Restoring your mind and body is just as important as the hard work you put in throughout the week. Taking the time to find the balance between rest and work will help you from burnout or fatigue, and even maximize your productivity.
Focus on Sleep
Sleep is one of the most restorative activities you can do for your mind and body. A great night’s sleep for an adult includes seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep. Our internal “body clock”, known as your circadian rhythm, controls a 24-hour cycle of your body and lets you know when to fall asleep and when to be alert. When your circadian rhythm goes “off track” it’s harder to see the great benefits of sleep.
Having a proper night’s sleep is essential for brain function and metabolism regulation as well! Without it, there’s a higher risk for certain diseases and medical conditions. Try the following to help develop an established sleep schedule.
- Develop a schedule: sticking to a reasonable schedule for when to wind down before bed and when to wake up is ideal for your body.
- Make your bed a stress-free environment: contract a comfortable sleep environment to de-stress your mind to fall into a deep sleep. The quality of your sleep can also be affected by light, so make sure to sleep in a dark room to reach all stages of your REM (deep sleep) cycle.
- Exercise: Exercising regularly will help the body release stress hormones and allow you to get burn out all extra energy that can keep you up at night.
Practice Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are a great way to ground your mind and body. Often found in yoga teachings, the practice of Pranayama breathing teaches you to consciously breathe in awareness. This deep breathing affects you by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down your heart rate and blood pressure, making the body feel calm. Our bodies are faced with everyday stress, which puts us in a fight-or-flight response, which leads to the release of stress hormones that make our body feel contracted and anxious. Breathing deep helps reverse this process and relax the body.
Try these exercises to help you breathe deep:
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- A full breath cycle: use muscles from not only your diaphragm but your neck and chest, to engage your abdominal muscles and get the maximum amount of oxygen to your body.
- Box breathing: this intentional breathing exercise is used specifically to calm to fight or flight response in the body. Breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four, and hold for four.
- Meditation: this ancient practice focuses on the breath to intentionally calm the mind and bring awareness to the body.
Sweat It Out
Exercising and sweating have many restorative benefits for the body. Exercising regulates mood and healthy immunity. In conjunction, sweating stimulates the lymphatic system, which removes heavy metals, chemicals, and bacteria from your body.
Make sure you’re doing the right workouts for your body– a FIT personal trainer can help you! Together you can create a custom plan to achieve your health and wellness goals that can help you develop a workout routine. Hop into the sauna room after to help with sweat-boosting lymphatic drainage!
Dial-In Nutrition
Incorporating proper nutrition into your lifestyle helps the body restore muscle and transmit the nutrients it needs. Some of the nutrients you should always include is the following:
- Protein: You can get protein from animal and plant-based foods. Protein provides the building blocks of the body, and not just for muscle. Every cell, from bone to skin to hair, contains protein. Protein is used primarily for growth, health, and body maintenance.
- Carbohydrates: The carbohydrates you want to include should be grains, beans, and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. Loading up on whole-based carbohydrates will protect the body against disease and help function the brain and central nervous system.
- Healthy Fats: Fats help the body absorb minerals it needs to function, muscle movement, and building cells.
- Vitamins: Your body needs a variety of micronutrients to function properly, about 13 essential vitamins are needed including Vitamin A, C, B6, and D.
- Water: H20 may be something we don’t always think about when factoring in our nutritional needs– however, water is crucial for anything to function properly in your body– about 62 percent of your body weight is water. It helps function the brain and mood, flushes out toxins, and carries nutrients throughout the body.
Stretch
Restore your body properly with stretching, and it’s one of the simplest ways to reset your muscles. Stretching is for everyone– especially for people who sit and stand all day or athletes. Practicing stretching helps resolve tension in the body, and create better circulation to carry nutrients to tissues. Stretching also is a great way to calm the mind to reset thoughts throughout the day.
With the launch of our new Group Fitness classes, you’ll have the opportunity to join group classes that include restorative yoga. This is a great way to fit stretching into your daily routine or busy schedule.
Fit For You
Fit is here to help you achieve balance and restoration for your mind and body. From our Group Fitness classes, personal training, and other luxury amenities, you can use these practices to implement rest throughout your week.