little sleep, exercise and
meditation. When I am
overwhelmed with deadlines
and to-do lists, I begin to
stay up too late, skip my
morning meditation and
exercise so I can get right to
work, and then I eat foods
that don’t agree with me,
like dairy, gluten and sugar.
So, how do I clean up and
start fresh?
The first thing I do is to
make a mental list of my
bad habits — those pesky,
not-so-healthy choices I
make when I am stressed.
These are the things I
have let slip, that I want
to change and “clean up.”
I make an assessment of
where things stand, and
then prioritize and make a
plan. For me, I always start
with sleep. I commit myself
to a bedtime of 10 p.m.
Then I can get up at 6 a.m.
feeling rested. All things
feel possible after a good
night sleep.
Second is food. I recommit
to my gluten- and dairy-
free, low-sugar nutrition
plan. The commitment
brings me clarity and
energy that sustains my
desire to keep eating this
way. I always commit to my
bedtime and my diet at the
same exact time. All I need
is about three days of eating
and sleeping well to get
right back on track.
To motivate myself to get
back on track, I usually
choose a deadline: a party
I’m attending, a talk I
am giving — something
happening in the next few
weeks that I want to feel
good for. I find this very
motivating. On a Sunday
night I start with a good
night’s sleep, then switch
to my newly committed-to
diet plan on Monday. Once
I am sleeping and eating
properly, I find it relatively
easy to get back into my
regular meditation and
exercise schedule, because I
wake up early, have enough
time and don’t feel stressed
out. —Susan Blum
USE THE EXTRA LIGHT
I like to use the longer days
and earlier light to help
me get in to the groove of
spring. I tend to naturally
wake up earlier as the sky
gets lighter earlier in the
morning. It’s easy to ignore
the sunlight, but fight the
urge to stay in bed when
you’re awake. I like to use
that extra time to ramp up
my exercise routine and to
stretch. You can use it for
anything that will help you
accomplish your new goals!
—Dr. Stephen Wangen
