As we venture each day with a different energy, it’s simple enough to see why some days are approached with dynamic vigour and others we struggle to do the basics. Our mind and body requires good quality sleep to function at its best, so even if you want to do the everyday things with a little more zest, then feeding the body with all it needs is essential, just like a flourishing plant in the right environment, with nourishing feed to give it the maximum chance of beautiful growth.
We as humans need good surroundings, good food and nutrition, along with positive attitude and mindset to see good growth and achieve great results in what we do. Eliminating negativity is a good way to start; this in itself encourages better sleeping for a good recharge, increase in energy for good activity production, learning and decision making.
Every day we listen to people in general conversation – the radio, TV, internet – we see and hear good and bad things that clutter our brain and we absorb and hold lots of information. We do this automatically and we are naturally designed to safeguard and protect ourselves from repeating any negative actions that we may have previously encountered, seen or heard. This makes us worry and hold on to negative thoughts but it unfortunately can also hold us back from taking the odd plunge to go forward and try some different things, in fear that we may fail because of previous horror stories seen or heard. Had we not had any information, we may enter fearlessly in many situations.
Let’s drop the fear of what may happen in some things – starting exercise at fifty, sixty, or seventy if you are in good health, is not going to result in torn ligaments and broken bones. However good food for fuel and good sleep for regenerative repair is important to keep everything running smoothly without any problems. Who would try and run a car on a journey without oil and water? It wouldn’t run smooth for a long period of time. Eating the right foods at the correct times, before and after training, can give the energy needed, maximise strength and muscle mass. A light snack of complex carbohydrate, a couple of hours pre training works well, followed by protein post training, especially withing the first 15-30 minutes afterwards – this is because the body will burn it off much faster straight after the workout.
Eat according to your body type: ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph, each will store fat differently and the metabolism will be working at a slightly different rate. Go online, answer a few questions to find out your body type and see what kind of diet works best for you, be it grazing on smaller snacks throughout the day, or whether you can do intermittent fasting. Do you work better with high protein and low carbs? Your body type will reveal what can work best for you.
On a great night’s sleep, we can feel young, vibrant and full of energy and be more productive, quickly and efficiently. On a bad night’s sleep, we can feel older, lethargic and with ailments because we are too tired, lack enthusiasm, everything is an effort and we cannot think clearly. Everybody is different and we all require a different amount of sleep to function well; some work great on six hours, while others may need more or less. The importance is find out what works well for you and that it is not interrupted throughout the night. Remember our body is designed to work with light and dark, so blackout curtains can be really effective if you suffer with waking up as soon as light comes in. Clear bad thoughts at night, find a distraction to calm the mind before bedtime – a light-hearted read or comedy program to shift any negative problems of the day. A little power nap in the day can work wonders.
Find exercise that you really enjoy and can have fun with either on your own or with friends; that dance or martial art class you have always wanted to do, may be just the thing to get you tired enough to aid a better night’s sleep, as well as burning off all that energy and toning up.
Get out and do what you love as well as trying new things, be adventurous and you may find new things that you enjoy even more.
Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day, avoid too much sugar and processed food. Find people you love to be around, who make you happy and are positive people, don’t allow others negativity to rub off on to you and bring you down and especially for long periods of time.
Be fabulous, fit and fun to be around.

Love and Sparkles
Samsara x

www.samsarabellydancer.co.uk
Facebook: Samsara Kyriakou