It was quite an adjustment for me from busy stressful life in the US to slowing down and only having to take care of myself. It was something new to learn how to self-care. One of the first habit that I practiced was going outside when the sun just came up. (First Light) And I like the acronym GLOVES because Gemma Newman did a study of the oldest healthy people and found that these were the most important six ingredients they all had in common: Gratitude, Love, Outside, Vegetables, and Exercise.
I knew that if I wanted to change something, I need to track my progress. So, I decided to get a notebook and wrote "GLOVES and F" (for First Light) vertically on the left and each day I give myself a number for each ingredient daily so I can track my progress. CR taught me about daily inventory, which is raising our awareness in the areas we most want to change.
First Light
There is something magical at dawn when the sun just comes up, it always fills me with hope. One of my favorite moments is when I used to leave early to go on solo trips and seeing the sun come up in the horizon often fills me with awe. No matter what happens the day before, we get to have a brand-new start. Sadly, in my daily busy life, I rarely go outside in the mornings for different reasons; I am sleepy, it's cold, and I have a lot to do. One of the podcasts I listen to is from Andrew Huberman, a brilliant neuroscientist from Stanford University. Because he is a brain expert, he talks with lots of technical terms, but I always hear him talk about getting outside to be exposed to the first light. Our body needs a huge amount of sunlight to set our circadian clock, so it knows that our day is starting. Setting our circadian clock also helps us to sleep better because the body knows it's time to sleep. Going outside for 10 min to expose to first light improves the quality of our sleep because it sets the rhythm of our day. Our body needs that rhythm. The brightest indoor lights are not enough to set the clock. You HAVE TO go outside. Outside lights is a thousand times more powerful even on a cloudy day. Don't fret, you only need 10 minutes in the morning. So you can drink your morning coffee out on the deck wrapped in your blanket and that counts. Check out my favorite YouTube from him.
The Optimal Morning Routine - Andrew Huberman (youtube.com)
Sleep is important to our wellbeing. When we don't sleep well, our brains don't function correctly, and shockingly we make worse choices with food, which means we crave more junk, and we eat more in quantity. I always knew sleep is important, but I didn't know that without sleep, we are dumber and fatter. Shocking news, isn't it?
Well, I figured, what good is it to know something and never put it to practice? So, I started going out for a walk first thing, though I am often sleepy and sluggish at first, I always come back energized and happy. Those who own dogs are lucky because you have to take the dogs out for a walk. It's not an easy habit to establish, because it's hard, but I do notice that I sleep better at night on days when I went out in the early mornings. So, since sleep is so important and it's the "S" in GLOVES, I decided to work hard on this new habit because I certainly don't want to be dumber and fatter.
GLOVES
I knew these things are important in life, but I never really thought to track them, so I love this acronym from Gemma Newman. It's like she puts everything important in a neatly packaged box.
G-Gratitude
Gratitude changes our molecular structure. No wonder grateful people live the longest and are the healthiest. There is a Japanese doctor who did an experiment with water and rice. and witness the change just by thanking the jar. Check this out:
Masaru Emoto's Rice Experiment (youtube.com)
Since our bodies are mostly water, gratitude also changes us. No wonder God commands us to be thankful in all things. I keep a gratitude journal where I write down daily what I am grateful about. Sometimes I include my negative emotions and not so good things since God said to give thanks in all things. I think by giving thanks for our worries and concerns, it is an act of faith because we believe God is going to make it ok at the end.
L-Love
Healthy people are loved and loving. They give to the people around them and live in a community of people who love them. Those who contribute and give themselves to others in some days are the happiest. It's like beautiful Lake Tahoe where I used to visit regularly, melted snow flows into the lake and Truckee River flows out of it. It isn't like the Dead Sea, where there is no outlet. A healthy life includes people that pour into us and we also pour into others.
O-Outside
It's important to spend time outside daily, first thing in the morning and other times of the day if you can. Sunlight makes us happier; we are not meant to be cooped up inside all day. If you work in the office, go out and walk during your breaks. I miss doing yard work and walking on local trails in the US. Thankfully without a car here, I am having to walk everywhere to catch public transportation, so I am outside quite a bit though not by choice. For this I am grateful. 😊
V-Vegetables
I'm sure we are not surprised that healthy people eat lots of variety of different vegetables daily. Eat the rainbow. Vegetables are what our body needs to be well, so feed ourselves veggies each day. Lots of cancer patients were healed just by eating more veggies. People who love veggies live the longest. The hard thing is that we owe ourselves to DAILY eat a decent number of different veggies instead of grabbing what tastes good but filled with empty calories. Our bodies deserve better. Give our body the right fuel so it runs better.
E-Exercise
Exercise of course does our bodies lots of good physically and mentally. Studies after studies show that. Did you know this? You can delay 40 conditions and diseases simply by being more active. Want to feel better, have more energy and even add years to your life? Just exercise.
The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, no matter their age, sex or physical ability. Exercise not only improves your physical health, it also improves emotional health because you are happier and feel better when you exercise.
So, take time to go for a walk during your break and go to the gym. Take the stairs instead of getting on the elevator. Park a bit further from the entrance. Learn a new sport.
S-Sleep
Lastly quality sleep is important which I talked about in the First Light section. Our body needs the rest time to reset and repair itself. It's best to eat an early dinner and not have snacks. Avoid caffeine, limit screen time and dim all the lights a couple of hours before. Turn off your phone or put it in another room. Avoid alcohol, though you do feel drowsy at first, it reduces the sleep quality so your sleep will be interrupted. Alcohol screws up your sleep so don't drink. Make sure your room is dark and cool at bedtime.
There you have it. Take care of yourself before you take care of everyone and everything else. Be good to yourself, you deserve it. Once you take care of you, you get to give this world a better version of YOU.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."
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