Are you finding difficulty in being productive? Wellness expert Dr Palmer Hussey reveals six ways to boost your wellbeing to finally get you out of your productivity slump.
We all know that nurturing our wellbeing, prioritising our health and finding time to unwind are crucial to becoming our most productive, happiest selves; both in and outside of the workplace. But what are the everyday steps we can take to boost our wellbeing, for winter and beyond?
Here we speak to Dr. Sara Palmer Hussey for her expert advice. Dr Palmer Hussey is a wellness expert, PhD research scientist and founder of , a nutrient-rich range of supplements and skincare products that aim to stimulate the body’s defenses for sustained wellbeing.
Why Wellbeing?
“Now that we’re more aware of how we can effectively improve our wellbeing, more and more women are feeling empowered to invest in their own wellness tool kit,” Dr. Palmer Hussey tells AllBright. “Women are taking on more responsibility and accountability for their own health, which is really empowering.
“To me, wellbeing means enjoying a sense of peace. Peace in the body because of strong physical health, peace in the mind because of inner calm, and peace in the spirit because of love, gratitude and contentment,” she continues.
After a year that took a toll on both the physical and mental health of many, Dr. Palmer Hussey thinks there could be light in some of the darkness that the pandemic has bought about. “Last year offered many of us a new clarity and perspective on what is important to us in life,” she explains. “As our freedom to travel and socialise was curtailed, we discovered the joy of a slower pace.”
Read on for Dr Palmer Hussey’s six key pieces of advice for boosting our wellbeing.
1. Kickstart Your Productivity
Your productivity levels throughout the day can be influenced by a wide range of factors, from your emotional balance to your energy and endurance. Dr. Palmer Hussey shares the key nutritional touch points that can help you hit your optimum levels of productivity.
“There are a number of key nutrients that can help you maintain high vitality, a strong metabolism and the reduction of fatigue, as well as supporting a strong nervous system and psychological function,” she tells us. “These are Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Biotin, Vitamin C and Iron.
“Pantothenic Acid can also be helpful for mental performance, while Zinc and Iron support cognitive function, which is our ability to learn, think, reason, remember, solve problems, make decisions and concentrate.”
Outside of nourishing our bodies with the right nutrients and vitamins, Dr. Palmer Hussey champions the power of physical exercise and mindful meditation, which can help improve focus and energy levels and, in turn, productivity.
2. Improve Sleep
In our daily cycle, sleep is the period that allows our bodies to repair and regenerate, which is vital for our overall health. “Modern day stress and high levels of cortisol (our stress hormone) frequently disrupt sleep,” Dr. Palmer Hussey shares. “There are a number of evidence-based techniques we can employ to encourage the best possible night's sleep, such as reducing our exposure to blue light in the evenings, not eating or exercising excessively before bedtime, keeping to a regular evening routine and winding down before bed with activities including meditation or reading.”
Dr. Palmer Hussey adds that while we sleep, our bodies release a high level of the human growth hormone (HGH), which is responsible for repair and regeneration. It also has numerous other benefits, from boosting our immunity to improving cognitive function. “The release of HGH can be inhibited by stress and there is a natural decline of HGH in the body from our 30s onwards, so it can be a good idea to support its production,” Dr Palmer Hussey explains. “Three amino acids (l-arginine, l-lysine and l-glutamine) have been found to naturally increase the body's own release of HGH to more youthful levels, thus enhancing the reparative qualities of a good night's sleep.”
3. Relieve Stress
It’s something we all encounter in some shape or form in our lives, and excessive stress really can have a detrimental impact on our wellness. Dr. Palmer Hussey explains why our body’s natural reaction to stress is heavily mirrored to our instinctual approach to danger. “Stress activates our fight-or-flight response,” she says. “This is an ancient biological response that ensured our survival when faced by physical threats in our environment. During the stress response, resources for highly demanding metabolic processes, such as digestion and immune function, are diverted to rapid breathing, blood flow, mental alertness and muscle use to effectively deal with the danger.”
When it comes to stress, Dr. Palmer Hussey is a big believer in balancing it out with an extended focus on ways to stimulate your wellbeing. “An individual’s ability to cope with stress and swiftly return to a state of equilibrium is an important factor in the effect of stress on the body,” she explains. “Knowing what healthy activities to turn to in order to counterbalance stress is crucial for our physical and mental health.” Some of her suggestions? Try physical exercise, meditation, connecting with others and embracing nature; the list is endless. “Basically, whatever works for you,” she adds. “It’s all about stimulating the relaxation response and getting your feel-good hormones circulating.”
4. Nurture The Aging Process
According to Dr. Palmer Hussey, the key to supporting our bodies as we age is all in our understanding of the process and targeting specific areas that need some extra TLC.
“Reducing the amount of sugar we consume is a good place to start. Sugar fuels glycation, inflammation and insulin resistance - all processes involved in ageing,” she shares. “Nutrient deficiencies in the body can leave us vulnerable to disease and accelerated ageing, highlighting the need to prioritise nutritious food and good quality supplements.”
As well as what we put into our bodies, Dr. Palmer Hussey champions getting to know what triggers anxiety, disrupted sleep and other negative feelings, helping us to become better at understanding how to balance these stresses to better our wellbeing. “It’s also important to note that some stress can be stimulating to our health as we grow older,” Dr. Palmer Hussey adds. “Challenging ourselves with new experiences or exposing ourselves to some forms of physical stress, such as intense bouts of exercise, cold showers or saunas, can boost our health, youthfulness and wellbeing.”
5. Increase Happiness
We all strive for happiness, but as Dr. Palmer Hussey points out, it isn’t always found in the places we expect. As humans, we focus on our ‘lack’, whether that be lack of money, love, freedom or purpose, which if we then obtain, very rarely boosts our overall happiness for long. So how can long-lasting, tangible happiness can be achieved?
“Happiness depends more upon our focus and perception than any external factors. Studies show that meditative practices, such as mindfulness and gratitude, can help to shift our perception from lack to abundance and, therefore, from unhappiness to happiness,” she notes. “Once we learn to appreciate what we have and what we can experience daily, from relationships with significant others to simple pleasures such as a walk in nature, we can experience a more permanent state of wellbeing.”
6. Boost Immunity
What can we do to help boost our immune system?
“If we are deficient in any of the nutrients that our body needs to produce an efficient and effective immune response, then we are likely to be more vulnerable to diseases and viruses,” Dr Palmer Hussey says. “In the UK in winter, for example, it is very difficult to keep our intake of vitamin D at optimal levels because of the lack of exposure to sun, so taking a good quality vitamin D3 (the natural form of vitamin D that your body creates from sunlight) supplement is a healthy choice.”
“Other nutrients that can boost our immune system include zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, iron, vitamin B6, B12 and selenium. All of these are contained in Lumity and our new Power On booster, especially formulated for those times when we need a bit of extra support, such as flu season.”