Bad habits. How many have you got? How many are you aware of until it comes to writing ‘a CV of bad habits’ to bring self-awareness of them?

This is a task i set company and organisation’s teams plus individuals (when working one-to-one) on wellbeing at work strategies with Kim Rutherford – 8Wise™️**

I listed mine many years ago in a journal and kept it closeby to make sure i was slowly eliminating most if not all of them.

Why? Because marginal gains make me more energetic and productive, in a better mood, give me a clearer head resulting in more creativity, and i’m physically more flexible too! I’ve stopped making that ‘old man’ noise whenever i get up or sit down!

Here are a few of my previous bad habits. Can you relate?

1, Poor posture using a mobile* and sat at a desk. Looking down at a phone can raise your heart rate variability and change your breathing pattern. Forward head posture at a desk encourages chest breathing and puts you in fight or flight. *Leon McCowan tell all your punters 🙂

2, Hoovering up meals close to work time…so your food ‘hardly touches the sides’. Consider most foods you eat at meal times. They’re like mush. Eat more foods that force you to crunch and chew them. You’ll give your facial muscles a workout (i’ll tell you why that’s important in a separate post), you’ll have to eat slower and you’ll get more nutrition. And relax before, during and shortly after you eat eh Margaret Bell

3, Feeling obliged to follow alpha males/females by getting up at dawn and smashing your day. It does suit some like Mark Waldron It might not suit you. And it might stop you needing a disco nap by 2pm.

4, Not allowing yourself space to breathe. And it’s not just allowing yourself the time but also becoming aware of how functional your breathing is at rest. If you breathe like Darth Vader during your sleep, chances are you were doing the same, albeit in a silent, hidden version during the day at work, taking big sighs, not breathing from the lower abdominal muscle area or nose, etc.

5, Knowing when it’s time to let go of work. I know #quietquitting is trending right now. I’m talking more as a business owner, in an environment that does involve some hustle, going the extra miles, etc. Just give yourself more balance, aim to do 75% of what you think you can do in a day to avoid overwhelm. Make your days sustainable!

What about some good habits to end on a positive note? Here are my go-to favourites. What are yours?

1, Walking in nature
2, Resistance training not gym-based.
3, Hydrating
4, Journaling regularly
5, Being aware of how you like to be treated in relationships with others
6, Low sugar food/drink regime
7, Smiling at strangers in the street (yes, i’m that weirdo)
8, Have a good laugh every day
9, Spend a portion of the day doing nothing and planning it
10, Responding not reacting.

**Thank you My Planet Liverpool mag for covering our story

That quiet quitting thing…
https://www.tiktok.com/@zaidleppelin/video/7124414185282391342?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7124414185282391342&lang=en