Here is a fitness hack on how to handle yourself on a daily basis.

So, this is the daily routine that I have developed over time. I close my day at whatever time it is possible. Sometimes 7, sometimes 8 and sometimes 9. There is no fixed time to call it a day.

And after that as usual head back home. After reaching home, I take some time to unwind – both mentally & physically. I am telling the process that I have developed overtime to kill the day stress. The stress that we have built during the daytime is not just physical but mental one too. So, I have adopted a holistic approach where I work on both mind & body to have complete rest.

Let’s explore these processes down here:

Physical Unwinding

I don’t rush for dinner immediately after I reach home. I love to first do some stretching and destressing exercises. These exercises could take anywhere from just 10-15 minutes to a full hour sometimes. But I am ok with that depending on the time that I have at my disposal. So, exercise and stretching are a MUST post work.

After I have finished my exercises, I start to feel better with improved blood flow, increased oxygen supply to brain and the other vital body parts and the release of toxins from the body through the process of sweating. Yes, sweating is a must for me to feel that I have exercised.

Done with exercises, it’s time to take shower. Even during winter, I follow this ritual and it’s now 365 days until I have some sickness like cold, cough, fever or any other ailment where it may not be feasible to sweat and shower. Taking shower post work out is a must for me as I can’t carry the stink though sweet of sweat. And guess what, shower post workout makes you feel like you have taken a therapy. Yes, it’s that soothing.

Exercises Done.

Bathing Done.

Now, it’s time to move on to the mental part of the stress.

Mental & psychological; unwinding

Your day fills you with a lot of mental junk. The tense situations, the hurry to take faster decisions and meet the deadlines, take or give feedback or simply brainstorm on a new problem that has surfaced of late, you name it and there it is. So, to calm the mind them and allow it to lose its grip from the mental entanglements, I allow myself some personal space where I spend the time with myself.

Spending time with self involves doing nothing but practicing the mindfulness. You have the body now filled with energy after workout and the mind is not. So, the mind may want to just relax. To do so, simply change into lose and plain clothing and find an appropriate place in your home to sit and just relax. This space if outside the bedroom is better. But I leave it up to you, your bedroom and your choice.

Sit alone and do nothing. Yes. Doing nothing. When you allow your mind to simply get away from the process of thinking and trying to create or solve problems, you allow your mental engine (your mind) to find rest for itself.

Sorting yourself out before you hit your bed is an essential process. It brings great strength and power to me. When you are physically alert and aware and still don’t allow your mind to wander, your mind starts filling itself with the fountain of peace and joy. The joy lies in finding nothing. It’s about finding that empty patch inside your mental scape.

No Dinner, just light snacks if I feel hungry

These days, I have realized eating a lot of food in the evening is a wasteful exercise. Why to shove up so much of food inside your stomach when that food is not going anywhere. I mean it is just going to stay inside your esophagus the whole night feeling like a burden. An empty stomach is like a clean and tidy room. Who doesn’t love to have that kind of space. It has got me rid of many problems that I used to face. The big and bad problem of Constipation is one of the major contributions of filling your stomach with your favorite dishes at night.

Night fasting allows the body cells to get enough time to relax and recharge themselves. So, skipping your dinner is like doing a favor to yourself. It would work wonders. Trust Me!

Some Quiet Activity

In your quiet space, you can cultivate the habit of read a book, listening to a deep talk if you like or quietly journalling your day to gain perspective without applying much thought. Sit and observe your own self and experience some inner engagement. You can also choose to listen to some fabulous music or simply watch a move of your liking. I love to listen to country songs. They get me sleepy.

This might sound a lot but once you have put this into practice, it becomes all very swift and simple. And once you develop the routine as a habit, you would fall in love with the processes about unwinding that I have described above.