Are You Heading Toward Burnout? Secret #2 to Get Back On Track

In the fast-paced world of business, it’s no wonder that many high-performing professionals are struggling with burnout. This overwhelming sense of exhaustion can have a negative impact on productivity, and, even worse, your health.

Many professionals are feeling the stress of maintaining their busy and often chaotic lifestyle, but often don’t see burnout coming until it hits them head-on!

It’s easy to give into the idea that you must be the one that can do it all, but that leads us to ignore the reality – working long hours, achieving big goals in tight time frames, and pressuring ourselves to over deliver – until it’s too late.

Ultimately, what we all want, and need is to find that harmony of success, health, and limitlessness with our lives. I promise, these are all attainable at the same time. In fact, sometimes the smallest of changes can have the greatest impact.

That’s why I’m on a mission to transform the lives of executives and entrepreneurs from burnout to living limitlessly by helping them create sustainable, science-based habits.

In the July edition of Success Magazine, I shared one of my three science-based secrets to crush burnout. Secret #1 -- CREATE RITUALS. This month, I am sharing Secret #2.

That secret is EAT MINDFULLY!

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

Eat mindfully includes how AND what you eat. I believe, and science supports, that HOW you eat is equally, if not more important than, WHAT you eat.

The gut is your second brain and the gateway to everything that happens in the body. That means it's imperative to make healthy decisions that facilitate the digestion of high-quality nutrients, minerals and phytonutrients.

Eating while stressed (i.e., sympathetic nervous system dominant) frequently leads to digestive upset, decreased nutrient assimilation, and unwanted fat storage, which leads to weight gain.

When eating more calmly (i.e., parasympathetic nervous system dominant), the relaxation response turns on and healthy digestion, assimilation and calorie-burning capacity is amplified.

THREE SCIENCE-BASED HABITS TO EATING MINDFULLY

Let’s dig deeper into 3 science-based habits to eating mindfully and increasing the probability that your food is optimally digested and converted to energy.

HABIT #1 – Eliminate Distractions and Make Every Meal 20 Minutes

Right now, imagine biting into a big juicy lemon.

Is your mouth watering?

Here’s a little science for you. 20% of the digestive process begins before food enters the stomach. It begins when you think about food, smell food, see food and taste food.

If you're eating in front of electronics, whether it’s your computer, cell phone or TV, then up to 20% of your digestion may not be maximized or optimized.

Therefore, the more present you are while eating, and the more you chew your food, the greater impact on your total digestive process. So, shut off those electronics!

Why 20-minutes? Because it takes that long for your brain to realize you are full and send out signals to the rest of your body. Slow eating helps you not overeat, improves digestion, and even make better food choices!

Slowing down your eating can be a habit that’s hard to enact. When we get hungry, some of us have a propensity to inhale our food. To eat slowly, focus on chewing slowly and completely (bonus tip, this saves your digestive system from the extra work of breaking down solids further), savoring the tastes in your mouth, and enjoying your food with all its flavor and benefits. Rather than seeing it as just heaping coal on your engine, envision it as being nourishing fuel for your body.

HABIT #2 – Create Awareness of Foods Eaten

Keeping a food journal that includes related feelings allows you to track the foods you are eating and how you are feeling afterwards. An analysis of the journal helps you identify food groups eaten, portion control, hunger patterns and food intolerances along with your mood and feelings.

When you have documentation of your nutrition, you can begin to make well-informed decisions about what and why you are eating.

You can use meal tracking apps on your phone or make notes in a notebook but try to look at what’s going in and how it’s making you feel. Many people have low level intolerances that cause seemingly unrelated symptoms like headaches or irritability, never realizing that it’s their food.

Pizza is a great example of something that has a lot of hidden sugars. The sauce is usually loaded with sugar and many toppings may have ingredients that you don’t expect. Noting how you feel an hour after eating or summing up your whole day helps your brain and body draw parallels between what’s going in and how you’re feeling and coping with your day.

HABIT #3 – Eat Whole Foods

What are whole foods?

It’s simple!

Whole foods do not have an ingredient list!

Whole foods remain close to their natural state and do not have added sugars, starches, flavorings or other manufactured ingredients. They are the opposite of processed foods that are produced in a factory. Eating whole foods results in a more nutritious diet full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. When possible, choose organic.

Eliminating refined sugar consumption can lead to decreased inflammation, higher energy levels and improved focus. Foods with a lower glycemic index are digested and absorbed more slowly resulting in less impact on your blood sugar level.

Start simply with just adding more vegetables, raw or steamed. You can create your own broths, use fresh herbs, sea salt and really enjoy your creations!

If this sounds daunting, just start small and keep building your menus as you try new ways of eating whole foods.

Eat Well and Enjoy the Benefits!

Eating mindfully can have positive impacts on your overall health and well-being, including reducing stress, improving digestion, providing energy and losing weight. If you are looking to improve your overall health, be sure to include a few of these science-based habits into your daily rituals.

In many cultures around the world, food and eating is not just about consuming and filling the void in our stomachs. It’s a time to connect with loved ones, savor life’s richness and enjoy the fruits of the Earth. Seeing eating as a luxury and a gift to your body is a great way to begin to reframe your relationship with food.

Bon Appétit

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Craig guides executives and entrepreneurs to reignite their energy and live a life of clarity, intention and integrity.

To learn more about Craig’s 3 Secrets to Crush Burnout contact him at:

[email protected], go.oncehub.com/callwithcraig, and linkedin.com/in/craig-bruce-b44766146