By Mari Krueger | Photo courtesy of LIFEAID

The good intentions are there—sticking to fitness goals, killing it at work, being a great friend, cooking something new. But an off topic text, the black hole of social media, and three shows later, the day is over. Where does the time go? It’s no secret that distraction can be the end of productivity. Here are five tips to stay focused, whether your goals are physical or mental. Because, whatever your goals are, a little focus, goal setting and drive will get you there.

Envision the Future

Start by picturing the end; visualize your goals and be specific. Maybe you want to complete a half marathon, attend a yoga festival, get a promotion, have a tidier space or see friends more often. Maybe your vision of the future means meeting that deadline Friday, throwing a birthday party, or traveling internationally.

Nebulous goals are ok too—being more productive, having calmer mornings, or being kinder. What does that look like to you? If you want to be a more relaxed, mindful person, picture exactly what that looks like. Imagine the fabric of your meditation pillow, the environment around you, the sensations within you when you meditate. Expand that thought—instead of scurrying around packing a lunch, you are having a calm morning because you packed your lunch and went to bed on time last night.

Whatever your goals, hold it in your mind and think it through. With a clear mental picture of where you want to be, it’s easier to get up when that alarm goes off instead of hitting the snooze button again.

Make A Plan

With the vision in place, the challenge becomes mapping out a way to get there. Make a list of everything that needs to be done to achieve your goal, then break it into manageable tasks. Lots of tasks on your plate? Prioritize what needs to be done now, today, this week, this month, and “someday.”

Let’s say your goal is to travel internationally for the first time. Break it down: research destinations today, a plan to set aside enough money, schedule an appointment to get a passport next week, and—bonus—start learning some phrases in another language.

Use a planner or calendar if that helps, or download an app to help you track your progress. Estimate how long each task will take and schedule a block of time to complete it. An ideal way to arrange your time is to eliminate distractions, then work for 50 minutes and take a 10 minute break. Then get back to work!

Eliminate Distractions

Your time and attention are just that: YOURS. You get to decide where you spend it and how. Let’s start with the obvious: our phones. To be present and productive, turn off instant notifications. Do that now. When it’s time to focus, turn your phone to silent and put it in a drawer, your bag, wherever is as far from you as possible. Trust that the world and its crises will handle themselves while you focus on your goals.

Identify your top distractions, and be honest with yourself. Need to answer email on your phone, but easily distracted by Instagram? Consider—gasp!—deleting it off your phone for a while. Want to exercise but usually watch tv instead? Unplug the device to keep yourself from falling onto the couch and reaching for the remote. Keep your vision in mind and make it harder to give in to easy distractions. Set limits on social media use until tasks are completed, or limit yourself to catching up on your favorite platforms for a limited amount of time once a day.

Maybe your distractions are people. Share your goals with them and try to enlist their support. If they’re unsupportive of your dreams in general, maybe it’s time to evaluate whether it’s a friendship you want to continue.

And be realistic—if you’re the type of person who stress cleans (and aren’t we all?) build in time for that, too. Studies show repetitive movements (like wiping the countertop) decrease anxiety, and having a tidy space is calming. Plus the added boost of productivity can give you confidence you’re moving in the right direction.

Power Up

Your best ally in the struggle against distractions is that excellent muscle in your skull. Fuel your brain for success with nutritious foods proven to enhance brain performance. Fortunately, what’s best for your noggin is good for your overall health, too. Start by drinking enough water—getting hydrated promotes mental clarity and helps you think faster and more creatively. We also love the FOCUSAID Energy Blend from LIFEAID as a great go-to source for clean energy and mental focus. Alternatively, blueberries and leafy greens are packed with antioxidants, while flax seeds, nuts, and fatty fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines) are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids—crucial for mood stabilization and concentration. Dark chocolate (look for single-origin, high-cacao percentages for the highest quality beans and lowest amounts of sugar and fat) can enhance mental acuity and contain stress-relieving magnesium. Avocados are full of fiber and good fats. And while all coffee and tea lovers swear by caffeine (and they’re not wrong!) green tea in particular has L-theanine, which studies show increases alpha-wave activity and tranquility, and also helps avoid the post-caffeine crash by releasing it more slowly, so you feel calm and energized longer. 

It’s hard to focus when your stomach is rumbling, or you’re entering the mid-afternoon slump. By planning ahead and having a nutrient-packed, brain-feeding snack before big tasks—bonus for adding green tea!—you can give yourself a boost of productivity when you need it the most.

Get Going ...and Keep Moving!

Got a list a mile long? Sometimes small tasks seem impossible when one particularly worrisome task looms large over everything else—so tackle the big one first. Or maybe it seems like you’ll never get to your main task with all the other million things you need to do—set a timer and challenge yourself to complete as many small tasks as possible within that time, then move on to the main task. One colossal task weighing you down? Go back to your plan and break your task down further into manageable chunks. Spread it out over multiple days if necessary and just do one piece of the job at a time.

Remember, it takes time (usually several weeks) to make a habit stick, so be persistent and patient with reaching your goals. Accept gradual progress as success—jogging twice this week doesn’t mean you’re ready for that marathon, but you’re two jogs closer to that goal than you were last week.

When life comes at you hot, it will be tempting to give in to the overwhelm and give up. Don’t! Keep your vision front and center and keep moving forward. You’ll get there.

By Mari Krueger  |  Photo by Edu Lauton | Presented by LIFEAID The Functional Beverage Company

Health is a full-body pursuit. Just as we connect our body and breath on the mat, here are 5 ways to nurture well-being in both mind and body.

The calm that comes after a satisfying workout. That light feeling after catching up with a good friend. That overwhelming problem? Well, it seems more manageable after eight hours of sleep.

There are many ways in which the mind exerts influence over the body, and the body over the mind. One influence is in the way we fuel our bodies. The old saying that we are what we eat? There’s some truth to that. That’s why we always try to fuel our physical self with nutritious food and drink that help us thrive—and why we love the Daily Blend drink from our friends at LIFEAID. Filled with natural ingredients designed for optimal health and vitality, their Daily Blend helps to reduce stress, and its consequential physical inflammation. We really feel the mind-body connection when we drink it—and tap into a more holistic vision of our health.

Of course, these kinds of helpers aren’t the only way to to make sure your physical heath is supporting your mental health, as well as the other way around.

Here are five other ways to hone your holistic well-being—both physically and mentally.

Get moving.

We all know it’s good for your body, but did you know aerobic exercise also has many effects on your brain? When exercise increases blood circulation to the brain, it influences the way the body reacts to stress. Thirty minutes of jogging or dancing causes the brain to send out calming messages to its limbic system (which controls motivation and mood), the hippocampus (memory, motivation and mood) and the amygdala (this one generates fear in response to stress). It really is possible to dance your worries away!

Gardening, walking, swimming and yoga have similar benefits, either practiced alone or with a group for an extra mental boost. Getting focused on fitness also distracts from the day’s worries, and makes you feel good about yourself for taking positive steps in doing something nice for yourself. Stress can cause a range of negative symptoms, like high blood pressure, and getting active can help counteract or reduce these effects. If that’s not enough, other mental benefits of activity include improved sleep quality, more interest in sex, higher endurance, stress relief, better mood, increased energy, more mental alertness, healthy weight maintenance, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and higher cognitive function.

Eat and drink well.

In with the good! Feed your brain what it needs to thrive—omega-3s and zinc help increase connections between brain cells. Choose foods that feed a healthy gut, too. Probiotics help strengthen the digestive system, which in turn benefits the immune system and decreases inflammation. Studies show a healthy gut may even produce brain-benefiting B vitamins. On the other hand, poor nutrition has been linked with mood disorders, learning delays and more—it’s just hard to function without the right fuel. Feeling stressed? Herbs like chamomile and lemon balm can help you feel more relaxed, naturally.

Same goes for your drinks… Step away from the soda and alcohol! Companies like LIFEAID create lines of beverages specifically designed for all sorts of mental well-being, as well as physical.

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Catch your ZZZs.

Raise your hand if you wouldn’t mind feeling a little extra sunny from day to day. (Free happiness? Who doesn’t want that?) Studies show even one extra hour of sleep each night can noticeably boost feelings of happiness in most people. On the other end of the sleep spectrum, cutting back on pillow time can contribute to depression, anxiety and feeling stressed out.

Moderate exercise—as long as it’s not too close to bedtime—doesn’t just make it easier to fall asleep. It also means your body spends more of the time you’re asleep in a deep sleep state, giving your body and brain more time to rejuvenate and repair. Just make sure to finish a workout two hours before bedtime if you have trouble falling asleep; exercise raises your core body temperature and releases endorphins, both of which can signal to your brain it’s time to be awake.

Reach out.

Relationships matter. Strong social ties are positively linked with many aspects of longer lifespans and healthier bodies. People in healthy relationships are less anxious, have lower blood pressure, and even heal more quickly. Even when diagnosed with depression, people in strong, healthy relationships are less likely to relapse. Talking over personal problems with a caring friend helps relieve stress and gain perspective. If the chat comes with a shared exercise, like a sunny walk or cycle class, the mental benefits increase. Friends can help keep you on track balancing work, a healthy diet, and other activities. Being there for one another other gives purpose and meaning. Be proactive in reaching out to friends and building relationships and strong social networks.

Get help.

Prioritizing mental health means paying attention to mental illness when it crops up. Exhaustion, loss of interest in favorite activities and withdrawing from friends can all be signs of depression or another mental illness. Don’t wait for a mental health crisis to strike before seeking help, either—getting help early may prevent depression or anxiety. Mental illness is affected by a wide variety of factors, both internal and external, and may need intervention in the form of therapy, medication, or other professional advice. Call 911, a mental health specialist, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or webchat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat.

Nurture holistic health with balanced exercise, good nutrition, deep sleep and great friends. And don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed. When your mind and body are in balance, life is good.