Hello, young Padawan
Today, we’re going to put together a little kit for a great start to the new school or work year, because this year, we don’t want to get sucked into the September vortex, where all the benefits of vacation are gone in 10 days of work.
We want to feel good, to enjoy precious moments in life, and to be on top of our game.
So, here we go with the basics of back-to-school for dummies, chill-style.
Life-saving gestures
You can’t be healthy if you don’t do the minimum. This paragraph is the essence of the essential, the survival 101.
Sleep. Yeah, it’s crazy, isn’t it? A human being needs to sleep between 7 and 9 hours, approximately, per night. Less than 7 hours, and you don’t have your deep and REM sleep score, which is what allows for cell renewal, the preservation of your memory, your neurons, which will bring you well-being and good mood, a clear, calm, peaceful mind, allowing you to feel balanced and comfortable in your shoes.
For those who have lots of thoughts in their head, sleep with a notebook and pen next to you (and a mini flashlight if necessary) to jot down ideas and things that suddenly pop, like an urge to pee, and prevent you from falling asleep for fear of forgetting them.
An anti-inflammatory diet, based on an 80-20 ratio. Namely, 80% of the diet is completely anti-inflammatory, and 20% is free meals. In a week, there are 7 days, and let’s say three meals a day. If you make a cross-product, that amounts to 4 indulgent meals per week. Isn’t that fantastic!
If you want a little more information on anti-inflammatory diets, you can click here or there. For your information, the recipes on this blog, in the “nutrition” tab, are 80% based on an anti-inflammatory diet.
Movement. Let’s be clear, whether you’re a man or a woman, you can’t be healthy if you walk less than 8,000 steps a day, minimum. PubMed is full of studies on the benefits of walking, including its antidepressant properties. No, exercising twice a week when you’re extremely sedentary the rest of the time doesn’t count. “Exercise” is a plus, while daily activity is vital, it’s not an afterthought.
So you can be healthy by taking 8,000 steps a day without exercising, but not vice versa, even if exercise is good for your heart, mood, muscles, back, joints, libido, collagen synthesis… —and I’ll stop there, because otherwise we’ll still be there tomorrow.
So, 8,000 steps is non-negotiable.
The gestures that save… your mental health
Back to work or school is like going from nothing to everything, from the couch to the 100m hurdles at the Olympics, with excitement going off in all directions. Also, an essential key is learning to slow down.
These are four simple solutions to help you cut down on the superfluous and focus on what’s essential, and reclaim your life.
Zero screen time after 8 p.m. And we use an alarm clock, a real one! Yes, I know, it’s like prison, it’s like Saint Helena, it’s like Guantanamo, it’s like pineapple on pizza. But the idea is that this is a goal to achieve, and that little by little, we move in this direction so that one day, it becomes natural. Screens aren’t just the cause of poor sleep; they’re also a time-waster.
An object that prevents you from having an honest conversation with those you love, from pursuing your passions, from allowing yourself extra time to rest, or simply, time to do nothing, because yes—oh, the big word!—sometimes, doing nothing is essential. Being in contemplation, something almost all of us have forgotten. Yet, when we take a break, we notice increased creativity, better sleep, a boost in mood, more joy, a greater desire to be useful, and more peace within ourselves.
Reading. In my reading tab on this blog, you’ll find a plethora of ideas for easy reading, intellectual reading, adventure reading, love reading, health reading, philosophy reading, etc.. Still, because it’s back-to-school time, I’m going to suggest a book that’s a bit philosophical, but easier to read than regular philosophy since it’s a story (a bit like Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” but better, lol): Silk, by Alessandro Baricco, 1996. It’s in Italian (“Seita”), French (“Soie”), English, and German (“Seide”). Let me know what you think.
Writing. Why not start “journaling”? I’ve been writing for years. In notebooks, on this blog, of course, I write stories, thoughts; sometimes, I write down my day, to remember it one day, to reflect on the different events I experienced, to come back to them later, or simply to get it off my chest. For example, I have a lot of trouble with injustice, and I always have, and writing down what angers, revolts, and outrages me allows me to step back, reflect, work, and do some introspection.
At first, you feel like an idiot. “Hi diary, today I got up at 6:40 a.m. and took a shower.” You feel awkward, you check over your shoulder to make sure you’re not caught red-handed, but as you get better at it, you know how and what to write on that blank sheet of paper, and believe me, in the long run, it feels as good as a therapist.
Meditation. Oh damn, you didn’t see that one coming. Well, yes. There are now a plethora of studies on the subject, and meditation is indeed one of the most effective mental health benefits. But like keeping a journal, you start small, 2-3 minutes a day, then increase the meditation time.
Personally, I meditate mainly in silence, but at first, I loved using music. It’s hard to think about nothing when you’re not used to it. My ultimate method was to put on some technical jazz in the background, like John Coltrane (see my article here). So, by concentrating on the piece I knew well, it was impossible to think about anything other than the pure music, the rhythm, and hey presto, a few minutes flew by without my brain churning over yet another problem. Then, I switched to silence, and now I can last between 5 and 10 minutes in a coma, lol. Meditation is excellent; once you try it, you’ll love it!
Stock up on vitamins
Once every five years for those who have never had a deficiency, and once a year for everyone else—and why not this week?—Consider having a quick blood test to check your levels of B12, vitamin D, and iron (for menstruating women, ed). Deficiencies in these three parameters are common, and a lack of any one of them can cause extreme fatigue, poor concentration, low morale, or worse.
Eat three different fruits a day, and why not, if you’re tired, add a course of dietary supplements, such as zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, collagen (but the real stuff that works…), or a good multivitamin?
For my part, I take Vit’all cod liver oil all year round, which contains vitamin D, A and omega 3 (EPA/DHA), which I stop when I take my IxeaBoost multi premium multivitamin treatment from Nutrixeal, which I start in August and continue for 2 or 3 months, depending on my desire, need, and especially my energy. I also take collagen, but the real thing that works, namely, bone broth. Zinc in winter, and magnesium as a treatment twice a year in autumn and spring.
A little bit of superfluity
Because self-care also involves cosmetics, I spotted two little gems this summer, and my impatience couldn’t keep me waiting for the next beauty article. Even though we’ll talk about them again, they’re so great.
First of all, I discovered a great eye serum. It’s the Niacinamide & Green Tea Eye Serum from Ondo. This stuff is packed with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid; it tightens the eye contour like a dream, and smooths out all those little expression lines. This stuff is miraculous and will allow you to go back to work without a single crease. Ho-ho-ho! To apply over your usual eye cream.
Finally, a slight blush with a gel-pudding texture, transparent, watery, and miraculous: the Jelly Tint stick from Milk. Refreshing, light, and subtle, this little stick gives your cheeks a touch of color as if you were 14 years old and just coming back from a walk in the forest. The result is delicate, beautiful, and super natural. You can’t do wrong, it’s magical! A little touch on your cheeks, a little touch on your eyelids, and voilà, a fresh, awake look; you’re in great shape even if you’ve slept for 6 hours.
And that’s it for the back-to-school or work kit, to stay fit, healthy, and beautiful inside and out. If all this doesn’t keep you in good shape until Christmas…
See you next Friday!
XO🌴
Sources/health reading advice:
Compléments alimentaires, votre révolution santé – Mathieu Nutrastream – éditions Marabout.
Le guide complet de l’alimentation anti-inflammatoire – Wilfried Launay – éditions Souccar.
