Let’s talk about RECOVERY, and why it should be a part of your winning workday routine.

If you want to do your best work and sustain it over time, if you want to embrace the discipline of a corporate athlete, you have to work hard, YES, and you must give your body and mind adequate short- and long-term recovery so your efforts can be sustained at a high level. Our tech-fed, digitally distracted, stress-filled existence demands it.

Amazingly, as long as you listen to your body, implementing recovery into your success plan is relatively simple. You see, your knows what it needs, and when you provide what it asks for, body and mind will answer in kind. If you’ve been working so hard that you’re burned out and uninspired, recovery might mean several weeks off or a change or reduction in workload. That can be difficult to do, but the good news is, you can gain significant energy and bandwidth by simply tuning in to the signs your body sends you.

General, ever-present fatigue is a sign that should not be ignored. Amp up your sleep routine and try some of the physical-health energizers that follow. During your workday, note when any of these signs start to affect your productivity: loss of focus, wandering mind, distraction, fidgetiness, absent-mindedness, sleepiness, or yawning. You may also feel hungry or need a restroom break.

These are all messages from your body telling you it needs a break. You’ll often experience one or more of them after ninety minutes of focused work. Stop what you’re doing and then try a couple of these renewal strategies:

• Stand up and stretch. Walk around your office.
• Take a longer break. In fact, take regular breaks, especially if you’re working on tasks that require mental focus. When you do, go tech-free, and get outside for a bit of movement and fresh air.
• Eat lunch away from your desk as much as possible. Instead of depending on your smartphone for company, ask a friend to join you, read a good book, or listen to music.
• Fuel your body and mind with regular snacks and hydrating H2O.
• Incorporate movement into your work. Stand up for phone calls. Walk while you’re processing ideas. Try walking meetings.
• Nap if you need to, or seek out a quiet room to just sit and rest your brain.

After a particularly intense work session or meeting, take a longer mental break, like going for a walk or a workout. If you habitually weave recovery strategies into your daily routine, your energy will sustain you through the workday.

Every day, as you leave work and before you go home, determine a decompression strategy that will allow you to shift from work-mode to relax-mode, to shut off work for even a short period of time. Go to the gym on your way home, listen to music you love on your commute, sit and breathe silently in your vehicle, or go for a walk at a park nearby.

Do something that frees you from technology and helps you get present to your non-work surroundings and the people in it. Then, when you get home, put your phone away, smile, and be fully present to your family, your pets, or simply to yourself.

Other Strategies to Multiply your Energy for Greater Success

Get Energized by Connection – Human connection is a worthwhile physical, mental, and emotional energizer. Carve out time with friends and family who fill you up, reconnect with old friends you value, and intertwine hobbies with social time as a double-win.

Get Energized by Health – When you prioritize health, you live longer. Regular exercise and healthy eating help control weight, which can prevent obesity and the risk factors associated with it. Plus, we typically feel better about ourselves when we carry less weight. With regular exercise and a healthy diet, we also improve overall health and reduce disease risk with some cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Mental and emotional benefits of healthy living include reduced feelings of anxiety and depression, lower stress, improved self-esteem, and an improved mood. Cognitive benefits included improved attention span, enhanced creativity, better critical thinking, better problem solving, and improved memory. So, move your body, and strengthen your brain.

Sleep to Reset Your System – Studies have shown that sleep plays a key role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. While you sleep, your body uses most of the night to heal damage done to your cells and tissues. It pumps out proteins to repair cells, and growth hormones to promote muscle development. The glymphatic system flushes the toxins from your brain to help clarify your thoughts and consolidate your memories.

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to anxiety, irritability, depression, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and deficiencies in reaction time, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Benefits of quality sleep include an increased mood, better memory, a boost to your energy, and a reduction of stress.

Hydrate for Energy and Clarity – Hydration boosts brain power. Over 60 percent of an adult human body is water, and every system in the body depends of proper hydration, including the brain and nervous system. Water is the second most important nutrient for the human body, following oxygen, and although you can go without food for a few weeks, you won’t last more than three or four days without water.

Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue. Dehydration can very quickly sap your energy. Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness, and other symptoms that will affect your productivity and enthusiasm for your work.

We have covered a lot of ground for prioritizing personal energy that will drive success.

Now it’s time to establish your new-and-improved health and energy management plan. And remember: small steps are worthwhile, especially when taken daily.

First, what are you already doing well? What health and energy practices are you proud of and plan to continue?

Then, identify any energy-draining bad habits you’d like to reduce or eliminate.

Finally, what new ideas will you incorporate into a re-energized energy management strategy? Don’t forget to consider recovery tactics and social connection along with health strategies.

Until next time. I’m Michelle Cederberg, reminding you that best ever can happen in small steps. Ignite High Performance by making daily recovery a part of your success plan.

P.S. this post is an excerpt from my latest book The Success-Energy Equation. Read below to find out how to get your copy and take advantage of more information like this that will decrease stress and drive success.

Resources Galore!

♥ Does your workplace or conference need a good dose of re-energizing this fall? Ask me about my half and full day Success-Energy Reset sessions (or any of my other topics, which you can download here: MichelleSPEAKS) to help you reignite your drive, recommit to growth, and ignite high performance in all you do. Contact me to chat.

♥ Buy my new book via my website and I’ll send you a signed copy!

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Michelle Cederberg, CSP, Health and Productivity Expert, Speaker, Coach & Author
CEP, CPCC, MKin, BA Psyc