The Oxygen Mask Principle
You’ re travelling on a plane with your family, when suddenly the oxygen masks drop from the ceiling. You’ ve listened to the safety demonstration a gazillion times before, so you know you must put your mask on first, before you start helping anybody else – children, husband, stranger sitting next to you. And that’ s what you do. You know, that in order for you to survive, you put your mask on first, no questions asked.
So now here’ s a little TRUTH BOMB for you …
Your health and well-being is exactly the same as that oxygen mask. Without it, without you looking after you first, you won’ t survive – motherhood, entrepreneurship, the turbulent flight that we call life.
As women, as mums and as entrepreneurs we constantly push our health and wellness needs aside when it’ s essential for us to function effectively. Why?
What if, as we are writing our 2018 Business Plan, we also write our 2018 Health and Well-Being Plan? We sit down and write out a plan that makes our health a priority so that:
• Everything feels easier and you feel less stressed
• Productivity( and therefore profitability) increases
• You’ re a happier mum and partner, friend, family member
• Your confidence and self esteem improves
• You look and feel amazing, which impacts every other area of your life
Sounds amazing doesn’ t it?
So, here is a guide to writing your 2018 Health and Well Being Plan. It really can include anything that’ s important to you, however it should include these 5 basic principles:
1) NOURISHMENT
Food is fuel. It’ s designed to nourish your body. Are you choosing to fuel your body with poor quality fuel or are you giving it the premium options?
TIP: Plan to eat 5 times a day( every 2-3 hours). Choose foods that provide nutrients and nourishment to your body. These include lots of vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and slow burning carbohydrates.
2) HYDRATION
Aim to start your day with 2 glasses of water. In total you’ ll want to consume 2-3 litres throughout the day. If water is tough for you, try infusing it with mint and cucumber or having herbal teas like peppermint or chamomile. Aside from counting towards your water intake, they have their own health benefits! Using a large drink bottle is also helpful.
3) MOVEMENT
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Are you moving your body every day for 20 minutes or more? Not only is this great for building or maintaining lean muscle, its also beneficial for stress reduction and releasing happy hormones into your body.
Can you do a call while walking? What about getting up 30 mins earlier to do an online exercise session? Can you walk the kids to school rather than driving? Can you start your work day 1 hour later to get your gym session in? Make it work for you and schedule it into your day as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
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