Mindfulness & Wellness for Top Executives
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MindWell Suite: What’s New
- Webinar: Relieving Workplace Anxiety & Stress to Optimize Performance and Profitability
- On-Demand vs. Live Stream Workouts
- How to Create a Plan of Action for Achieving Your Goals
- 10 Ways To Shake Up Your Life With a New Positive Habit
- Recent Speaking Event: Ragan Conference
- Video: Returning to Work Post COVID – Recovery Solutions
- Video: Reopening Your Business During the COVID Pandemic
- 25 Creative Ways to Fight Loneliness & Get Healthy Right Now
Need Assistance with Optimizing the Wellbeing of YOUR Team?
Webinar: Relieving Workplace Anxiety & Stress to Optimize Performance and Profitability
Fran’s presentation provides employers and leadership tools to let them audit and carefully consider their teams’ overall health and wellness. As a result, they’ll be better able to identify when their employees are struggling with burnout and to remain resilient. By applying Fran’s 5 shifts and a new set of tools, organizations will gain a fresh perspective to boost performance and amplify company culture, fostering better engagement and overall wellbeing for every team member enterprise-wide.
On-Demand Vs. Live Stream Workouts
The fitness world is always changing, but in mid-March, the industry seemed to change overnight. What was once a key part of people’s daily routine—going to a gym or studio and taking a class—was no longer available. Fitness professionals had to think quickly and decided to take their in-person businesses entirely online. The result was two different ways to take fitness classes: On-demand and live streams. When thinking of an on-demand fitness class, apps such as Peloton and Nike Run Club come to mind. For live workouts, fitness instructors have been hosting classes on Zoom, Instagram Live, and studios’ dedicated platforms. There are pros and cons to each style of online fitness class, but there are some things that probably have not come to mind.
With on-demand workouts, you have the option to pick whatever class you want. If you realize you’d rather not continue with the instructor you chose or the class isn’t the right fit for you, you can switch classes and instructors. Maybe you planned on doing a HIIT class one night, but when you woke up, you felt restless or sore from a past workout, so you choose to take a yoga class instead. Another bonus is that you can also take the course whenever you want. While looking at your calendar, you will have the opportunity to choose a class that perfectly fits your schedule, especially during those busy hours.
Live classes on Zoom allow you to interact with the fitness professional and other class participants. The instructor can teach the class and cater to their needs in real-time based on what the instructor sees. This scenario is a double-edged sword because you get personal encouragement and critique needed; however, the instructor could get distracted by looking at the screen instead of teaching. Additionally, suppose the class is uploaded to an online library. In that case, participants who take the class later may not feel as connected to the workout because the instructor is teaching to specific participants and not the general class.
When teaching a live class, instructors can give participants the specific attention they need, yet this may not be beneficial to everyone. There may be a significant number of participants in the class, and the instructor may miss someone who needs help. Instead of the instructor giving all appropriate cues and modifications, they may only speak to a specific fitness level and leave out everyone else. In a prerecorded workout, the instructor does not have the distraction of the other participants, so they can more clearly cue and provide modifications.
Life has been more challenging and busy for everyone, and sometimes things come up that distract us from our tasks and goals. For example, you may plan to take a Zoom class at 11 AM, but then your child needs you 15 minutes later. Zoom doesn’t allow you to pause; therefore, you will miss part of the class to help them. If this or another type of situation like this were to happen during an on-demand class, then pausing and resuming would not be an issue. This way, you do not miss any of your session, and your child can get the help they need.
Overall, on-demand workouts benefit more participants and instructors and fit everyone’s schedule easier than live workouts. You have more flexibility to find a class you truly enjoy that also fits into your schedule.
How to Create a Plan of Action for Achieving Your Goals
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve gone through some of the ways that you can amplify positivity and motivation in your life (see Part 4 and Part 5 in the blog). But how do you apply these ideas and start making a change?
We’ve created a 10-step plan with actionable steps to help you reach your goals. For the purpose of this post, let’s take home gardening as an example. Replace home gardening with the activity you wish to try and you’ll be on your way to success!
Step 1: Define the Purpose
If you are going for home gardening, then the purpose should be obvious. Either you’re doing it to restrict your outdoor activities or want to have organic fruits and vegetables at home.
Step 2: Gather the Requirements
Now you need to know the essential things required for your idea. In the case of home gardening, you require seeds, gardening tools, and a water supply.
Step 3: Make a Budget
Based on the requirements, you have to make the budget.
Step 4: Buy the Essential Stuff
Write a checklist and purchase what you need online or go to a brick and mortar store.
Step 5: Setup the Arrangement
Once the essential items are at your place, sort it out in a proper way and list the number of items, so it doesn’t get mixed up.
Step 6: Start Small
Don’t try to start everything at once! Start small and then expand your idea over five weeks.
Step 7: Note Down Mistakes and Make Corrections
Nothing will be perfect the first time you try it, so you have to observe and note down all your mistakes to make essential corrections.
Step 8: Apply the improved Plan
Now apply the improved and better way to execute your idea.
Step 9: Be Consistent
Consistency is the key. You have to remain consistent for at least two weeks. Then it will become normal for you to repeat the activity daily.
Step 10: Observe Changes in Your Life
Observing changes can be a great way to instill a positive attitude in you. The five-week summer can prove to be a life-changing time for you!
In a nutshell, it is essential to stay positive and motivated. We’ve provided 50 unique ways to amplify positivity in your life so you can make your summer productive in 5 weeks. These ten steps will act as guidelines for you to apply any of these ideas. It’s time to change your life for the better!
10 Ways To Shake Up Your Life With a New Positive Habit
1. Make a List of Worth Watching Movies
How many must-watch movies do you have on your bucket list? There are plenty of movies that you can’t miss because of the valuable life lessons they teach you. Make a list of classic titles to watch in your downtime this summer. Grab some popcorn, a blanket, and snuggle on the sofa with your loved ones!
2. Remove Distractions in Your Life
Focus is the key to success. This summer, sit down with a pen and paper and pinpoint the hurdles that you’ve come across in your journey. These distractions are slowing down the progress of your success and keeping you away from your goal. Note down all the people and things that are costing your time and remove them from your life. My top tip? Pick up Essentialism – Declutter Your Life by Ingrid Björk on Amazon.
3. Get Motivation From Unknown People
Did you know that the people around you influence your path in life? If you surround yourself with negative and unsuccessful people, you won’t achieve your goals. Start surrounding yourself with high-achievers who motivate and inspire you. If there isn’t anyone around you that fits this bracket, look online to find mentors.
Spend your summer time reading and watching the biographies of successful people. Get to know what worked for them and apply it in your life. These five weeks can be a turning point in your life. My quick tip? Hire a coach!
4. Make a Motivational Music Playlist
Energetic and meaningful music can touch your soul. How many times have you entered a gym and noticed people listening to music to get them through a tough workout? You can do the same for all aspects of your life. Make a motivational music playlist for the purpose you want to achieve and associate it with that purpose.
Every time you listen to it, you’ll remember your purpose and feel motivated to work towards your goal. This is a great technique that’s been used by successful people for decades.
5. Learn to Accept Failures
Failure can be a significant setback, but the way you view that setback determines how you move forward. Every failure comes with an opportunity to learn and not repeat the same mistakes. Spend time online reading content that teaches you how to overcome shortcomings. This fun activity helps you analyze your past failures and note down the mistakes you’ve made so you don’t repeat them.
6. Friendly Competition
Competition is a great way to improve yourself with a reference point. However, the purpose of a competition should be to enhance your skill, not to let down others. Pick a family member or friend to compete with you in an activity like sports, analytical writing, etc.
This friendly competition will keep you motivated, and help you progress in your chosen activity.
7. Reduce your To-Do List
You can’t do everything you set out to achieve in life as you have limited time and energy. Which is why you need to prioritize. Use your downtime to make a things-to-do list. Now mark each element according to its priority. Pick the highest priority thing and eliminate others.
Through this process, you’ll reduce your to-do list to the only one that’ll give clarity and focus. This will motivate you to spend all of your energy in one direction, which can significantly increase the chances of your success.
8. Learn to Take Breaks
Procrastination is an evil habit, and it’s often the main reason your dream never becomes reality. The top reason for procrastination is the inability to take proper rests and breaks during the work, which can keep you going for a longer time.
During this summertime, try to develop a habit of working for 90 minutes then taking a break of 20 minutes. It will be hard, in the beginning, to retain consistency. However, with time, you’ll develop a strong habit that you can apply to every task you take on. You’ll soon be completing tasks at a much faster pace.
9. Fix Time for Eating
Raise your hand if your busy routine gets in the way of good eating habits. When we’re preoccupied, healthy eating can take a back seat, leading us to grab quick fix unhealthy snacks and eat at irregular times.
Now’s the time to fix this problem and concentrate on your health. Make a plan for your diet and stick to it. Eat three square meals a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Avoid mindless snacking and replace junk food with healthy options. Seeing the results of your efforts will boost your motivation to do more.
10. Watch History Channels
Ditch the reality tv and movies on Netflix for history channels and documentaries. You can learn a lot about your own culture’s history and that of other civilizations. You’ll have some great conversation starters and you’ll expand your mind.
So there you have it! Which of these positive habits will you adopt this summer and beyond? Keep your eyes peeled for the penultimate part of our five-part series.
Recent Speaking Event: Ragan Conference
Cutting Through the Noise to Reach a Dispersed Workforce in Crisis
This month, I was a featured speaker at the Ragan Social Media & Digital Communications Virtual Conference. Alongside Kim Clark, Affiliate Consultant for Ragan Consulting Group, we discussed how to better streamline content and resources based on employee feedback and balancing business needs to help attendees’ employees work remotely more effectively.
Video: Returning to Work Post COVID – Recovery Solutions
Links and resources from this video:
Video: Reopening Your Business During the COVID Pandemic
Learn more about the Ragan Social Media & Digital Communications Conference from our PDF below. Inside is a discount code to save $200 off registration!
Sharon Lipinski’s Essential Behavior Accelerator Checklist:
25 Creative Ways to Fight Loneliness & Get Healthy Right Now
However, you can constructively utilize this time. It will not only keep you motivated but also help you to fight loneliness and anxiety. I have jotted down 25 creative ways to spend your time to sustain health and tackle loneliness.
1. Adopt a Pet
Pets are one of the most effective ways to inject some energy info your life, even if you’re staying home. They will keep you busy and entertained. You can choose from a variety of pets, depending on your budget and available space. Some of the most-adopted pets are dogs, cats, parrots, fish, and rabbits. You can find adoption tips on the ASPCA website.
2. Start Reading Fiction
Reading fiction allows you to think differently and creatively. It removes mind barriers and physical restrictions. Your mind is allowed to think beyond the achievable, which is an important mental activity, especially in times of loneliness.
There is ample amounts of fiction readily available online. You can order physical copies, though many books can be read solely via online sources. Some of the best fiction worth your consideration can be found in this AbeBooks article.
3. Clean Your House
This is the best time for cleaning your house up to the maximum level. It will allow you to make sure that your home is bacteria-free and a safe place for you and your loved ones. You should consider this free time as an opportunity to clean your house daily. Good Housekeeping has several great house cleaning tips in this article.
4. Start Exercising
Your health can suffer a lot if you become a couch potato. Since we are trying to stay indoors, it is essential to make the necessary arrangements inside the house. Allocate at least 30 minutes a day for yoga or other exercise. Learn some of the most straightforward exercises in this SELF article.
5. Explore Old Photos
In our busy daily routines, it’s easy to forget about past memories: whether that’s your childhood, or a year ago. Now is the perfect time to relive those memories through photos. You have sufficient time to arrange those pictures, display them, or even make collages. You can also scan your photos to preserve them in digital form.
6. Attend Online Classes
No matter how hard the current situation can be, learning should never stop. With many of us having busy routines, it’s often hard to find enough time to learn new skills. Now nature has provided you this opportunity. Take advantage of this time by exploring and discovering top skills that are available online. View these top free online certification courses.
7. Start Writing a Diary
Your life is a story, and it is a good one. So, why not document every moment so you can relive those emotions later? Try writing a diary containing all the critical events in your life.
This will help you realize how extraordinary your life journey has been so far, and it can give you some direction in your life as well. You can find some guidance on how to write a diary in this Journey.Cloud post.
8. Watch TED Talks
Watching motivational videos is a great way to find some inspiration. TED is a platform on which some of the most successful people and high achievers share their journeys and struggles. Browse the many TED videos and find something for yourself, as it can help you in making some significant decisions in life.
You can explore all videos at the TED website.
9. Plan a Holiday
I know you are not allowed to go outside and travel. However, there are no restrictions on planning a trip. This will keep you occupied, by allowing you to make thorough research on your desired destinations. With the extra time staying at home affords you, it will be easier to allocate your budget and timeline effectively.
Read this Nomadic Matt post for more ideas on planning a holiday.
10. Start Sketching
Becoming a sketch artist requires consistency and time. You now have plenty of time to spend on this art; however, the consistency is just as vital. There are a lot of online resources that can help in teaching you useful sketching techniques.
If you utilize this time properly, you can end up becoming a sketching artist. You can learn great sketching techniques through sites like Skillshare.
11. Learn Guitar
Learning guitar is a childhood dream for many people, but due to time restrictions, they are unable to learn this art. You can start learning the guitar through online sources. Guitar Tricks is a great website to learn guitar effectively.
12. Catch Up with Old Friends
After high school, everyone gets busy in their lives. They have no time to interact with each other. However, you can utilize this time to catch up with some of your old friends through social media and other platforms. You can relive those beautiful moments and get to know about each other’s present status.
13. Participate in Social Media Activities
Since the advent of COVID-19, there is a considerable change in the usage of social media. Companies are hosting live events and games for you to interact with. You can participate in these social media activities to keep yourself busy. You can tag along with your friends as well to make yourself more comfortable in these activities.
14. Groom Yourself
This is the best time to groom your personality because all of the time is for you only. You can experiment with your looks and try different avatars. Pick the best look and introduce yourself to the world after the situation gets better. Try to eat healthy to maintain yourself and focus on the quality as well as quantity of your diet.
You can find tips on grooming yourself in this Primer magazine post.
15. Watch TV Shows
TV shows like FRIENDS and The Addams Family are evergreen content. If you have not watched such spectacular shows, then you are certainly missing a lot in life. It is highly recommended to watch these TV series to keep yourself entertained. Find some of the most popular TV shows on this IMDb list.
16. Learn New Recipes
Try out cooking new dishes. There is a lot of content available online on cooking different dishes. This will not only enhance your cooking skills but also provide you an opportunity to taste some of the excellent variety of food. Read Food Network’s 50 Most-Saved Recipes that you must try.
17. Get Closer to Your Creator
In this daily hustle of life, we have distanced ourselves from God. Many of us may be a piece of flesh with full pockets but an empty soul. It is time to fill yourself spiritually as well. Use this time in getting spiritual satisfaction by getting closer to God. It will keep you engaging as well as the content. Start with reading the Bible.
18. Play Games with Your Kids
Spend this rare time with children in the house. Try to explore their mindset and how they work in different situations. Most of us have distanced ourselves from children because of our busy life schedules. But nature has allowed us to fill this gap.
Try to play indoor games with your kids, including video games, basketball, badminton, and card games. This will not only keep you engaged but also lower the gap between the two generations. Mom Junction has a great list of indoor games you can enjoy with your kids.
19. Virtual Trips
This is a digital age, and VR technology has allowed us to take virtual trips to different places all from our sofa. You can visit museums, landscapes or any other desired place. To try this, all you need is a VR headset and a phone app. This will keep you motivated, and you can “visit” places other than your house. Browse TechRadar’s top 10 virtual tours.
20. Renovate the House
This can be an enjoyable and engaging activity because decorating and renovating your own house is a fascinating phenomenon. There are a lot of designs and ideas available on the internet. You can start by merely rearranging the furniture and then move too much more significant changes like painting the walls and restructuring the room.
You can find creative ways to renovate the house in this Mate article.
21. Make a Home Cinema
Watching movies at the cinema is an enjoyable experience. While we can’t visit cinemas in the current situation, you can create a cinema setup at home. There are many cheap mini projectors available online. You only have to set up a dark room with comfortable sofa seats and a sound system, and you are ready to enjoy the cinematic experience.
You can find tips for building a home cinema in this article.
22. Participate in Online Meetups
There is a trend of online meetups nowadays. Catching up with your friends or family via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or other services can keep you engaged and motivated.
23. Start Gardening
The best way to utilize spare time is to spend it in nature. You can grow different plants in your backyard, which will be a fun activity. It has excellent effects on your health and mood because it is exhilarating to see your plants growing in front of your eyes. Read this Burpee post for tips on starting gardening.
24. Give Yourself a Break
It is time to explore yourself. All your life, you remain too busy learning stuff and earning money. However, nature has given you a chance to explore yourself. You need to identify your true potential and your purpose in life. The answer will open the gateways to new opportunities for you.
You can use SUCCESS’ 6 Steps to Discover Your True Self article to get started.
25. Play Puzzle Games
Solving puzzles can be a fun activity because it will challenge you to give your best output. You can start with easy puzzles and slowly upgrade to difficult ones. This will not only enhance your mental capabilities but also help you to burn a lot of calories in the process. You can find the best puzzle-based video games in this Digital Trends list.
Conclusion
These 25 creative methods can be life-changing experiences for you. They will keep you motivated and engaged in this time of isolation. You should utilize this time most productively because such instances rarely happen in human history.
I am sure if you adopt these activities, you will observe positive changes in your life, and you will feel much better and healthier.