07 Thursday Jan 2021
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, morning bathroom
Internist Dr. Keri Peterson says that’s because, overnight, our kidneys filter less urine. Plus, at night our body releases more vasopressin – a hormone that makes us hold onto excess fluid. So, by morning, your bladder’s full and you’ve gotta go. Then, if you immediately drink coffee or tea, it has a diuretic effect, sending you to the bathroom again.
27 Monday Jul 2020
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, have a productive day, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, morning routine, mornings, positive, positivity, productive, Stanford University, success, successful, victory, win
According to Stanford University researchers, mornings matter most. They found having a small victory in the morning – anything from getting to work on time, to fitting in a morning workout – drastically increases your odds of having a productive day. That’s because starting the day with a “win,” no matter how small, triggers the positive feelings that propel you to keep going.
25 Friday Jan 2019
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brain, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, ear plugs, earplugs, energized, energy, focus, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, sleep, sleepy, tired
Go to bed wearing earplugs! A joint study between British and Swedish researchers found people who feel foggy and slowed up in the morning probably aren’t producing enough cortisol, a natural brain-energizer that wakes us up, and heightens our alertness. But wearing earplugs to bed blocks low levels of overnight noise – like nearby traffic, or barking dogs. And research shows that when the quality of our sleep improves, our brain churns out more cortisol in the morning – giving us more focus and energy.
02 Tuesday Oct 2018
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best, best time, blood pressure, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Jichi Medical University, morning, stroke, stroke risk
From now on, check your blood pressure in the morning. So says Jichi Medical University in Japan. Because a morning reading is a more accurate way to assess stroke risk.
That’s because our blood pressure naturally rises in the morning. Whereas at night, our reading could be influenced by the stress of a tough day, taking a hot bath, or eating a big dinner. But when our blood pressure surges in the morning, it’s due to physiological factors – like our sympathetic nervous system kicking into gear. So take your reading in the morning – before you eat or take a shower – and you’ll get the most accurate assessment of your stroke risk.
11 Wednesday Jul 2018
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, run, runner, workout
If you want to get motivated to start working out in the morning, tell yourself “I’m an exerciser!” or “I’m a runner!” Instead of telling yourself, “I’m going to exercise.” Or “I’m going to run.” According to the journal Self & Identity, when people used that strategy, they were better at sticking to an exercise regimen. That’s because you’re giving yourself an identity – not just a command. And that makes you feel like exercising is part of who you are. It also makes you feel like you belong to a community of exercisers or runners. And feeling that you’re part of an active tribe makes you more motivated to keep up.
29 Thursday Jun 2017
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bathroom, bathroom lights, bright white, calm, calming, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, energized, energy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lighting, lights, morning, relax, soft white, start your day off right
What do you need in the morning – to feel calm, or energized? The type of light bulbs in your bathroom can actually make a difference. A “soft white” bulb – or one that says “2,700 Ks” on it – has the right kind of light to start your day on a calmer note. If you need energy, a “bright white” bulb will do the trick.
27 Tuesday Sep 2016
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bite, body lotion, citrus, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, evening, exercise, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lemon grass, lemon grass oil, morning, mosquito, mosquitoes, repel, repellent
If you’re going to be outside in the early morning or evening – when mosquitoes are the most active – slather yourself with citrus! Because mosquitoes hate the scent – especially lemon grass. So mix a couple drops of lemon grass oil into your body lotion – and put it on before heading outside. It’ll repel mosquitoes for up to two hours.
22 Monday Feb 2016
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circadian rhythm, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, Harvard, Harvard University, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning, sleep, sleep pattern, wake, wake up, waking up
Ladies – have you ever wondered why you always wake up earlier than the man in your life? Harvard University researchers have the answer. They discovered that the sleep cycle – or circadian rhythm – of women is 6 minutes shorter than a man’s. The difference may seem slight, but it’s enough to throw off the sleep patterns of couples. It also helps explain why women are more likely than men to wake up earlier each morning, and get tired sooner at night.
13 Wednesday Jan 2016
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brain, buddy, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, endorphins, exercise, friend, friends, get out of bed, gym, hippocampus, inspire, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Kansas State University, memory, morning, motivate, motivation, working out, workout, workout buddy
So here are 3 science-based ways to increase your exercise motivation…
•Start by telling yourself you only have to workout for 7 minutes. And if you want to give up after that, give yourself permission. But you probably won’t give up. That’s because it only takes 6 minutes for your body’s feel-good endorphins to kick in once you start working out.
•Listen to your gym playlist on the way to the gym. It stimulates the brain’s hippocampus – which is where we store our memories. And because you’re used to hearing those songs when you work out, it primes you to get in an exercise mood.
•Workout with someone who’s 40% more fit than you. In a study from Kansas State University, people who did that worked out harder and longer than they would have if they exercised alone. It works because we’re competitive by nature…We compare ourselves to others all the time – whether we’re aware of it or not. Plus, it also gives us a sense of camaraderie that’s motivating. So why 40%? Researchers say that’s a sweet spot where your workout buddy is good enough to inspire you – but not so out of your league that you can’t keep up.
18 Wednesday Nov 2015
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accomplish, accomplishment, bed, bedroom, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, Gretchen Rubin, happiness, happy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, make your bed, morning, win
The simple act of making your bed in the morning can set you up for a better day. That’s according to happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin. She says it starts your day with a tiny – but real – accomplishment. And in a huge survey, 72% of bed-makers described themselves as happy, compared with only 62% of non-bed-makers. So, start your day with a win – make your bed.
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