Have you started to pay more attention to your sleep schedule yet? Have you started a nightly regimen to get to bed early? Are you getting the recommended seven to nine hours? I hope you listened hard last week when we talked about the importance of getting your rest. Getting plenty of rest keeps you sharp and like Sandy said, "I was young and didn’t understand how a lack of sleep could potentially jeopardize my success."

When we’re tired we feel lethargic and move slowly. When we feel this way we make bad choices. We eat and drink carbohydrates, sugar, and preservative-filled things. I say things, because most of what we eat when feeling like this is not considered food. We all know those things ... candy bars, energy drinks, sodas, chips, and other snacks. These things provide a temporary high, but they also provide a big crash later.

Eating right can also affect our day. How many of us take the time to plan our meals and snacks for the day? This is something we would have to dedicate time to do, but the results can be tremendous. Think of how different our day would be if we were prepared with good foods to eat. Foods that provide us with energy from natural sugars and protein. We would not have those dramatic highs and lows throughout the day.

Think about it: When we’re booked solid, we barely have time to a make a decision of what we want to eat. Many of us don’t eat for many hours or we don’t eat at all because we don’t have the time to run and get it. How many of us scarf down lunch over the sink while our client is soaking in the pedicure chair? Sometimes we only have 5-10 minutes to eat and half of that time is ordering it. When we don’t have time to make good choices, we tend to chose whatever is quick and easy and it’s usually not the best choice.

Begin planning the day before getting to work. Plan for those booked days when we won’t have time for takeout. Again, this will take a little time, but I promise you’ll start feeling better and start performing with endurance. Make a grocery list of items you like. Buy fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, whole grain crackers, etc. Many of these items come packaged in single serving sizes. You can also make single servings yourself with small containers or bags. Pack your lunch with a variety of items so you can grab snacks in between clients.

Start your day with eating a carbohydrate and protein breakfast. A sugary Pop-Tart is not breakfast. We have heard it before, but eating breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It jump-starts our metabolism and gets our body fueled up for the day. Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day to keep your body burning calories and giving it energy. Eating protein will make you feel full for longer periods of time. I pack my lunch bag with a sensible meal and a few snacks to get me through the day. I no longer have those lulls in my day when I feel wired and then tired.

I’m not a nutritionist or a diet guru; this is just some of my experiences. When consulting/traveling, I talk to many nail techs. I hear a lot of the same issues. "I have no time to eat, I’m tired and exhausted!"  Eating right is something that has dramatically changed my game. I hope you will take your health into consideration. It will help you to have longevity in this business.

Treat yourself to a new lunch bag; there are so many cute totes out there. Pack your lunch — you’ll pack your day full of energy and you’ll see how packed your books will be. Taking care of you — one more way to help you stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

— Jill