Right around now is when things start to get hectic. Who am I kidding, they’re always hectic, but right now even more so.
I’ve got WWDC coming up, a show to rehearse for, plus my normal day job.
As you can imagine, things can get a little draining.
Here’s a little recipe to battle the stress and the fatigue:
- Workout Daily
Admittedly, I can’t keep up with this one. It’s hard to hit the gym every day. Lately, though, I’m making an effort to get up at 6:30 and be at the gym by 7am. Then, it takes me about 8 minutes to run a mile, which I follow with some Yoga Ball exercises. This gets my energy flowing, and works my core muscles - basically helps wake me up and keep me toned.
- Coffee
A no brainer. Actually, Coffee has been shown to have detrimental effects in large doses. It will temporarily increase your blood pressure (in turn elevating your perceives stress, and making you a bit more touchy), but it still helps get you going. Caffeine is a proven performance enhancer - it helps concentration (unless you over do it), and stamina.
- Gingko
And now for some herbals.. Gingko relaxes your blood vessels, which offsets the BP raise from coffee. Studies have shown [citation needed, i know] that Gingko can relax tough blood vessels as a result of years of drinking or smoking. I take it every day, and it not only helps wake me up, but also helps keep my blood pressure in check. Also, people think it’s good for your memory, but I don’t remember where I heard that…
- Ginseng
Ginseng is believed to normalize body functions - for example, it raises BP in people where their BP is too low, and lowers it in people where their BP is too high. I found some really cool shots of ginseng at Whole Foods that I’ve stocked up on.
- Laughing
No shit. Laughing is really good for you, and if you can find something to laugh about, you’re obviously not that stressed.
Keep up the good fight. Cheers!