Good morning!
TMI but I went to bed at 7:30 Wednesday night. It had been an awesome day.
I love getting 8 hours of sleep if I can and with 30 minutes for NYT Games, that had me up before 5 with a full tank of gas.
Like, the needle well to the right of ‘F’
It worked and upon awakening…
Well. do you ever get those ‘just awake’ moments of clarity?
It’s when our brain’s prefrontal cortex is most active and creative.
As I was falling asleep on Weds, I was trying to figure out why my week was so great.
It was crystal clear when I woke up.
I had been around Energy Givers, not Energy Drainers.
That simple.
Here’s a shout-out to my Energy Givers:
1. Megan, my cardiology Ride or Die, spent 6 hours Sunday learning how, then made her daughter 80-some Taylor Swift friendship bracelets to hand out to strangers at TS’ November 3rd Indianapolis concert. Energy Giver, that one.
2. Rachael, Bryan, and the 103 Walk with a Doc Champions (docs, admin leaders) who registered for a fantastic Zoom gathering Tuesday night. Tons of great insights, advice, stories, and feedback from around the country.
Walk Leaders = Energy Givers – for sure! Thank you.
If you want part of the January action – we’re doing this quarterly now – let us know. We should’ve started this years ago. Dr. Theresa Wee made it happen.
3. So many of my patients. They’re out walking, they’re checking their blood pressure, they’ve got their eyes on the prize and I get to witness it. How inspiring, and honestly what a gift, to be around that energy day in, day out.
4. Leslie Sansone – lighting up lives from Pittsburgh to around the world. It’s like the Bat Signal of kindness. A simple email from Leslie is the widest ray of sunshine. She is the prototype of a brilliant source of energy. She is the Real Deal.
5. The warm-hearted poll workers at the Franklin County Board of Elections where my real-life Ride or Die and I walked right in and voted on Monday. They were so cool. Super easy. Super satisfying. Done.
It’s been an incredible week over here.
So many more, but maybe ‘Energy Pills’ got you to open this letter?
These are my go-to’s for that extra boost and I share with our patients who ask. You may think, those are all free (and cliche) – how good can they be? These are power moves. It’s like Lamar Jackson running me over on his way to the end zone. It’s going to work every time.
1. 7-9 hours of sleep. This is where it all starts. I love this book and Dr. Walker talks about giving yourself an 8-hour opportunity every night that you can.
2. Hydration: Try half your body weight in oz. Water.
3. Walking. 20-30 mins every day possible. This may sound counterintuitive. You’re giving energy to get energy? You already know that you get it all back and much, much more.
4. Say ‘no’ – I bet you are doing a LOT. Of course that can drain you, please protect yourself. Every time you say ‘yes’, you are saying ‘no’ to something else. That ‘something else’ may be your time to recover.
5. Control stress by talking with a friend or colleague. Meditation, yoga, coloring books, breathing exercises. These all help.
6. Limit alcohol. This disrupts your sleep more than you think it might.
7. Small meals with these foods that can fight fatigue.
Now off to my real life Ride or Die. I hope you have a superchill weekend.
But for now…
david
