Speaker 1: 0:06

Greetings, greetings and welcome. Welcome back to the Sweet Spot. You're listening to Dr Derek Sweet and today is Finish Strong Friday, and on the Sweet Spot, you know, science meets the soul. All week long we've been doing a series here called Three for the Win, where on every single day this week we've taken three actions and we've tied them into a behavior or a pathway that gets us onto the winning side. Today is no different, on Finish Strong Friday, because we're going to close out the week with three powerful ways in which we can finish the week strong. We always start with a quote, and today is no different. I'd like to start with a quote from Vince Lombardi, who famously said the measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. I'd love to say that again the measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. So let's channel what we have to finish this week like champions. Let's dive right in. Here are three strategies to help you finish strong with the mind, body and spirit aligned. Remember, this is three for the win. So we went the mind, body and spirit aligned. Remember, this is three for the win. So we went with mind, body and spirit all week.

Speaker 1: 1:30

What can I do for my mind today? Well, I can reflect and refine. I can literally spend 10 minutes reviewing wins and challenges for me today. And when I spend those 10 minutes reviewing wins and challenges, I can take it a step further and I can think about one actionable step I can take, or one adjustment that I can make, based on what I see as my wins and what I can see as my challenges, and then what action or what adjustment or what actionable step I can take. Do you know that when you do this simple exercise, literally you are activating the prefrontal cortex of your brain, which is responsible for strategic thinking and planning, and you're putting it into use?

Speaker 1: 2:23

The second, the very second thing you can do is activate the energy for your body. Don't sit around waiting for a burst of energy when you feel fatigued at the end of the week, like this. Sometimes that happens. A purposeful movement can reignite your focus. Yes, the message can come from your body back to your mind. Focus yes, the message can come from your body back to your mind. Studies in exercise science are now showing that even a five to ten minute burst of physical activity when you don't feel like it, such as doing some jumping jacks, a brisk walk or some dynamic stretching can actually increase blood flow to your brain and enhance your cognitive clarity and get this boost your mood. So you don't have to be in a good mood to do the movement. The movement puts you into a good mood because the movement signals your body to shift out of lethargy into a state of readiness.

Speaker 1: 3:19

Wow, okay, this is three for the win. We did something for the mind, which was to reflect and refine. We just talked about something for the body, which is to activate your energy, and now let's embrace the spirit. What are we going to do for the spirit? This is three for the win.

Speaker 1: 3:36

Well, I want to just quote scripture. It says in the scripture peace I leave with you, my peace I give you the scripture. Peace I leave with you my peace, I give you. Finding that peace, my friend, is the key for the spirit this week. Finding peace at the end of your week isn't just about relaxation. It's about grounding yourself in calm and clarity.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Science literally says this that if you practice things like deep breathing or mindfulness meditation, you not only feel better, you lower cortisol, the stress hormone, in your body, and lower cortisol levels really allow another kind of a nervous system, and you call it the parasympathetic nervous system. It's called the rest and digest nervous system. It helps that nervous system to become more active and help you recover from stress. Who knew that engaging in the spiritual practice of finding peace literally had a physiological correlate for your body to reduce the levels of cortisol and to activate your parasympathetic nervous system? Whoa, a bit complicated, but you know what I leave you with this? Peace is all you got to do. Look for it.

Speaker 1: 4:59

John 14, 27, in the word, says peace. I leave with you. The word also says that peace surpasses understanding. Look, practice peace, man. Don't be so mad, don't be so angry, don't be so stressed out. Choose peace, all right. So there you have it, my friend.

Speaker 1: 5:17

It's finished strong Friday and I'm giving you all the keys. So, one reflection for your mind, two movement for your body and three peace for your spirit. These three strategies, my friends, are the keys to finishing your week with strength and grace. So, beautiful souls, remember how you finish one week sets the tone for how you start the next. Okay, now, if you've enjoyed this episode, please, please, don't hesitate to follow me on Twitter or YouTube or LinkedIn. I'm on threads now. So if you want more inspiration, you want more insights and you want connection and you want to share, maybe you want to tell me something about how you finished strong this Friday, or maybe how you took action on Tuesday or made a move on Monday. Maybe you won it all on Wednesday or you really trusted yourself on Thursday. You want to share something with me? Let me know and I'll happily tell your story next week, okay, okay, now this is Dr Derek Sweet. Please be blessed. Until next time, stay wise, stay winning and take care of yourselves. My friends, see you tomorrow for Self-Care, saturday. Thank you.