| Feeling good is a manifestation of your actions and physical state; you can change your mood and emotional state through your daily activities and approach towards life.
Being a master of these skills is a powerful way to improve your lifestyle.
Here are five quick and easy tips, which are sure to bring a spring to your step and help kick-start your daily mood:
1. Tension release techniques will encourage an increased state of relaxation in your muscles to de-stress and induce tranquillity.
Start by focusing on the muscles in your feet and tensing them up over 10 seconds, slowly increasing the intensity of the tension up to maximal tension over the 10 second period. Once the 10 seconds of tension has been completed, relax the muscles fully for 10-20 seconds and allow yourself to mentally focus on the increased state of relaxation being felt and the feeling of improved blood flow in the localised area. Then start to move up through your body as you repeat this process in your calf muscles, front and back of thighs, buttocks, abdominal musculature, back muscles, chest, shoulders, front and back of arms, and finally finishing at both your wrists (clenching them for tension) at the same time as your neck/upper back muscles (those which elevate your shoulder blades). This whole technique should take no more than 5 minutes and is a great start and/or finish to even the busiest of days.
2. Exercise techniques as documented to have been used by the Ancient Tibetan Monks, which focus on the five rites of rejuvenation, are a great energising start to the day.
One of the most vitalising of these exercises is ‘twirling’ and is a great immediate pick me up. To twirl, all you need to do is stand up in a nice tall, neutral posture with your arms out to your sides (approx. 45 degrees out and palms forward) and then start spinning on the spot, performing the twirl with one leg leading the motion and the other leg acting more like a pivot. Aim to complete between 25 and 50 turns at a steady, controllable pace (although as you get better at the exercise you can start to pick up your pace), and then complete the same technique in the opposite direction to balance yourself out. This is a brilliant mental rebalancing exercise and invigorating activity.
3. Dynamically stretching and mobilising your muscles will help you avoid tightening up through your daily lifestyle.
Muscles that are commonly affected are the hip flexors, internal shoulder rotation affecting muscles and muscles around the upper thorax. A simple dynamic movement which will help lengthen the front of the hip and mobilise the upper back is the ‘posterior step and rotating overhead reach’: step back onto the whole of the foot at the same time as lifting your arms up and over your head (palm to palm with your hands) whilst rotating your torso to face across the body away from the back leg (if you step back with the right leg then your rotation would be toward the left side of your body). This action should be smooth and controlled, yet causing a valid stretch to your body and should only take 1-2 seconds, alternate sides and aim to perform about 30 repetitions in total.
4. Grounding yourself back to earth by walking barefoot is a fantastic way of regaining the muscular strength in our feet, which we have lost over time due to over dependence on over protective, and/or fashion only focused footwear.
Having a connection with the ground is not only a way to disperse your bad karma and negative energies (techniques like stomping to floor have long been used by spiritual therapist to dispel bad energies), but barefoot movement is actually very beneficial for your muscular development, posture and movement functionality. Wearing shoes such as ‘Vibram Five Fingers’ allow you to gain the benefits of barefoot activity whilst not being afraid of cutting your feet on sharp objects or going completely shoe-less with their minimal soled shoes, which are designed to fit like a glove.
5. If you can find a willing training partner nothing beats the interaction of paired exercise games.
Pick an exercise, which lasts no longer than 1 minute, rapidly elevates your heart rate, gets your nerves firing, utilises your wholes body and is funny to perform together. A great example is alternating jumping jacks or star jumps, face each other quite close together and start jumping; as one of you jumps the other is relaxed and then alternate – try to see how fast you can go and how many you can collectively perform in a minute. It sounds silly but it’s a great exercise, and the face to face style of performing it increases the fun of it, especially if you’re willing to do it in public or a silly location; the more bizarre the situation the longer the after effects will be as this is a great emotional clear out task; let go of your inhibitions and give it a go.
These five tips can be implemented into any day and are quick, simple and fast acting to ensure that you keep yourself feeling happy, energetic and ready for anything.
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