Welcome to Energy Crisis Diverted webinar; Living a Life of Vibrant Health
and Well Being presented by Independence Blue Cross. This single session webinar
will explore what energy management is, why it is important to us, some of the
roadblocks that keep us from obtaining optimal energy, how to regenerate our
energy when it does deplete, how to do an energy audit, and recharging our own
history. What is energy management? When we talk about energy, one of the first
things that comes to mind is fuel gasoline to make our vehicles run,
batteries for our cell phones, and electricity to power our homes offices
and schools. Are all forms of energy but what about our own internal energy? What
is it that keeps us running properly to ensure that we get through the day, the
year, and our life. Most people believe that our internal energy stores are
those things that keep us going are strictly based on our physical needs
such as a healthy diet, physical activity and adequate amounts of sleep. All of
these things are extremely important but we need also to remember that we are
mindful beings with important emotional, spiritual, and different aspects of our
lives that also an influence and directly impact our energy levels. We
cannot and should not separate these unique and important aspects that
influence our energy stores and make us amazing human beings. As we explore
energy management we will discuss the short-term impacts that energy drains
can have on our daily lives and how those short-term trains can affect and
sustain our energy levels long term. For example, have you ever eaten an unhealthy
breakfast or lunch and find yourself hungry or ready to take a nap just a few
hours later? Did you ever run full speed to get everything done to ensure the
holidays went perfectly only to find yourself totally exhausted and not
enjoying yourself when they actually arrived? Both of these examples
demonstrate that our short and long term energy levels can directly impact our
health and well-being which is critical to sustain our energy levels over the
long haul in order to avoid an energy crisis. So let's review some statistics
to better understand where we stand regarding energy management as a country.
Did you know that studies have shown that 69 percent of employees report that
work is significant source of stress? Stress
can be a huge energy drain in our lives daily as well as long-term leading to a
decreased immune system and putting us at risk for chronic conditions. 50 to 70
million Americans suffer from a sleeping disorder including insomnia, sleep apnea,
and restless leg syndrome and these are just the numbers based on those that are
currently diagnosed in 2012. There was a review done, it was noted that there were
an average of 9.2 vacation days left unused for the average American, and
finally 7 out of 10 workers self reported that they had checked out of
their jobs or were not fully engaged even though they were physically at work.
In their building their mind and spheres were someplace else. Now let's examine
some of these and other challenges that our energy drains to us. First we are
going to look at the physical energy drains or those things that can have
more direct and often immediate impact on our body. Let's start with sleep. Sleep
is imperative for our bodies to repair and recovery today. Think of a situation
where you did not get a good night's sleep. How did you feel in the morning?
Did it affect your mood, concentration, and work? How was your energy level?
Imagine if you had lost sleep every night and never had a chance to rest and
recover. According to the Centers for Disease Control if we are getting too
little sleep it not only affects us daily but also increases our long-term
risk for chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and
stroke. It basically depletes our short and long term energy stores, although
sleep needs vary for each person. The National Sleep Foundation scientific
advisory council recommends that the average person between the ages of 26
and 64 get at least seven to nine hours sleep each night. Yet survey suggests
that 40% of us are not meeting those recommendations and on average each
person is only getting approximately six point eight hours of sleep per night. If
you didn't reach arge your cell phone what would happen to it? Energy stores
would drop and it wouldn't function and the same thing happens to us. If you were
to put leaded gasoline and an unleaded engine light might happen to it it?
Probably would break down. When our bodies don't have healthy nutrient-dense
foods to fuel the same thing starts to happen. We need
healthy nutrient-dense foods to keep our bodies running to their fullest
potential. Think about days when you eat healthier
more nutrient-dense foods, how do you feel? do you have a lot of energy? what
about those days when perhaps you did need as healthy? How did you feel? then did you
have the same level of energy? Were you able to accomplish more or did you feel
like you needed a nap? If we continually put unhealthy fuel in our bodies,
eventually we will start to see the long-term effects of those choices. In
terms of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. So
think about what is on your plate and how that few will affects your personal
energy level. Physical activity is imperative to our energy levels and
overall well-being. Think about the last time you lost power, did you go to get
your flashlight that you haven't used in quite a while?
What happened? Did it work? similarly if we don't use our bodies throUgh physical
activity we start to lose energy and they break down as well. The Department
of Health and Human Services recommends that the average adult should be getting
at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous
activity every week. Think about your physical activity and how your level of
activity impacts your own internal energy stores. Stress is all around us
and it isn't always bad. It can help drive us to meet a deadline or a goal we
have. We all have stress in our lives but it is our response to that stress and
our ability or inability to manage that stress that can affect our energy levels.
Think about a stressful situation in your life. Did that added stress impact
your sleep, your mood,and your energy level? Long-term effects of stress can
decrease our energy and our immune system while increasing our risk for a
variety of chronic conditions. When we constantly multitask we call it The
Octopus effect. We think we can answer email, while on a conference call with
one ear attached to an earbud, listening to our favorite song. But in reality we
cannot. The brain needs to focus on one thing. And so do we consider this since
mobile devices came into our lives injuries and death related to distracted
driving have increased fourfold. In 2013 3,154 people died and four
hundred and twenty-four thousand people were injured because they were
distracted while driving. So stop and focus on the task at hand. When spending
time with your family members focus on your time together and enjoy that time
with them. In are often chaotic, multitasking, busy world we tend to
always be on and we forget to take downtime for our family and for
ourselves. A recent study noted that we need to
provide our brains with some downtime in order to allow it to refocus and restore.
Without it we tend to be unfocused we tend to lack attention and our
motivation decreases and we start to run out of energy. Now that we have explored
a few of the physical energy drains let's look at some of the mental,
emotional, and spiritual energy drains. Behavioral health challenges are often
things that we don't like to talk about but they are important to our health and
well-being. Conditions like depression and anxiety can drain our energy which
in turn can further impact the very same chronic condition causing a downward
spiral. Some studies gauged that nearly half of
people with behavioral health conditions do not seek treatment for them. This can
not only affect our daily energy but our long-term energy and our overall health
and well-being. Some studies note that if we receive 10
good comments in a day and one bad comment we tend to focus on that one bad
comment even though it was one among many good comments. Our inability to see
the positive in a situation can deplete our energy stores so try to see those
negatives or challenges as opportunities and talk with someone who can remind you
of those positives that you have in your life. Did you ever have a really bad day
and needed to talk to someone but nobody was around? how did that make you feel?
What was your energy level like? We need those trusted family and friends to
provide us with input and often a different perspective. Without that
support we can often feel isolated, alone, which can also impact our well-being and
our energy levels. Most of us will get into an argument or two with somebody we
care about sometime in our life. Sometimes we can hold on to those
negative feelings especially if we feel that we were wronged by that
person .Holding onto these feelings or grudges and internalizing them will only
drain our energy. We need to talk about them and let go of those grudges to move
forward and maintain our positive energy levels. Having goals both big and small
and finding our own niche in the world where we feel valued and know what our
purpose is can impact our energy in a positive way. Sometimes when our internal
compass is off and we lose sight of our purpose and meaning we can feel
undervalued which can cause us to lose our passion for life, add stress and
drain our energy. We need to find and resurface and refocus on the mission in
our life. Now that we have seen some of the challenges that can drain our energy
it is time for you to do an assessment of your own energy meter. This will help
you to determine where in your day you notice a change in your energy level.
What trigger that energy to drop, what may improve your energy level.
Understanding when and what caused a change in our energy can help us to plan,
restore and improve our energy. Using the clock on the left side of the page
think of a normal workday in the morning. When you get in did you have a good
night's sleep? Did you eat a healthy breakfast?
Do you have low stress on the way into work? Do you find a purpose in your work?
Do you have people you can confide in throughout the workday? Do you have a
healthy and positive relationship with those you work with ? Now look at thE
clock on the right side of the page. Did you skip lunch? Did you have additional
work added to your day? Did it add more stress? Did you have a conflict with your
boss? How would your energy level be at the
end of that day? What if you ate a healthy lunch? What if you accomplished
all of your tasks? What if you found out you were getting a raise and then you
note that you were able to leave on time? Think about your energy levels once you
get home to your family and friends. How does your home life and what is going on
there affect your energy level? All of these things impact our energy levels on
a daily basis. Our energy levels can change throughout the day.
Overtime their combined in fact whether positive such as recharging or negative
such as training will have an impact on our health and well-being.
We need to recognize those things that deplete our energy levels so that we can
find solutions to regenerate and maintain our energy levels.
Now that we have looked at some of the energy drains and have done a little
self-assessment to better understand the changes in our own energy levels on a
daily basis let's review some of the things that we can do to restore and
regenerate those levels. Starting again with the physical and then discussing
the mental, emotional, and spiritual. Managing our sleeping, getting enough
quality rest is imperative to ensuring their bodies have time to regenerate. Try
going to bed early in getting up at the same time every day.
Remove all electronic devices such as televisions, computers, and cell phones
from your bedroom. Avoiding large meals, having caffeine or drinking alcohol
before bedtime. Make sure that your sleep environment is
quiet, dark, and not too hot or too cold. What we eat is very important, if we only
eat high fat, calorie dense foods we don't get the right kind of energy we
need to run our own biological machines. Trying to incorporate a variety of
healthy foods in your diet every day, maintaining proper portions and eating
some of those less than healthy foods in moderation will help us to keep on track.
We must avoid the rust as well, again if we don't use our vehicles and they say
eventually they will rust. The same thing will happen to us. Sitting is the new
smoking so check with your health care provider on what activity might be right
for you. Start slowly and safely and get fit with what fits you engine your
interest. We stress on the things that are right in front of us. Sometimes they
are real and sometimes they are perceived but how we react to them is
actually what causes a stress. Think if this will matter a year from now or a
hundred years from now. Talk with a trusted family member, friend or
colleague to help you through the stressful time. Remember to focus on one
task at a time, don't give in to the octopus effect. If we are all mindful and
our brains are focused on the task at hand
we are almost always assured a more productive day. Will make less mistakes
and will have higher energy levels. We often hear the phrase that children look
at the world through rose-colored glasses and sometimes as adults we
forget that finding even a small positive can often help us see the light
at the end of the tunnel. Find your Zen and focus on it. Be the positive in your
own world. Connecting to friends and family can help us regenerate our energy
source. To a trusted family member or friend
even if it's just as a sounding board these trusted people can often provide
us with a newer different perspective to health styles a problem. Finding your own
purpose meaning and mission in life is key to the wonder minute holes. Think
about what makes you unique and how that makes you have a happy long-term life.
Often we lose our sense of purpose when we get caught up in the daily tasks or
our lives. But if we focus on our long-term goals and start to remember
what really drives us as we start to think of those important things in life
we will discover our true purpose. We now see how daily things can impact our
energy but how does this impact us long-term. To understand this we must
review our own energy story about our past, our relationship, our health history
our work ,our finances, and yes even our day-to-day energy. Sometimes the stories
are positive and sometimes they are negative. Some stories may be a comedy
and some stories may be a tragedy. Some are fairy tale and some not since our
destiny follows our own story and it is our story then we create it from our own
history it is important that we get our stories right. Sometimes that means that
editing is required as we move through our lives and create our own stories. So
think about your energy story and how the larger things in life impact you. How
they impact your health, physical mental, and emotional. Your
relationships and how you are connected to friends families and colleagues. How
you're connected to your stuff. Where does it fit into your life. Finally one
of the most important aspects for long-term energy is finding your purpose.
What is the purpose that drives you now? Think about what we have discussed today
and rewrite your own energy story the way you want it to be. Going forward what
things can you do to increase your energy levels on a daily, weekly, yearly
and lifelong basis that will have a positive impact to you and your family.
What is your purpose in life and what goals do you have for yourself. You view
this story once a day so it is in the forefront of your mind. Tell other people
about it and make your story a reality. Thank you for participating an energy
crisis diverted living a life of vibrant health and well being presented by
Independence Blue Cross. Please review the resources and visit WWW.IBX.COM.
For additional information on this and other topics for your health and
well-being.
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