![\"\"](\"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/bumbles1.jpg\")
My cat, Bumbles, proves that balance works every day.\u00a0 Bumbles was born in my home, so I\u2019ve really seen him put this into action, which has given me far greater appreciation for the balance in my life that I strive for.<\/p>\nWe have all heard that we should strive for balance in our life.\u00a0 Balance requires adequate sleep, food, movement, play, and acts of self-care.\u00a0 Most of us are lucky if we get 3 of those in one day.\u00a0 Lack of daily balance interferes with thinking, makes ideal weight almost impossible, and leads to anxiety, depression, and frustration. Most importantly, it decreases chances to succeed.\u00a0 Burnout was very recently made an official medical diagnosis, and it\u2019s caused by a lack of daily balance.\u00a0 It is a proven result with medical consequences from living an out of balanced life.<\/p>\n
My cat, Bumbles, proves that balance works every day.\u00a0 Bumbles was born in my home, so I\u2019ve really seen him put this into action, which has given me far greater appreciation for the balance in my life that I strive for.<\/p>\n
1. Breakfast is first.<\/strong> This is Bumbles\u2019 highest priority until it\u2019s done.\u00a0 He tickles my face with his whiskers if I try to sleep later with the intent of skipping it.\u00a0 Eating a healthy breakfast prepares me for my day, prevents that afternoon slump, and tends to make my portion sizes smaller during all my daily meals and snacks.<\/p>\n 2. Meditation is Bumbles\u2019 favorite in the morning, and a powerful form of self-care.<\/strong> As soon as he hears me pulling out the headphones to listen to Deepak, Bumbles is in position.\u00a0 He can So Hum it with the best of them.\u00a0 His present moment awareness has been achieved.\u00a0 Taking the time to calm my mind, become aware of the present moment, and allowing my brain to take a break from overthinking is a centering force that follows me through the day.\u00a0 When I\u2019m working throughout the day, the only moment that matters is this one.\u00a0 It\u2019s proven to be the best way to get things done quickly and easily.\u00a0 If I\u2019m thinking about what\u2019s next, I\u2019m not paying attention to what I\u2019m supposed to be focusing on now.<\/p>\n 3. Then it\u2019s time for work.<\/strong> He reigns over his kingdom, making sure nothing has changed overnight, and is sure to bap a few of his friends over the head along the way. \u00a0He is also an aeronautical enthusiast that watches every bird that flies anywhere near the house with absolute fascination.\u00a0 I start work each day with enthusiasm and expectation and allow items to flow naturally without a sense of intense pressure or overwhelm.<\/p>\n 4. He breaks for lunch and a short nap.<\/strong> There are numerous studies that show taking a short 20 to 30-minute nap in the middle of the day if you are tired can be extremely beneficial.\u00a0 In our work-obsessed world, we often judge ourselves as being lazy or not doing what we are supposed to be doing if we allow ourselves to rest, but appropriate rest is essential to normal body function. Even taking a short walk outside can be the slight break that makes the rest of the day much more beneficial.<\/p>\n 5. Exercise\u2026 <\/strong>Bumbles loves to play fetch with super balls. He does about 3-5 high intensity chase and retrieves drills.\u00a0 He then does rope climbs, ramp runs, and several roll over on his back maneuvers.\u00a0 This is followed by a healthy dinner.\u00a0 Exercise does not have to be done in a gym.\u00a0 It\u2019s convenient if that is the location you prefer, but exercise can be done in your living room, hotel room, in the back yard, through your neighborhood.\u00a0 Exercise can be done anywhere.\u00a0 If you need ideas, I am here to provide them.<\/p>\n 7. Bumbles finishes his busy day spending time with friends, little man face scratches, and cuddling time with me.<\/strong> A normal bedtime routine reduces insomnia, promotes better quality sleep, and sets you up for a great morning.\u00a0 It\u2019s best to strive to go to bed at the same time every night to even further the benefits of regular sleep.<\/p>\n And then it\u2019s on to tomorrow.<\/p>\n Bumbles is happy, calm, at a normal weight, healthy, and just really happy to be King Bumbles.\u00a0 He\u2019s achieved success at work, at meals, at present moment awareness, at play, at relaxation, and most definitely at rest.\u00a0 We could all learn a bit from Bumbles. \u00a0\u00a0I, as his human, have achieved the same results by following his plan.\u00a0 If your life is currently out of balance, and it\u2019s impacting your life, weight, or health, then try starting with just one of the missing components.\u00a0 Ease it into your life in an enjoyable way until it becomes routine, and then move on to the next.\u00a0 Lack of balance didn\u2019t happen overnight.\u00a0 Burnout and lack of balance are usually due to a lifetime of small habits adding up.\u00a0 Give yourself the time to regain balance.\u00a0My recommendation\u2026. just start with awareness.<\/p>\n Reprinted with permission from Heather Clawson, MD.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Heather Clawson is a nonclinical physician with a strong background in fitness, both before and after her medical training.\u00a0 She has the unique ability to take medical issues, convert them into fitness terms, and then deliver that information in an easy to understand way for the person in front of her. She\u2019s been involved in fitness for almost her entire life, and she has extensive ICU experience, but she has chosen to use her medical knowledge on the other side of medicine \u2014 before a person becomes a chart, labs, and a room number. Visit her blog, heatherclawsonmdblog.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have all heard that we should strive for balance in our life.\u00a0 Balance requires adequate sleep, food, movement, play, and acts of self-care.\u00a0 Most of us are lucky if we get 3 of those in one day.\u00a0 Lack of daily balance interferes with thinking, makes ideal weight almost impossible, and leads to anxiety, depression, and frustration. Most importantly, it decreases chances to succeed.\u00a0 Burnout was very recently made an official medical diagnosis, and it\u2019s caused by a lack of daily balance.\u00a0 It is a proven result with medical consequences from living an out of balanced life. My cat, Bumbles, proves that balance works every day.\u00a0 Bumbles was born in my home, so I\u2019ve really seen him put this into action, which has given me far greater appreciation for the balance in my life that I strive for. 1. Breakfast is first. This is Bumbles\u2019 highest priority until it\u2019s done.\u00a0 He tickles my face with his whiskers if I try to sleep later with the intent of skipping it.\u00a0 Eating a healthy breakfast prepares me for my day, prevents that afternoon slump, and tends to make my portion sizes smaller during all my daily meals and snacks. 2. Meditation is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":24147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[193],"class_list":["post-24146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-healthy-aging"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/bumbles3.png\")
6. Just chilling<\/strong>\u2026\u00a0 Bumbles watches tv. He has a couch right next to it, and he especially likes it when Ellen dances.\u00a0 He limits it to about an hour though, because its treat time.\u00a0 We all need downtime, where we have left the cares of the day behind to be begun again tomorrow.\u00a0 It can be sitting and watching a beautiful sunset or meeting with friends.\u00a0 Having quiet time and play time during our day is essential for mental well-being.<\/p>\n
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