Sage Solutions
Advice and insight about personal growth, personal development, and becoming your best self.
Sage Solutions
Priming & Hydration: 2 Tools to Supercharge Your Life
Unlock the secrets to charging up your day with positivity and peak performance by exploring the science-backed strategies of priming and hydration. Ever wondered how a simple shift in your morning routine could transform your entire day? Join me, David Sage, as we explore how priming, a technique that involves setting your mental and emotional state, can profoundly influence your mindset and social perceptions. From Tony Robbins' insights to fascinating studies on how physical sensations can alter our judgments, find out how to harness techniques like visualization, affirmations, movement, and gratitude to shape your reality and set a powerful tone for success.
Beyond mindset transformation, uncover the critical role of hydration in maintaining peak physical and mental performance. Despite its obvious benefits, many overlook how staying adequately hydrated can optimize energy and focus. With practical tips to incorporate these tools into your routine, this episode empowers you to enhance your life one sip at a time. Tune into the Sage Solutions Podcast and take a bold step towards becoming your best self with these transformative strategies.
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The Sage Solutions Podcast and content posted by David Sage is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. No coaching client relationship is formed by listening to this podcast. No Legal, Medical or Financial advice is being given. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a psychotherapist, physician, professional coach, Lawyer or other qualified professional. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. The opinions of guests are their own and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the podcast.
Welcome to the Sage Solutions Podcast, where we talk about all things personal growth, personal development and becoming your best self. My name is David Sage and I am a self-worth and confidence coach with Sage Coaching Solutions. I'm excited to be here with you guys today as we dive into two different but powerful tools that you can start using today to supercharge your day Priming and hydration. We're talking about taking your energy, focus and overall well-being to the next level. These aren't just trendy buzzwords. They're backed by science and proven to make a real difference. But before we get into it, our goal with this podcast is to share free, helpful tools with you and anyone you know who is looking to improve their life. So take action, subscribe and share this podcast with them.
Speaker 1:First up, let's talk about priming. Now, when I say priming, I understand that priming has several different meanings, but I'm talking about the kind of priming that is often referred to by Tony Robbins Consciously shaping your mental and emotional state to perform at your best. Shaping your mental and emotional state to perform at your best. Priming yourself at the beginning of the day to have a great rest of your day. As Tony says, emotions are created by motion. Priming is about deliberately choosing the emotions you want to experience and then taking action to create them. Think about it how you start your day often sets the tone for everything that follows. If you wake up feeling stressed and rushed, that negativity can easily carry over into your work, your relationship and your overall mood. Priming helps you flip the script, and there's research to back this up.
Speaker 1:Studies have shown that priming can influence everything from our problem-solving abilities to our creativity. For example, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that participants who were primed with positive words performed better on creative tasks. Another study published in Psychological Science showed that priming with power-related concepts can increase feelings of confidence and assertiveness. And to bring this trifecta of studies to a close, a study published in the Journal of Science by Williams and Barg in 2008 demonstrated another fascinating example of priming. It showed how physical sensations can influence our judgments. Think about holding a hot cup of coffee versus an ice-cold cup of coffee. It might seem trivial, but even that simple sensation can subtly influence our perceptions of others. Participants in the study briefly held either a hot or an iced cup of coffee and then read a description of a hypothetical person. Those who held the hot coffee tended to rate that person as warmer, friendlier and more generous, while those who held the iced coffee rated the person as colder, closed off and less friendly. This shows how even a brief, seemingly unrelated physical experience can prime our social judgments.
Speaker 1:So how do you actually do it? Well, there are many ways to prime yourself, including mentally, verbally and physically. Some popular techniques used include visualization Spending a few minutes visualizing your goals and how you'll achieve them. Feel the emotions of success as if it's already happened or happening in that moment.
Speaker 1:Affirmations Repeat positive statements about yourself and your abilities. Focus on what you want to become, not what you currently are. These affirmations have to be realistic and in the present tense, I like to say I am becoming more confident. Until I feel comfortable enough that I can believe saying I am confident. If I don't feel that I'm confident and I say I am confident, my brain is going to reject that, but I can always say I am becoming more confident. Even a 1% increase is becoming more confident.
Speaker 1:Another common one is movement Engage in some form of physical activity, even if it's just a quick walk or some stretching. Movement helps shift your physiology and create positive emotions. And lastly, gratitude Take a few moments to appreciate the good things in your life. Focusing on gratitude can shift your perspective and create feelings of joy and contentment. Other examples include doing things that you enjoy or thinking about positive things. The forward momentum that those give you towards the rest of your day can have a compounding impact on your entire experience. In a way, priming subconsciously helps shape your perspective of reality.
Speaker 1:Now let's move on to our second supercharging tool hydration. This might seem obvious, but so many of us walk around chronically dehydrated and it's impacting our performance more than we realize. 60% of your body is made up of water. Our brain and heart are both composed of about 73% water and our lungs are like 83% water Heck, even our bones are watery at 31% water. Water is one of our base human needs. Without it, we literally die.
Speaker 1:As Dr Andrew Huberman often emphasizes, hydration is not about drinking water. It's about optimizing cellular function, and he's right. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, decreased cognitive function and even mood swings. Research has consistently demonstrated the link between hydration and cognitive performance. A study published in Nutrients found that even mild dehydration can impair attention, memory and executive function. But how much water should you actually be drinking?
Speaker 1:That's where the Galpin equation developed by Professor Andy Galpin comes in handy. It's a great starting point for figuring out your individual hydration needs. The basic equation is your body weight in pounds divided by two, plus any amount of ounces of water lost during exercise equals the daily water intake in ounces. For that last part, about ounces of water lost during exercise, you can always look up roughly how much water is lost during the amount of exercise that you did to factor it in. But the biggest part of the equation is the first part Body weight in pounds divided by two equals ounces you should drink. Remember this is just a starting point. Factors like climate if other things had you sweating that day and of course, your non-exercise activity level all play a part. Individual physiology can also influence your hydration needs. This is just an average and the best starting benchmark that there is.
Speaker 1:Pay attention to your body's signals. If you're feeling thirsty, you're already slightly dehydrated. Now, this isn't a nutrition podcast, and hydration isn't always as easy as just drink more water. There are many factors when it comes to water. Generally speaking, filtered water is better than tap water because of well-documented contaminants in tap water, but that doesn't mean that drinking any tap water is going to kill you. Another thing that's often talked about in water is the pH of water. Now, it's well documented that drinking alkaline water does not actually change the pH of your body. However, there is some evidence that alkaline water is more easily absorbed by your body. Another factor when it comes to hydration is the temperature of your water. Room temperature water, or even a little bit warmer, is more easily absorbed by the body, because the water that you drink can only get absorbed once it comes to a close enough temperature to the rest of your body. This means that you have to actually spend small amounts of energy heating up the water before you can absorb it. Hence why some people consider drinking ice cold water a weight loss hack. But let's not get into that. Frankly, both of these factors are really small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, and they both come into play more for high-level athletes that need to get their hydration as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, there is one factor that you should probably take into account when it comes to water Don't try and get all of your water in one sitting to meet your needs.
Speaker 1:Your body can only absorb so much water at a time. If you drink way too much of your water in one sitting, you're going to end up peeing a ton of it out without it actually being that beneficial For the chunk of the day that you didn't drink all of that water. You're going to be dehydrated. So the best way to keep yourself hydrated is to spread your water out and drink smaller sips regularly over time. This is why keeping a water bottle with you is one of the most beneficial things you can do. When we talked about habits and taking action and motivation and discipline, we talked about friction. If you have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get to water, you are much less likely to drink that water. But if the water's right there in front of you, likely to drink that water. But if the water's right there in front of you, it's so much easier to stay hydrated.
Speaker 1:The last thing that you can do to help increase your hydration is utilizing electrolytes. Electrolytes can both increase the absorption rate of water and they can help you retain and utilize more water. Your electrolyte balances, along with your hydration, have many different effects on your body, including how your muscles work and effects on your blood pressure. Electrolytes include sodium, potassium, magnesium and a series of other elements. You can always use something like liquid IV or element to enhance your water's absorption and utilization. So here's how to implement these two tools.
Speaker 1:Start your day with a priming routine. Even just five minutes of visualization or affirmations can make a huge difference. Gratitude is often an incredibly powerful tool for this as well, since we know that priming is a thing we can focus on our locus and take control of our conscious perspective to help put ourselves in a good mood and prime ourselves to have a productive, successful and positive day. So starting the day by filling up your inner cup is always a great idea. Then, throughout the day, prioritize hydration. And actually let me take a step back here. One of the very first things you should do when you wake up is drink a big glass of water, because, remember, you haven't been drinking water at all throughout the night as you've been sleeping, so everyone wakes up dehydrated. Now back to prioritizing hydration throughout the day. Carry a water bottle with you and aim to drink consistently. Use the Galpin equation as a guide, but also listen to your body.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to admit here I am naturally pretty terrible at this second tool. I tend to forget to drink water. I know that there is a link between ADHD and being terrible at drinking water, and that may be a part of the cause. But frankly, I'm just being open here. I am naturally not good at drinking water and for me one of the things that has made a huge difference is not just having a water bottle, but actually having a water bottle with a strap. Now I have a tendency to get distracted and leave things places, and when I've tried to do water bottles in the past, I often left them places and then I wouldn't have them and then they weren't helping or serving a purpose. So they would help me for like a day or a part of a day or two days, and then I would be kind of screwed and it was costly to replace them and I'd have to go try and drive and find them. It wasn't great For me. Having a water bottle with a strap that I can just sling over my shoulder so that I don't always have to carry it in my hand has been a game changer. I was surprised by how much of a difference this has made, but ever since I started doing it, I drank way more water, because having that water bottle with me throughout the day decreases that friction by combining the power of priming.
Speaker 1:With optimal hydration, you're setting yourself up for success. You'll have more energy, better focus and a more positive outlook. These two simple tools can truly supercharge your day. Well, that's it for today's episode of the Sage Solutions podcast. I hope you found these tools helpful and remember you are enough and you deserve to fill up your inner cup with happiness, confidence and self-compassion. Thank you for listening to the Sage Solutions podcast. Your time is valuable and I'm so glad you choose to learn and grow here with me. If you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on more sage advice. One last thing the legal language. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. No coaching client relationship is formed. It is not intended as a substitute for the personalized advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional.