stretches, 10 deep breaths, bio break, or check in with my WIN (more on that next week). This helps me stay refreshed and energized, without the end-of-day-dead-tired. And when I do the bigger 20 minutes break, I take a walk, do some jigsaw puzzle, sit in the sun and play ball with Suki, meditate, or take a nap.

And speaking of napping: Yes, yes, yes do it… but not more than 30 minutes. Anything beyond the cat nap situation will begin the 90 minute sleep cycle… which is why it can take hours to “wake up” after a longer nap.

Try working with ultradian rhythms this week and see how your day flows and energy stays more balanced. Again, it’s all about experimenting with optimizing our lives.

Sending you lots of Peace,
Shanti

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No Doubt the #1 for Energy Management

2/17/2020

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Since I was a very young person, I've always made connections between things. How does this impact that and then how does it tie into all of that? Connecting the dots helps me make sense of what happens in life and to see its vast interconnectedness.

For energy, it's the same thing. It's obvious that I won't be at my best when I'm sick (as noted in my last newsletter) but what about those times where I'm hungry, feeling busy, worried, distracted, tired, or lethargic from sitting too much? What are the consequences of those not-so-obvious energy drains?

It can be a really interesting experiment to start monitoring your life since what gets measured gets managed. If you don't know, how can you know?

There are several foundations of energy management that are important to take a look at with my clients, even if it's not their primary reason for working with me. If they're not well resourced in their energy, how can they activate the energy to optimize their hopes and dreams?

Today we’re going to take a peak at #1... sleep. Why sleep? If you're not getting adequate quality sleep, it's nearly impossible to have any positive impact on any area of your life. You tend to eat carbage and sugary foods for energy, over-caffeinate to stay awake, and don't have the organic energy to move freely and with joy in your body. Plus, those nasty gremlins take the bait and run amock with your attitude, focus, and psyche!! After a rough day like that, good luck getting a good night’s sleep... which leads to a continuation of that ill-being cycle.

Sleep is the number one fundamental and the beginning of everything.

How is your sleep? How many hours a night do you get? 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep is the basic prescription; anything under 6 is in the depletion zone. While it might not be as obvious as an all-nighter, that's only because it’s easy to get acclimated to slower / lower functioning and performance, low energy, and sub optimal health.

In his awesome book Why We Sleep, neuroscientist Matthew Walker shares some ugly statistics:
  • 4 hours of sleep for 6 days is the same as being awake for 48 hours.
  • 5 hours of sleep is like having blood alcohol level of .08.
  • 6 hours of sleep is like being awake for 24 hours (the red eye without the flight?).
  • Emotional reactivity goes up 60%.
  • Learning and memory are reduced by 50% and more mistakes are made (how much of your day do you spend redoing things or correcting simple errors?).
  • Spacing out, forgetfulness… 400% lapse in concentration.
  • The Geneva Convention prohibits sleep deprivation. It’s considered torture. 
Yikes! I told you they were ugly.

Not to fear. There are many simple things you can do including:
  • Stop caffeine in the early afternoon (including dark chocolate - OK, that one might not be easy).
  • Install a digital sunset = shut electronics and screens off at least one hour before bed. The blue light in the screen messes with your natural production of melatonin, a hormone necessary for balanced sleep cycles.
  • Check your room temp: 65° is best and no more than 70°.
  • Have a regular bed and wake time, even on the weekends, one that will get you at least 7 hours. This creates sleep cycles that your body will look forward to.
  • Stretch and move your body throughout the day, not just at the beginning or end. Get up at least every hour for 2-3 minutes and shake it up!
  • Nap… but no more than 30 minutes (I’ll share more on these last two in an upcoming Wonder & Wisdom).
  • Track your sleep. Start a journal and notate how you slept the night before and the effect it has on your day today: what you ate, how you moved, your attitude, focus, and energy level. You might be surprised at some connections that would have been invisible before.
A good night sleep... #1 energy management, plain and simple.

Would it be helpful to figure out your particular secret sauce to better sleep? Let's chat!I'd love to help dissect what's working and not working for you. I want you to have your optimal energy available. How else to have your optimal life?

Sending you lots of Zzzzzzs.

Shanti

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    Author - Shanti Douglas

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Shanti Douglas: Mindfulness, Optimize, & HeartMath® Certified Trainer and Coach
8 limbs Holistic Health, LLC         603.228.9007         Shanti@8limbsholistichealth.com
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