All posts by Maura O'Shea

28 Mar 2016
Sticky Post By Posted in Health Permalink

5 Ways to Achieve a Peaceful Night of Sleep

Sticky Post By On March 28, 2016

It’s not uncommon to toss and turn, squeeze your eyes shut and count backwards from 100 while trying to get that long awaited good night’s sleep. Studies have found that around 1 in 3 people have at least mild insomnia.

For years, scientists have been in disagreement regarding how to ‘treat’ sleep deprivation that approximately 60 million Americans struggle with each night. Still, there is much disparity in proposing one accepted solution, however there are many ways in which we can improve our overall sleeping patterns. Here are five ways you can restore your disrupted sleep cycle:

  1. Reduce Stress Levels: Most likely, one of things keeping you up at night is your mind racing about all you have to do the next day, or that fight you had with your significant other. Stress is the leading cause of restless nights here in the US. Some advice: Do not go to bed angry. Also, avoid the excessive caffeine and energy drinks throughout the day.
  2. Peace and Quiet, Eliminate Noise: Give your mind the rest it needs to fall into the deep sleep you hope for each night. Falling asleep to the TV keeps your mind working and interrupts your sleep cycle. Noise free is the way to go!
  3. Eat Light, Eat Early: It’s best to eat 3-4 hours before you settle in for the night. Going to sleep on a full stomach will keep your body working all night to digest that late night snack. Your body will thank you in the morning after eating an early, light meal.
  4. Morning Rituals: Make a routine. Wake up at 6am and exercise before work, get your day started early rather than rolling out of bed and into the office. This routine will help to prepare your mind for sleep hours later.
  5. Be Proactive: If you’re not sleeping well, then do something about it. Change up your habits. Improvements aren’t going to happen overnight, this must be something you are diligent about; you must work hard to see change.

A good night’s sleep will help support a productive, gratifying day of work. Being well rested is at the very core of an improved lifestyle. At Shift, we want our members to be operating at 100%, so we hope these tips will help those struggling to find that peaceful night of sleep.

23 Mar 2016
Sticky Post By Posted in Health Permalink

11 Healthy Snacks to Eat at Work

Sticky Post By On March 23, 2016

That bag of chips always seems like a good idea at the time. We habitually reach for that fast easy snack without a thought because it’s what just we’ve always done and the number one reason– it’s easy. However it is exactly what you should not be doing, especially when sitting at a desk all day long. We should be filling our body with healthy nutrients and energy fueling ingredients, everything that bag of chips lacks.

 

Many people associate healthy eating with over-priced products and a lot of extra prep time just to enjoy a meal. People lack the motivation to eat healthy because they feel they just don’t have the time. Though, little do they know- it’s not that hard, it’s not that expensive, and can be pretty delicious if you do it right. So instead of grabbing that diet coke and bag of chips to fill that mid-day snack time, you should think about some other options. Consider the following:

1.Apple or Banana with Peanut Butter

2. Rice Crackers with Avocado or Nutella Spread

3. Popcorn

4. Veggies with Hummus

5. Dry Roasted Almonds

6. Dry Roasted Edamame

7. Trail Mix

8. Greek Yogurt with Granola

9. Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils with Bruschetta Sauce

10. Dried Mango Slices

11. Spinach Parmesan Quinoa

We offer many of these options as a complimentary perk for our members. It’s important to us that our members eat healthy and focus on wellness. That’s why we provide access to our fitness center and offer free classes in addition to healthy refreshments. But if you’re crabby from eating only rabbit food, we have plenty of Cheez-its to go around.

10 Mar 2016
Sticky Post By Posted in Uncategorized Permalink

4 Reasons to Add Yoga to Your Routine

Sticky Post By On March 10, 2016

Many of us become overwhelmed with our busy work life, our lack of sleep, and mainly our absence of “me time.” It’s safe to say everyone needs some self-reflecting time in his or her life. We become lost in our daily routine of dragging ourselves out of bed, making it to work on time and doing it all over again the next day and the day after that. What most people don’t realize is that exercising can help us break this robotic feeling in our lives. We all need something to boost our energy as well as our attitudes. And it’s easier said than done.

 

Alas, increasing serotonin can be easily achieved. Simple inhales and exhales clear the mind and alleviate stress. Stretching your legs and rotating your neck improve your emotional outlook as blood moves throughout your body in restored ways. If these things sound familiar, it’s probably because you heard them in yoga. The practice of yoga has been known to lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia, while also increasing flexibility, muscle strength and tone. Here a few more reasons why it is vital to make it to your mat:

 

  1. People who practice yoga are generally more positive people: Exercising doesn’t just provide you with physical benefits. Working out regularly can improve your overall mental and emotional state of being as well. Yoga, specifically, is known to help you quiet your mind- let go of the negatives and focus on the positives. A simple breathing exercise releases endorphins, producing a calming effect.
  2. Staying focused on your work is a little less impossible when you regularly attend yoga: It’s easy to become distracted throughout the day. Juggling all of life’s battles is never easy, especially when you have a huge task coming up at work. The wide range of poses and techniques when practicing yoga require the yogi to exhibit great concentration and endurance. Try closing your eyes while balancing on one leg—it’s tough. This exercise is not only a physical challenge, but a mental one, too.
  3. You have more energy throughout the busy workday: It is scientifically proven that engaging in a steady exercise regime provides you with more energy throughout your work week. As the poses require balance, which in turn sharpen your focus, the deep breaths allow for more oxygen intake, making you more alert.
  4. Yoga provides you with the virtue of patience: Exasperation is a common trait that we cannot deny. While yoga can be a quick-paced work-out, poses like shavasana teach us the importance of focusing on one’s mind and inner self. It paces our routine to gradually enter into a truly relaxed state. Yogis take that notion with them into their daily work life.

 

Shift offers complimentary yoga sessions each Tuesday and is hosted by one of our own members, Madison Carroll. Maddie focuses on themes each week that can be easily translated into your day to day interactions. And she also has great music.