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There are times when every guy feels like he's in a slump. Often, a routine that's gone stale is to blame.
Relieving monotony does not require major life adjustments. Frequently, all that's needed are a few minor tweaks to your daily or weekly routine to really make a difference and pick up your mood. Here, we give you our top 10 easy-to-implement ways to refresh your routine and renew your zest for life.
Carry a Water Bottle
Too many of us don't drink enough water throughout the day. Staying hydrated is of supreme importance, however, as it helps your body function more efficiently, your skin appear clearer and brighter and your mind feel revitalized. To increase your intake of H2O, invest in a stainless steel water bottle and carry it around with you throughout the day. Look for a bottle that can hold 750 ml of fluid so that you'll only have to refill it once during the day to meet your body's water requirements.
Get Up Early
Rather than starting your morning with your usual frantic rush, set your clock back an hour earlier and use this time to engage in a productive task followed by an enjoyable one. For example, begin with a chore like tidying up your pad for 15 minutes. Don't worry if you don't finish it -- the point isn't to spring clean your place from top to bottom. Then, reward yourself for your effort by using the rest of the hour to relax by reading the newspaper over coffee, catching up on politics or learning more about whatever interests you. Remember, however, to go to bed an hour earlier than usual to ensure you're getting enough sleep.
Pick Out Your Outfits the Night Before
Picking out your clothes the night before has two benefits in terms of refreshing your routine: 1) It makes your morning a little less stressful as you won't have to stand in front of your closet wondering what to wear or whether you have time to iron your favorite dress shirt; and, 2) Selecting your ensembles in the evening means you'll have more time to put a bit of thought into what you'll wear, which will translate into a more pulled-together, stylish look.
Pick Out a New Scent
Spritzing on a new scent is a surefire way to make you feel more invigorated, confident and sexier. And because women use smell as a way to determine your level of attractiveness as a mate, swapping your regular cologne for an alternative that blends well with your body chemistry may result in an exponential increase in the attention you receive from the opposite sex. Just remember that during the day, you don't want your scent to be overpowering, so try one that's light and clean but still allows your natural scent to come through. A good one to try is anything from Lacoste's range.
Unplug at Lunch
Recent research suggests that constantly being bombarded with stimulation in the form of e-mails, tweets and the like can take its toll on your brain, leaving you fatigued, impeding the learning of new skills and consolidation of new information. To reset your mind, unplug completely at lunchtime. Yes, that means turning off your phone, too. If you're able to, head to a park or any place with greenery to feel calmer and you'll return to work with more energy.
Schedule Your Saturday Plans Mid-Week
Particularly when your routine is in a rut, midweek blahs can be a huge downer. To give yourself something to look forward to and shake up your schedule, start planning for Saturday on Wednesday. That way, when the weekend rolls around, you're guaranteed to be doing something fun rather than being stuck at home feeling bored and defaulting to your usual habits.
Turn Off Your Gadgets an Hour Before Bed
As we all know, television and the internet are incredibly engaging and stimulating. When you entertain yourself with these devices right before bedtime, however, you may be interrupting the release of neurotransmitters that signal your body that it's time to sleep. Quality shut-eye is important for clear-thinking, high energy levels and a good sex life. To refresh your nighttime routine, pledge to shut down all your electronics an hour before you want to hit the hay and pick up a book during that hour instead.
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Eat Less, More Often
Altering the way you eat can have a dramatic effect on your body and mind. For starters, you'll feel more full but your caloric intake will be the same or less than usual. What's more, your metabolism will stay stoked at an elevated level continuously throughout the day, which means you'll be burning more calories. You'll also feel more lively and your insulin levels will remain at a more constant level, so you'll be less likely to reach for junk food snacks that pack on pounds. Try eating moderately sized portions of food every two and a half hours, five times a day.
Have Sex Outside the Bedroom
A big part of what makes sex with a new partner exciting is novelty. Whether or not you're coupled up, however, you can use this knowledge to make your sex life more exciting. Having sex in a location other than your bedroom, for example, will provide a new sensory experience and help you discover hot new positions.
Work Out in the Morning
If you're not already doing it, the No. 1 way to refresh your routine is to set your alarm clock an hour early and sneak in a cardio session. Working out in the a.m. will jump-start your system, boosting your endorphin levels so that you'll feel amazing all morning long. You'll also burn fat more efficiently at this hour, resulting in a better-looking body in the long run. Finally, having all those feel good chemicals circulating in your brain will make it easier to cope with stress once you get to work.
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