As I’ve mentioned in the past, one of the great advantages of writing this career advice blog is that I get a lot of great books for free. Publishers are always looking for exposure for their books. I am always looking to share great career advice books with readers of this career success blog. I read all of the books sent to me, but review and blog about only those that I like.
I like Unsinkable: How to Bounce Back Quickly When Life Knocks You Down by Sonia Ricotti. She and I think alike. Tweet 37 in my career success book Success Tweets says “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it. Don’t dwell on the negative. Use it as a springboard to action and creativity.” In other words, bounce back when life knocks you down.
Chapter 12 in Unsinkable is called “Be Good to Yourself.” Sonia begins by saying…
“Keep you mind fresh and your body healthy. Don’t take this advice lightly! It could be your saving grace. It is easy to let ourselves go when challenging times arise, but we need to be healthy, mentally, physically and emotionally in order to navigate this journey. Having a fuzzy mind or a stressed body is not going to help.”
She lists nine things you can do to keep your mind fresh and body healthy.
1. Exercise.
2. Meditate.
3. Take a time out.
4. Connect with nature.
5. Laugh.
6. Journal.
7. Take a deep breath.
8. Eat healthy.
9. Be in a positive environment.
I like what Sonia has to say here. It is great career success advice. I suggest that you use the tips that work for you and not worry about the others. For example, I have never been able to mediate successfully. I have real trouble clearing my mind. But interestingly enough, I get into a meditative state when I ride my bike. I always come back from my bike rides feeling refreshed — physically and mentally.
I echo many of Sonia thoughts in Tweet 91 in Success Tweets. “The better you feel, the better you’ll perform. Live a healthy lifestyle. Eat well. Exercise regularly. Get regular checkups.”
You have to be in reasonable shape if you want to become a life and career success. A reasonable level of fitness will help you deal with the inevitable stress that accompanies creating your life and career success – and in bouncing back when life knocks you down. Diet and exercise are the keys to living a healthy lifestyle. You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic, but you do need to get some exercise and pay attention to what you eat.
I’m not the best role model when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. I’ve battled weight my entire life. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more serious about living a healthy lifestyle. I exercise more and pay attention to what I eat.
Even though they keep changing the shape, I have found that the US government food pyramid provides great guidance on how to eat healthy. Here are some of the highlights. I try to follow these guidelines. If you follow them, you will be doing well from a nutrition standpoint.
Eat at least three ounces of whole grain bread, cereals, crackers, rice or pasta every day. Look for the word “whole” before the grain name on the list of ingredients.
Eat lots of vegetables every day. I’m lucky here. I love vegetables – even brussels sprouts. Dark green and orange vegetables are the best for you. Dry beans and peas are also good for you.
Fruits are also good for you. Raw fruit is the best. On the other hand, it’s best to limit your intake of fruit juice. It’s often very high in calories and sugar.
Milk is a great source of calcium – something we all need for strong bones. However, whole milk is very high in fat, so it’s best to drink low-fat or fat-free milk. Yogurt and cheese are also good sources of calcium.
Eat protein (meat, fish and poultry) in small quantities. Bake, broil, or grill – don’t fry – your protein.
The Mayo clinic suggests eating at least three fruits, four vegetables, four to eight servings of grains and pasta, three to seven servings of protein or dairy, three to five servings of fat and no more than 75 calories of sugar a day.
In general, you can eat healthy by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol. Limit sweets and salt. Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all. Control portion sizes and the total number of calories you consume.
Exercise is the other important component of a healthy lifestyle. It’s best if you can exercise for at least 30 minutes five times a week. Fitness experts suggest that, of the 30 minutes, 20 should be spent in some form of cardio exercise, five in stretching, and five in resistance training.
I find that it’s best to choose a time to exercise and build your daily schedule around it. Some people like first thing in the morning. Others like the evening. I prefer mid-day. I find that if I exercise around noon, I am less hungry and consume fewer calories at lunch.
Hydration and circulation are important too. Drink plenty of water. It keeps you hydrated and helps combat hunger. If you spend a lot of time at your desk, take a few minutes every hour to get up and stretch. You can do leg lifts and stomach squeezes at your desk. A little bit of activity can give you a burst of oxygen that will energize you and keep you feeling good.
You don’t have to become a fitness fanatic to become a career success. However, eating well and exercising will keep you sharp and on top of your game. It will keep your stress in check. And while a little stress is a good thing, too much stress can knock you out of the game.
The career success coach point here is simple common sense. Successful people are able to bounce back quickly when life knocks them down. In her great new book, Unsinkable, Sonia Ricotti provides some great career advice on bouncing back. I like what she has to say about being good to yourself. It echoes the career advice in Success Tweet 91. “The better you feel, the better you’ll perform. Live a healthy lifestyle. Eat well. Exercise regularly. Get regular checkups.” You don’t have to be a fitness junky to be able to bounce back when life knocks you down. But if you take care of yourself you’ll be better prepared to do so and to become a high performer. And high performance is an important key to creating the life and career success you want and deserve.
That’s my take on the career advice in Sonia Ricotti’s book Unsinkable. What do you think? Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us. As always, thanks for reading my daily musings on life and career success. I value you and I appreciate you.
Bud
PS: If you haven’t already done so, you can download a free copy of my career success book Success Tweets Explained. It’s a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail. Go to http://budurl.com/STExp to claim your free copy. You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success quotes.
PPS: I opened my new membership site on September 1. It’s called My Corporate Climb and is devoted to helping people create career success inside large corporations. To celebrate the grand opening, I’m giving away a new career advice book I’ve written called I Want YOU…To Succeed in Your Corporate Climb. You can find out about the membership site and get the career advice in I Want YOU… for free by going to http://www.mycorporateclimb.
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