Ten Preparations To Ensure You Start Your Day The Positive Way..

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Ten Preparations To Ensure You Start Your Day The Positive Way..

1) Prepare for the next day and have everything you need for the morning ready to go the night before. Not enough time for breakfast in the morning? Then boil some eggs and pack some fruit and nuts the night before. The better the night prep, the better the sleep and you won't find yourself mentally preparing for your day whilst trying to clock up the zzz'ds. Giving you some good old fashioned dream time!

2) Switch the lights down low and turn off the artificial suns (TV's, laptops, iPads) in the house by 10pm. This will aid rest and digest, switch them off and you'll switch off too. Sit down and mindfully run through things that have made you happy in your day, appreciate the people in your life and last but not least appreciate yourself and all that you do.

3) Get to sleep on the best side of 11pm 

We receive an adrenal surge if we try to stay up late and push through the tiredness. This constant stressor can cause the adrenal glands to weaken and become less efficient (our adrenal glands create cortisol to calm us down), as a biproduct cortisol production is reduced and can become very low in the evening which is not good for getting to sleep. Use a rest and digest breathing technique if you feel that this is too early for you. Rather than counting sheep, count breath: 4 seconds in, 2 seconds hold and 6 seconds out. Before you know it, you'll feel the wave of what has been artificiality stimulated pass and the wave of relaxation will be upon you.

4) Wake 20 minutes earlier than your previous ridiculous commute. Choose an alarm clock that wakes you up gently, a soft sound rather than a bulldozer coming through the room, alternatively. Choose an alarm that brings you round gradually with increasing light. The light cues your body to set a healthy sleep cycle, get up and to feel alert, refreshed with more energy.

5) When showering consider hydrotherapy and gradually adjust hot to cold showers. For many, a drastic change in temperature would be too much of a stressor. I would recommend turning the water to cold for the last 30 seconds to a minute of your shower. Benefits included: strengthened immunity, improved blood circulation, regulated temperature, promotes weight loss/increases metabolism, alleviates depression, improves lymphatic movement, deepens breathing, keeps skin and hair healthy, increases energy, well being and increases hormone production.

6) Take a parasympathetic walk to the station (stroll) You now have 20 minutes more, relax and take in your surroundings. Say good morning to people and be social, it's ok in the country so why not the city. We are considered to be the most social primate, act like one!

7) Avoid the paper of fear, doom, gloom and decay! You have a choice: 

Choice 1.) Read about muggings, kidnapping, bombing, war, terror, rape, murder... 

Choice 2.) Read something positive, motivational, educational or even learn a new language. 

The fabric of your life is built from the information and ingredients that you upload into your system. Be mindful of the people you listen to and the information you choose to read as all of the above will have an affect on your day, infact. This will not only affect your day, but your whole journey through time.

8) Don't sit down Sitting is so last year and is considered as "unhealthy as smoking". The majority of people are obsessed by weight loss, yet can't wait to sit down at the closest opportunity, knowing full well they have a whole day a head of them parked on their ass.  Instead, choose to stand mindfully with your bodyweight evenly planted through your feet. There really are so many other options than sitting.

9) Use your tube experience as a training programme If you're capable, choose the stairs not the escalator. When on the platform stand and calmly breath whilst waiting for the tube. If the tube is rammed like a can of sardines, avoid boarding it and wait for the next one. 2 minutes wont kill you but the sardines might! Stand on the tube, focusing on your bodyweight on your base of support (your feet) and try to avoid holding on; forget the nonsense power plate. You can't beat a bit of tube surfing

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If you can hold on to a rail above you, try a bit of hanging: grip the bar above you, like you want to break it in your hands, lift your feet off the ground and hang on it. If you succeed in this, try and hang on whilst the train is moving and once it halts place your feet back on the ground. You can then mix this up - stand and surf in motion and hang in rest.

10) Share, share and share alike Tell as many of your fellow inmates about the positive effect that this is having on you and they too will "have a good day"!

Please don't worry what people think. Go with the mentality, that they are the crazy ones, not you.

by Tony Riddle A.K.A, The Prep Doctor