The hidden link between fear and fatigue

Courage is connected to your energy reserves.

Just think about that for a second. Courage is connected to your energy reserves. Now ask yourself this. When something new shows up, what’s your first thought? A new org structure, a new software system, an invitation to cross-country ski for the first time? What’s your first reaction?

Get out of the office, for everyone’s sake

Have you made time to get out of the office for a break this summer? If so, great! You can skip to the Coach’s Nudge below. If not, read on. I’d like to help you get something on the calendar.

Taking time to rest, relax and take care of your health isn’t a luxury. 

It’s essential that leaders carve time for themselves to build and renew the energy it takes to lead. 

Thanks to a great summer vacation, I’m feeling ready and excited for Q4. I’ve been prioritizing taking significant time off during the summers for the past few years. I recharge my batteries by immersing myself in the things I love. I spend time with family and friends, get outdoors, go to our cottage, get projects done around the house – my holiday feeds me and makes me better, clearer, stronger and more appreciative when I’m back at work.

Make Time for Energy Over the Holidays

In all honesty, how familiar is this scenario: Over the holidays, you rush from one social commitment to the next throwing back the eggnog and butter tarts. Before you know it, it’s January 2nd. You are physically and emotionally spent, wishing you had an extra couple of days to recuperate, and oh yeah, you are 5 – 10 lbs up. Happened before? Continue reading…

Have you had a summer vacation?

Have you taken a summer vacation yet? I just came back from my family’s annual retreat to a cabin at the lake with my brother in law’s family. We’ve been taking this holiday together for nine years and I look forward to it like no other.

Our time at the lake is sacred. We have traditions that we stick to every year and there are always new adventures to enjoy. I have learned over the years how important this time is for our family. Being together every summer is something we all cherish. Continue reading…

Tap into an underexploited energy source: Your emotional energy

We all possess four distinct, yet interconnected sources of energy: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Most of us have a pretty good read on our physical and mental energy levels.

Physical energy is about what your body can handle: you know your physical energy is low if you fall asleep on a conference call, or if you are dragging your butt to meetings.

Mental energy is about what your brain can handle: you know your mental energy is high if you’re able to analyze a dense report, or if you can make creative connections throughout the day.

Emotional energy is about what you can handle emotionally. It is often indicated by a person’s stress threshold, their breaking/boiling point, their ability to maintain a positive outlook, or their ability to motivate themselves and others. These are all critical factors for high performance at work and at home. Continue reading…

Holiday energy tips!

Do the holidays wear you out? Or are you already heading into the holidays wondering if you have the energy to do what everyone expects of you?

The holidays are fun, but they can also take a toll.

We race to get things finished up at work. Then there’s the shopping madness, the social engagements (pressures), and the family …fun.

My gift to my readers this year is a handful of energy tips that can help you get the most from the holiday season.

1.  Eat well Over the holidays treat your body to 80% light, healthy, energy boosting foods and 20% comforting, delicious holiday fare. And never “save up” calories by not eating, it will just backfire and you will overeat in the end. Continue reading…

Prepare yourself for stress

Layoffs and cutbacks take their toll on us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. There’s no point pretending otherwise.

I’m not going to tell you that eating nuts and apples between meals will make you feel better about some of the repercussions of this economic downturn.

What I do want to make abundantly clear is that you will benefit by training for the marathon of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual stress ahead. No more excuses. Continue reading…

Lighten up: biochemistry can beat the winter blues

There is plenty of research to suggest that your mood and energy are influenced by sunlight, and especially on the West Coast, sunlight is hard to come by this time of year.

Here’s the biochemical background on the winter blues:

• Melatonin is a hormone that makes you sleepy. Researchers believe the pineal gland, located beneath the brain, makes melatonin in response to the amount of light that enters your eyes. The less light, the more melatonin, and the more melatonin, the more messages you get about being sleepy. Continue reading…

Take a Vacation – for your energy

5 Reasons Why Taking Your Holidays Helps You!

1. You need more than 2 days off. When you work the way you work (I know how it is) it is almost impossible to get full renewal in a weekend. Do you think Tiger Woods would be able to play the way he does if he had to swing the club 52 weeks of the year. Everybody needs an off-season to feed their game. Continue reading…

Invest and Rest

We are oscillatory beings. We live in waves.

Our heart rate goes up and down. Our brain waves go up and down. We breathe in. We breathe out. And if any of those patterns flat line, we’re in trouble.

At the most basic physical level, human life is a constant back and forth between stress and recovery; invest and rest.

Every time you reach for something, you strain.  When you attain it, you can relax. That’s how you grow. Continue reading…

Don’t put off taking a day off

Picture it. You’ve planned to take a day off. You are going to do something special with your family or friends. You’ve said you would do it.

But there you are the night before, running through your to-do’s thinking, “I can’t possibly take the day off, I’ve got way too much work to do!” Continue reading…

Sleep: how the high performers get enough

Sleep is a key component of optimal energy management and on the job performance.

If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’ll likely feel your physical energy level drop but you may not be as aware of the impact on your mental and emotional energy levels. Even if you don’t notice, those around you might because it effects your patience, irritability, confidence, concentration, and creativity. Continue reading…

Breathe

Stop, you need to try this.

1. Stand up
2. Put one hand over your navel
3. Close your eyes
4. Slowly take a deep breath in through your nose to a count of three
5. Slowly exhale through your mouth to a count of six
6. Repeat four times.
7. Open your eyes.

Feel any different? You should. Continue reading…

Move It!

Movement is one of the most powerful stimulators of energy production available to the body.

So get out of your chair. Walk down the hall. Raise your arms above your head. These simple movements create a cascade of physiological and chemical changes that really will boost your energy! Continue reading…