Have you ever gone through a time in your life when you felt “in the flow”?
Wasn’t it GREAT?
It may have been a while, but you know remember what it feels like. You had a TON of energy, your sleep was on track, you felt productive, and you were positive and optimistic. Not to get woo-woo … but you felt “in sync.”
If you don’t feel that way now, you’re not alone. Most of us, myself included, fall off the “balanced” wagon when summer hits. Between traveling, kids out of school, days spent by the water (or dreaming of sitting by the water), and all that life throws at us when the weather is warm and the sun is calling us outside, it’s easy to get out of the routine of doing the things that bring a sense of balance to our lives.
Chances are, one big reason WHY you felt so “in sync” – your body was running in its natural rhythm – basically, following your body clock. It turns out there’s nothing woo-woo about it. We refer to this clock as your Circadian Rhythm and it comes in at #3 on the 4:14 Fitness Metabolic Hierarchy. It’s a pretty BIG piece of you feeling amazing – or feeling like complete pooh.
If you feel like you’ve lost your rhythm, I have a quick and powerful tip to get back to that feeling.
But first, it’s important to remember that our bodies CRAVE routine. Especially healthy routines!
When you’re NOT following your body clock, you can start to feel fuzzy, unfocused, and tired.
You can also feel hungry … even when you’re not.
Over the long run, it can spell disaster for your health. A circadian rhythm that’s off can affect:
● Your heart health
● Your metabolism
● Your digestion
● Your skin
● Your body’s ability to repair DNA damage, and
● So much more!
PLUS … disruptions in your body clock (circadian rhythm) are linked with obesity, diabetes, and mental health issues.
For the month of September, I’m going to focus on ways you can upgrade your daily & nightly routines to feel more “in the flow’ … and get those results you’re working so hard for!
And if you’re not working hard for them YET … it can help you finally find the energy to make them a reality.
I want to start with ONE TIP that can go a long way toward helping your body clock get into sync.
Your body’s “clock” is located in your brain’s hypothalamus, right above where the nerves of your eyes cross (weird but true). Your hypothalamus is part of your HPA Axis (hypothalamus – pituitary – adrenal axis), which is responsible for a lot of how your hormones function on a day to day basis.
Your hypothalamus is made up of thousands of nerve cells that sync your body’s functions and sleep-wake cycle through hormones and other signals.
→ One MAJOR thing that affects your hypothalamus is LIGHT. (God made our body with a huge clue we’re meant to sleep at night: we don’t have night vision like most nocturnal animals.)
Light and darkness trigger a LOT of different actions in your hypothalamus.
So … your #1 tip is to GET SOME NATURAL LIGHT during the day!
GO OUTSIDE. And even better, while you’re out there, go for a 20-30 minute walk (even a 5-minute walk in sunlight is better than nothing) … which is another way to help “tune up” your body clock. If you’ve ever participated in any 4:14 programs, you know we prioritize walking EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. If you have a choice between a workout and a walk, we always walk over working out. At 4:14, walking is not a must because of the calorie burn – NOPE – IT’S BECAUSE OF THE HORMONAL BALANCE.
And this is just the start … I’ve got even more great (& simple) strategies coming your way all of September on how to accelerate your results by tapping into the power of your own body.
But for now …
Make it an amazing (and light-filled) day 🙂
Sarah Whitehead
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