Need a Vacation? Take a Nap

Join the Conversation. When did you last have a nap?
2738888912_0fe1a1c130_zIf, like me, you badly need of a vacation but can’t seem to find the time or resources to get away, try the next best thing: A nap.
When you take a quick snooze, you’re in the company of such famous nappers as Winston Churchill, Salvador Dalí, Albert Einstein, Lyndon Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thomas Edison, who all enjoyed afternoon naps.
In fact, according to the AARP, John D. Rockefeller allegedly said: “A little rest now and then helps a man to accomplish more.”
Meanwhile, short naps — along with suffficient sleep at night, an anti-inflammatory diet and daily exercise — help Dr. Andrew Weil feel “positive, energetic, and ready to tackle the challenges that life presents.”
Celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz — who, incidentally, was recently grilled by senators for extolling weight-loss supplements on his Dr. Oz Show which didn’t pass scientific muster — also believes in napping.
Not only did Dr. Oz admit that he regularly takes an afternoon siesta, but he hailed napping as The 10-Minute Fix that Cures Exhaustion.
Napping has many benefits. It:
Improves your attention, concentration, memory, performance and alertness.
Boosts your moods.
Enhance your workplace performance.
Reduces accidents and mistakes.
Boosts your creativity.
Improves your health.
Helps you lose weight.
Reduces stress.
Now I’m not suggesting that napping will make up for being sleep-deprived, but it’s a start. However, you really want to get ample zz’s at night, too.
Did you know, for isntance, that being sleep deprived can boost your appetite and can trigger funk food cravings?
By the way, when you nap, don’t fret if you can’t actually doze off for 10 minutes. One study found that asleep or not, a short period spent resting in bed is just as relaxing.
For some tips on napping, turn to Michael Hyatt, who helps leaders leverage influence.
Let’s have some fun now!
Check out these amusing photos of cats napping it up, thanks to the Daily Mail.
Join the Conversation. When did you last have a nap?

7 Ways a Social Media Vacation Can Help You

TwitterJoin the Conversation. Are you taking a Social Media Vacation this holiday season? Post your comment here.
Are you taking a Social Media Vacation this holiday season?
Or are you worried that if you take time away from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram or your blog, people will forget about you or you’ll lose valuable momentum?
Lately, I’ve become a fan of taking becoming deliberately and intentionally “anti-social” on the Internet for a while in order to become more social later on, as I shared recently on this Sugar Shock Blog.
FacebookI contend that occasionally, you may need a Social Media Vacation. To begin, you need time off if youo’re facing family or personal emergencies.
But you don’t need to suffer your Dark Night of the Soul to step back from social media.
You need a Social Media Vacation at least twice a year for a few days at a time, I contend.
It’s simply not healthy to be “on” all the time.
For at least of the holiday season, I believe, you need to turn off your social media mind for a few days or even a couple of weeks for the sake of your health, relationships, and state of mind.
Here are 7 benefits of taking Social Media Vacations:
You can spend precious time with loved ones, who you may not see enough.
When you’re absent from social media, you can become more fully present in your life. For instance, you’ll better enjoy your significant other, children, siblings, nieces and nephews, friends, etc. Plus, you’ll have more fun and be more open to new, exciting experiences.
When you’re not distracted by social media and you’re not overly focused on the kinds of and number of responses you get on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram or your blog, you can get clearer about your long-term goals.
When you’re inactive on social media, youi “fill yourself up” in a way that food can never do. Like a car, you need to refuel and put healing, rejuvenating “gas” into your tank.
By giving yourself what you need — necessary R & R — you can emerge with more energy, passion, and enthusiasm to share valuable information to your fans through social media.
You also can gain valuable perspective, insights, and ideas by turning off your social media brain.
Social Media Vacations, like regular vacations, are good for your health. For instance, when you take vacations — something most Americans don’t take enough — you’ll gain better focus and relieve stress..
Learn more here about how Social Media Breeaks can help you when your heart is breaking.
New to this Sugar Shock Blog?
Bestseller Beyond Sugar Shock BSBlog founder Connie Bennett is a bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock and Sugar Shock, which been praised by such acclaimed health gurus and celebrities as “America’s Favorite Doctor,” Dr. Mehmet Oz; as well as “Tthe Father of Motivation” Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Daniel Amen, Brian Tracy, Bernie Siegel, Marci Shimoff, John Assaraf, JJ Virgin, and Jimmy Moore. Connie’s sour-to-sweet story kicked into gear in 1998, when after reluctantlyly quitting sugar on doctor’s orders, all 44 of her baffling ailments vanished, including brain fog, heart palpitations, mood swings.
Now, 15 years later, the compassionate, self-mocking Connie is acclaimed as The Sweet Freedom Coach, and she has helped thousands of sugar and carb addicts worldwide discover that Life is Sweeter When Sugar Doesn’t Seduce You™. Connie is also an in-demand motivational speaker, a popular blogger (Sugar Shock Blog), a widely published journalist, a certified life coach, certified health coach, and tapping practitioner (now completing EFT training). Subscribe to this Sugar Shock Blog and like Connie on Facebook..
– See more at: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/#sthash.tvCR8MMx.dpuf.
Join the Conversation. Are you taking a Social Media Vacation this holiday season to become more energized, enthusiastic, and refreshed. Post your comment here.

Tired? Wiped Out? It’s Staycation Time (A Vacation at Home)

Are you exhausted? Burnt out from your work, financial stress and all the things you have to do?
If you’re short on funds or if you’re just not in the mood to leave town but still want to relax and chill out, it may be time for a staycation — i.e., a vacation at home.
Lately, lots of publications are touting the merits of a staycation.Consumer Reports and SuperEco give you tips to have a great one. And today’s Daily News even has some ideas.
A staycation is on my mind, because, after taking lots of time off earlier this summer, I’m taking a staycation this weekend.
Actually, more to the point, I have lots of homework to do for my life coach training and I want to be done with all the requirements before I get my certification as a CPC (Certified Professional Coach).
This weekend, I’m bicycling in the parks, going to fun events, catching a movie or two, hosting a Labor Day Meetup to see Madama Butterfly at Lincoln Center and doing lots of homework to wrap up my life coaching certification requirements from my training at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). (Great school. If you want to go there, tell them Connie recommended you.)
Want help to kick sugar, write or promote a book or find passion in your life? Grab me now at my pre-CPC rates. Learn more now about Coaching With Connie.