Ellen Goldman EnerGcoaching
Question:
Do you have any tricks/tips to ensure one drinks enough water during the day? I do not drink enough water and hate the fact that I will have to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes.
Answer: If you want to drink more water every day, as with any change, you must believe in the benefit of doing so. Understanding what your personal reasons for doing so are, will motivate you to follow through.
Next, make sure you have some visual reminders. Post it notes on your computer or bathroom mirror can act as a reminder to drink more water at lunch time, or start your day with a fresh glass.
Each morning, place a fresh water bottle or glass on your office desk, in your car, on your kitchen counter, or anywhere else you spend a significant amount of time. Commit to finish off each one by the end of the day. Drinking water is a habit, like any other healthy lifestyle change you embark upon, and your efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Create an incentive system to reward your efforts. That being said, you will probably notice some positive changes that in itself will be motivating. Since dehydration often masks itself as fatigue, you may feel more energetic. Skin needs to be hydrated both inside (drinking water) and outside (with daily moisturizers), so you’ll enjoy less dryness, flaking and a healthier glow. As far as running to the bathroom often, the body really does adjust.
Yes, you’ll visit there more often, but as your cells adjust to using the water efficiently, the frequency of the urge will lessen. And isn’t that a small price to pay for vitality and good health?
Question:
I'm a mother of two and I can't find the time to work out. I am constantly making excuses and just can't seem to find the balance between working, being a wife and a mother.
Answer: Yup, balancing family time, career and “me” time is most definitely a challenge, but it is possible. It begins with realizing that the time you devote to taking care of yourself will pay you back tenfold when it comes to health, happiness, efficiency and well-being. We all live incredibly busy lives, but for most, quite sedentary.
Exercise is vitally important to staying healthy, not to mention the energy it produces, and the stress relief it offers. If you are not well, if your energy level is poor, and you have no opportunity to release some of the tension that busy lives create, you will not function optimally as a wife, mom or career woman. Once you embrace that exercise is not a luxury, but a necessity, it will be easier to commit to getting your workout in. It takes planning, and support.
Talk to your husband about your desire to stay healthy by including exercise into your week. Perhaps you can trade off visits to the gym, or put Dad in charge of one weekend morning so you can go for a jog. Is exercise during your lunch break an option? Figure where best to fit it in, schedule into your calendar, and treat it with the same significance you would any other appointment. Last but not least, congratulate yourself for role modeling the importance of exercise and self-care for your children. By taking care of yourself, you are taking care of them and helping to assure their healthy future, and that they will have a healthy and happy Mom.
Question:
I'm having difficulty balancing work and life. I can't stop thinking about work, even when I am trying to sleep. I'm not sure how to let go when I am out of the office. Any advice/tips?
Answer: Before you can begin to maintain balance between your work and home life, you might want to ask yourself, “What is it that makes it difficult for you to stop thinking about work?” Do you have so many responsibilities that it isn’t possible to complete them all within a reasonable number of daily work hours? Are unfinished work tasks leaving you overwhelmed and worried? Are you a perfectionist to a fault, meaning even when a job is complete, you ruminate over how to continue to improve it? Are you confused about the best steps to take to grow in your career and or grow your entrepreneurial business?
Knowing why you can’t stop thinking about the job will help you find the how to stop thinking about it when doing other things. Balance requires you to develop skills in many things; being efficient and focused with your time, having a specific daily plan that is leading towards compelling goals, learning to delegate tasks and chores to others who can help, drawing firm boundaries between your work life and home life, and staying fully engaged in one activity you at a time. My best advice is to figure out the cause of your problem, and then work towards a solution. If doing so on your own feels daunting, consider working with a business or lifestyle coach.
Having a well balanced life that allows you to feel efficient and accomplished in your career and enjoy time away from work is challenging, but possible. After all, do we want to live to work, or work to live?
Question:
What would you say are the first 3 steps to try to balance my physical well-being with my eating habits?
Answer: There is an old expression, you are what you eat. Your nutritional habits will have a direct impact on how you feel all day; not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Since you asked about your eating habits, here are my suggestions for the first 3 steps to take.
1. Eat often and eat light. Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry or too stuffed. You should never go more than four hours without food.
2. Strive to eat a well balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, a small amount of the healthy fats, and whole grains that are high in fiber and low in sugar.
3. Eat foods as close to their natural state as you can manage. If it doesn’t grow in the ground, can’t be picked from a tree, run through the fields, fly in the sky or swim in the ocean, it probably doesn’t belong as a regular part of your diet. Keep in mind, however, moderation is the key.
An occasional food “treat” will not damage a diet that is overall healthy and well balanced. To achieve optimal well-being and health, you want to focus not only on what, when and how much you eat, but also on maintaining a physically active lifestyle, managing your stress, and making time for the people and things in your life that bring you joy.
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