Starting the day with good breakfast is really a good idea. When you start your car every morning, you make sure that the car has gas. I propose that your breakfast is like putting gas into your car’s engine. You may have heard the old saying, “Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at supper.”
Your body and brain need good nutrients to function so “break the fast” with a cup of lemon water and a good breakfast of: Hot oatmeal or other hot grain with soaked raisins and apricots, or granola with kefir or yogurt and fresh fruit, or steam greens with eggs and a toast, or have toast with almond butter and fresh fruit, or pancakes or waffles on a special occasion, etc.
There are many other healthy choices for breakfast depending on your diet preference. To make life simpler, create a five-day breakfast meal plan and make sure that each of the five days, you have a different grain, fruit or vegetable. Rotating foods every four days helps prevent food allergies. The important thing is to find what kind of healthy breakfast works for you. Whether you stick with the traditional whole-grains-and-dairy recommendation, or go ‘Paleo’ with high-fat nuts, eggs, fruit, or have Asian fair with kimchi, rice noodles and eggs—the most important thing is that you have food in your belly and you keep away from sugar and white bread!
And for those of you who like to skip breakfast, research shows that breakfast skippers are grumpier, irritable and apathetic, often have extra weight and crave snacks later on in the day. Breakfast eaters have better grades, are more likely to graduate and have higher paying jobs; they make better food choices and eat 40% less sweets, drink less soft drinks and turn to vegetable and fruit for snacks. Breakfast eaters are healthier all around and have a reduced likelihood of Type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease, and are prepared for a full day at work.
Whether you work out of your home office or in an office at work, space influences your mood and productivity. Here are some simple tips to create a happier and more productive space:
Check it out for yourself: if you want to have a safe and conventional thinking, keep your papers orderly on your desk. If you want to be more creative, keep part of the desk messy and see what happens.
Natural light increases productivity and lets you sleep better at night. If you are in a windowless office, use full spectrum or incandescent light when you can.
Indoor plants decrease stress and increase productivity.
Get up at least once per hour, drink at least 4 oz of water and do some simple contralateral movements to activate both sides of your brain.
Have your lunch away from your office, socialize and if you can, take a walk outdoors after lunch.
If you are a kinesthetic learner, check out a standing desk or a treadmill desk and see how much it increases your productivity.
If music doesn’t disturb you while you work, use it since it may help you complete tasks more quickly and make you more creative.
Mariola Strahlberg, a Monsey resident, is a licensed acupuncturist who founded Shining Mountain Children’s Center in March 2004. Subsequently, she opened Shining Mountain Center for Peaceful Childhood, Inc., a non- profit to provide scholarships to children who could otherwise not attend the program. She is also President of the Janusz Korczak Association of the USA.
By Mariola Strahlberg
