Dying To Ask

3 Ways To Wake Up Feeling Refreshed

Want to feel more refreshed when you wake up tomorrow? The secret lies in what you do today.

That's the conclusion of a sleep study that looked at the neurological reasons of why it's hard to wake up and why some people feel less energetic after the alarm goes off.

UC Berkeley researchers teamed up with European counterparts and analyzed sleep data from roughly 800 people.

They tracked how much participants exercised, ate and slept. They then monitored the participants' alertness when they woke up.

You can read the full study here.

The big conclusion? What you do today significantly impacts how you will feel when you get up tomorrow.

Raphael Vallat, the lead author of the study, is my guest this week.

Raphael will break down three basic things you can focus on to improve how you feel tomorrow morning.

In this Dying to Ask:

• How to figure out how much sleep you really need
• The best breakfast to eat today to wake up better tomorrow
• Why workouts impact sleep quality

This week's podcast recommendation: Listen here for "This Organized Life"

4 Ways To Make Fitness Habits Stick

Getting in shape is the number one New Year's resolution. But 80% of people have failed their goals by February because they haven't figured out how to make fitness habits stick.

Solidifying habits can be hard. But there are hacks putting actions and behaviors on autopilot.

Keystone habits are the things you do that you don't have to think about.

When fitness isn't on autopilot, New Year's health goals don't stand a chance.

Just do, don't think.

That's the advice from researchers at the University of Scranton. In a study called "The Resolution Solution," they studied when our New Year's goals lose steam. They confirmed eight out of 10 New Year's resolutions fall apart by February.

"The problem is that people have great intentions. They get started, but they don't really have a plan on how they're going to execute it is that why we tend to fall into that statistic of 80% of the people drop off by February," says personal trainer Ty Rendlich- Texidor.

This week, we're doing a deep dive with three experts who've made working out work for them.

You'll learn how they plan their week. Find out how to use Instagram as an accountability partner versus time suck. And, if you're a data geek? It might be time to go streaking.

On this "Dying to Ask":

• Sobering stats about how little willpower we have to follow through on fitness goals
• A planning technique that increases your probability of following through on a workout
• How KCRA 3 Meteorologist Tamara Berg finds self-motivation through selfies
• Why the best workout starts in your closet the night before
• Four ways to make 2023 the year you follow through on fitness goals

This week's podcast recommendation: Listen here for Ali on the Run.

Why You Need A Work Best Friend And How To Find One

Do you have a work best friend? New research says work besties are the key to professional and personal happiness.

The Gallup organization tracked workplace relationships (non-romantic) and found having a work best friend is good for morale and good for the bottom line. The research showed those relationships are good for employee engagement.

Having a work best friend is proven to raise morale, increase productivity and help with employee retention.

Most interesting, the need for strong work connections has gone up since the pandemic thanks to an increase in remote work and a decrease in worker satisfaction.

Bosses: want to hang onto your people and make them happier without spending money? Create a supportive environment that encourages colleagues to interact beyond the scope of their jobs.

Employees: want to enjoy the place you likely spend the bulk of your day? Find a friend and enjoy life on the job together by vesting in each other's personal and professional lives.

The research is so overwhelming that wellness writer Jancee Dunn included the importance of work friends in Day 5 of the NY Times Wells series, the "7 Day Happiness Challenge."

My KCRA 3 colleague and work bestie Edie Lambert joins me in this episode to explain how we forged a deep relationship despite the fact we've never worked in the same room at the same time.

And we'll offer a four-step plan on how to find a friend at work.

In this week's "Dying to Ask" podcast:

• Why workplace friendships are more important since the pandemic
• Four ways to get and be a work best friend

This week's podcast recommendation: Listen here for Ali on the Run

Go Ahead and Feast on Activity Snacks

Want an easy way to improve your health? Add an activity snack into every hour.

An activity snack is a short break where you get up and move. A "snack" as small as five minutes can have a big impact on how you feel and perform. And science has proven it.

Dr. Keith Diaz, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, conducted the study.

Dr. Diaz researched the harmful effects of sitting. Participants took part in "activity snacks," usually simply leaving a desk and walking for a few minutes.

You can read the results here.

Bottom line, moving is life-changing.

Move as little as five minutes and you will likely impact things like blood pressure, diabetes and mental health.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How we got to a point that we have to remind ourselves to get up and move.
• The unexpected business benefits to getting your people walking more.
• Come along on an activity snack with my friend and colleague, Eileen Javora

This week's podcast recommendation: Before Breakfast with Laura Vanderkam.

 

What Is Singular Focus And How To Get It

Want to be more productive? Stop multitasking and master the lost art of singular focus.

Singular focus is loosely defined as doing one thing at a time.

That might seem like a colossal waste of energy in a world where we wear busyness as a badge and treat spinning plates as an Olympic sport.

But research continues to show that multitasking isn't as effective as we think. And, it's harming our mental health by increasing stress and anxiety.

Constant interruptions to your attention are bad for business too in terms of lost productivity.

How you do one thing is how you do everything. And, if you can re-learn singular focus, you might find you have more time on your hands and more to show in general for your effort.

But it's surprisingly hard to do one thing at a time after years of doing 17 things at once. We're breaking it down into three steps you can implement today.

New this episode? Don't miss "what I'm listening to" at the end of the show for recommendations to other podcasts worth listening to.

On this Dying to Ask:

• What singular focus is and why worth mastering
• The big lesson I learned when I was forced into singular focus
• 3 ways to improve your focus

This week's podcast recommendation: 23 in 23 on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast

How Being Fired As A Class Mom Changed Laurie Gelman’s Life

Laurie Gelman got fired from a volunteer gig as a class mom. Then she wrote the best-selling book series "Class Mom" and wrote her personal next chapter as an author.

Chances are you've seen Laurie Gelman from time to time on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." Her husband Michael Gelman is the show's producer.

Gelman worked in TV as well as a news anchor, reporter and TV host. She left TV after the birth of her daughters and threw herself into raising kids and volunteering at their school.

An invitation to be the class mom led to firm advice from Live's host Kelly Ripa, who warned that the volunteer gig was to be avoided at all costs. Laurie ignored Kelly's advice and jumped into the job with enthusiasm and humor.

She infused sarcasm and humor into emails with parents to get their attention about school activities. It was a huge hit with parents until it wasn't. A mother complained about Laurie's approach and Laurie got fired as class mom. Yes, you can get fired from a volunteer school position.

"It was my agent who said, when I was complaining about getting fired as class mom, 'that's your book, you know.' That's and it just poured out of me. I didn't expect to write sequels. I didn't expect anything to come of it, because it took me three years to write it, and literally, nobody on this planet was waiting for a book from Laurie Gelman. It was a happy accident," Gelman said.

"Class Mom" is now a four-book series and tells the story of Jenn Dixon, who navigates parent politics with humor, as Laurie did in real life.

It's irreverent. It's well-written. And, it turned into a total midlife career pivot Laurie Gelman never saw coming.

On this week's Dying to Ask:

• The backstory on what it takes to get fired as a class mom
• How to see the humor in universal experiences like volunteering at your kids school
• What real-life class moms think of Laurie's books
• And what its been like for Laurie and her husband to raise their family behind the scenes on on-air of "Live with Kelly and Ryan"

How To Beat Jet Lag And Be A Better Human With Andrew Herr

Andrew Herr wants to make you a better human. A better performing human that is.

Herr is a human performance expert.

He claims he can get rid of 95% jet lag with protocols designed to optimize sleep, light exposure and what you eat and drink.

His most recent high-profile client? Team USA's men's soccer team and its performance at the World Cup indicates the guys are feeling good.

The U.S. Army has twice named Herr a "Mad Scientist" for his work in optimizing rest protocols for fighter pilots.

Among his early "lab rats?" Navy Seals.

Herr's early work with the military transitioned to an entrepreneurial effort called Fount.

Fount creates protocols and products to help you feel and perform your best.

FlyKitt is his most recent creation. The app-based program controls how you feel post-flying by dictating what you do before and during a flight.

But you don't have to be an elite athlete or a frequent flier to improve your daily performance. Herr's unique take on our "humanness" has takeaways for all of us.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How the Department of Defense found Andrew and what it asked him to do.
• How controlling inflammation is the key to feeling good and performing better.
• How Andrew made the entrepreneurial leap with Fount.
• The easiest lifestyle hacks you can make to feel better today.

Take The Holiday Gratitude Challenge

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

Join our holiday gratitude challenge. Commit to focusing on what you're grateful for every day from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.

Gratitude is an attitude. It's also the quickest way to improve your mental and physical health.

Science backs that up.

There is a lot of research that supports that being thankful can lower stress and improve your sense of well-being.

And it doesn't take long to start seeing results.

This week, we're taking a look at the power of a simple gratitude practice and encouraging you to join our Gratitude Challenge.

Try one of our three tips each day and see how the

In this Dying to Ask:

• A 30-second way to make gratitude a habit
• The gratitude hack that can stop your kids from fighting in the car
• And the two words that will keep you engaged in The Gratitude Challenge

3 Ways To Avoid Holiday Stress

'Tis the season to get stressed out. But, what if we made a game plan to thrive and not just survive the holidays?

This year, I'm treating the holidays like I would an endurance race.

I'm developing a strategy, making a plan, and I'm going to stick to it in order to get to the finish line.

That finish line? A less stressed holiday season that focuses on the meaning behind the season and being in the moment.

And, that could be tricky this year since all your holiday favorites (and not so favorites) are back after their pandemic hiatus.

In this episode, we'll identify three ways you can lower your stress level without missing out on holiday fun.

But the "work" starts now. We're frontloading the holiday chore list and making decisions about what we will and won't do right now.

The goal is to make being truly in the moment doable and allow you free time to be spontaneous with the people you care about.

In this Dying to Ask:

• 3 ways to reduce holiday stress
• How to put the "no" into November
• And a reality check on family traditions

The Ironman behind the 13 for 13 Heroes Mission

What's your "why?" Mark Goldman's "why" for being an Ironman is simple. "I can because they can't."

They are the 13 Americans the Ironman athlete competes in honor of in the 13 for 13 Heroes Mission.

Goldman said, "13 for 13 Heroes is simply a mission to complete 13 Ironman, full distance or half distance races in honor of each of the 13 service members who we lost on August 26th of withdrawing from Afghanistan after our 20-year presence there."

Goldman is a husband, father and businessman from Minneapolis. He's a recreational athlete who turned to Ironman racing to test his personal limits and improve his health.

The Ironman is a 140.6-mile endurance race featuring a 2.4-mile swim, 112 miles of cycling and a 26.2-mile run.

The explosion that took the lives of the 13 service members at the Kabul Airport made Goldman think his athletic efforts could bring attention to the sacrifice military families make.

Each of his races takes place near where one of the heroes grew up. Goldman races with an American flag tucked into his wetsuit, his bike jersey pocket and on a flag pole he carries while he runs the marathon.

Goldman's mission will be spread out over three years.

Race number 4 is Ironman Sacramento where Goldman will honor the life of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who grew up in Roseville.

Sherri Juels, Gee's aunt, will be at the race cheering Goldman on and will greet him at the finish line. Juels said, "It's just nice knowing that there are people like Mark who to crazy extent 140.6 miles to honor her is insane. I'm so honored by him doing this to keep her name alive."

In this Dying to Ask:

• The logistics of the 13 for 13 Heroes Mission
• Goldman's training secrets to stay fit and healthy to meet the goal
• How to train to run with a flag pole for 26.2 miles
• The role Goldman's personal health journey played in coming up with the idea
• How families of the 13 service members reacted to his plan
• How the experience has already changed him as a man and the surprising trait he says is heightened because of the mission