Oh my goodness, ya’ll – this summer break has flown by!  We’re heading back to school next week here, ready or not.   How are ya’ll feeling?  Your little people have been home for the summer, and you’ve been so busy trying to keep them fed AND entertained. . . that is a full-time job!  Mix in playing referee, short-order cook, vacation planner, and back-to-school preparation CEO, and summer isn’t so easy breezy anymore.  Making sure everyone is happy, healthy, and ready for what comes next is definitely stressful.

So – have you been able to really enjoy this summer?  Have you invested in any self care?  Going back to school will bring its own kind of stress, but it will also bring routines back into most of our lives.  I’m a firm believer that we all function better on a schedule – littles AND grownups.  Please make sure you utilize that to your advantage in scheduling some self care things!  

You can go ahead and prepare for this!  I’m sure you already know when your child’s school day begins and ends, and whether you will be taking and picking them up from school or a bus stop.  Even if they will be involved in fall sports (before you know practice and games schedules), you can add yourself into the daily routine.

1. Workouts:  Really look at your daily schedule.  I promise you will be able to carve out at least 30 minutes three or four days each week to get in a workout.  If there’s no time or room in your budget for a gym membership, work out at home.  You can get incredible results, I promise!  The location doesn’t matter – your consistency does.  Even if you wake up 30 minutes earlier each day, consistently, you will successfully achieve your goals.

2. Nutrition:  Will you be making lunches for your children to take to school?  Why not go ahead and make yours?!  Pick one day that is the least busy for you, or even a couple of days with a couple of “down time” hours.  Plan a menu for the week, make a grocery list, then get your grocery shopping done.  Remember, any time you spend waiting in a car rider pick-up line or sitting at a sports team practice is perfect for building an online grocery order.  You can then just swing by the store and pick your groceries up from the parking lot!  You’ll need one afternoon or evening to prepare meals ahead.  Find a good cookbook or use Pinterest for inspiration and planning.  Once your meals are done, portion them out into individual grab-and-go containers to store in your refrigerator.

3. Show Yourself Some Love:  Find what relaxes you and what helps you unwind.  Plug in time for some yoga.  Plan a massage.  Read a book.  Have a relaxing soak in your tub.  Plan regular date nights with your spouse.  Plan a game night and/or movie night with your entire family.  Schedule those pesky medical appointments (dental cleanings, mammograms, physicals).  While these things in particular induce stress, you’ll feel so much better when they’re checked off of your to-do list!  And, if there’s something that has seemed off (fatigue, headaches, etc.) but you’ve just not taken time to deal with it – you’ll likely get answers and a plan.  Investing in yourself will make you feel better.

4. Sleep:  Far too many people underestimate how important adequate rest is.  Your overall health is directly impacted by the amount of quality sleep you get each night.  Healthy, sustained weight loss and/or maintenance is much more successful with adequate rest; conversely, any weight loss and/or muscle building plan is sabotaged by inadequate sleep.   Getting enough rest is crucial for balancing hormones, strengthening your immune system, recovery from illness and injury, and managing stress. Make sure you plug in a bedtime routine for yourself, just like you do or did for your kids.  

Being a great wife and mom has to include taking care of yourself!  If you’re not feeling well or stressed out, you cannot give your best to your family.  Your loved ones are depending on you, so think of anything you do for your own health and emotional or mental well-being as an investment for them.  And, honestly, you’ll enjoy your time with them so much more if you’re happy and healthy!  You cannot pour from an empty cup!

Isn’t it crazy how fast this summer break has gone by?  This entire year, for that matter?!  Have you reached our goals yet?  If you haven’t, why not?  Did you set any goals for yourself?  If you didn’t, why not?  Are you better / healthier than you were in January?  If you aren’t, wouldn’t that be a fantastic goal?

Here’s the thing  – in order to make sustainable changes, a 14-day or 30-day diet simply will not be effective.   Any kind of life-altering change requires overall lifestyle changes.  Bad habits need to be broken, and new, healthy habits need to be formed.   This is the reality, so how bad do you really want that healthier life?  Are you already feeling defeated because you think you just cannot make these changes?  Are you worried about what you’ll be giving up more than what you’ll be gaining?  If so, I can promise your focus is in the wrong place.  We are Divinely designed, friends!  Our Heavenly Father created every cell in our bodies and gave us all we need to live healthy, purpose-filled lives.  The Bible tells us that with God, all things are possible.  So – let’s look at this one more time in a different light. . . you might doubt your own ability and your own strength, but don’t ever doubt Him!  

So, let’s start over.  You CAN begin this new school year and upcoming fall season with brand new goals, and make spectacular progress by Christmas.  You’ll need a pen and your journal, or some paper.  (If you haven’t started a journal, this is the perfect time!)  Yes – right now.  Stop reading; get the pen and paper.

• Goals:  First, write down any and all goals you want to meet.  These can be big goals and/or smaller, more short-term goals.  These can be physical, health, aesthetic, spiritual, – all of the above!  Add time frames for these goals.

• Obstacles: Secondly, write down any and all obstacles – anything that you believe has prevented you from achieving your goals in the past, and anything you believe that may be a problem for you in the near future.  

• Now for the hardest part – review your goals, then review the obstacles.  Honestly evaluate each goal, and each obstacle.  Are the goals you listed realistic?  Are the obstacles you listed true obstacles or excuses?  Obstacles can be met with solutions, and excuses need to be thrown away.  

• Be honest with yourself, and realistic in your expectations.  If your health is in a decline, and you’ve gained a considerable amount of weight over the past year or two, it’s unfair to expect major changes to occur quickly.  Healthy, sustainable weight loss takes time.  

Now it’s time to put it all together!  Tweak your goals if you found that they might have been unrealistic or overly optimistic.  Set yourself up for success!  For example, if you want to drop 50 to 75 pounds, make that your long-term goal, 9 (9) to 12 months.  Then set smaller goals – 12 pounds in 30 days, or drinking 1 gallon of water a day for 30 days.  Achieving smaller goals on your journey to that long-term goal is incredibly motivating, and decreases the amount you have to lose for that overall goal.  Write these down in a journal, and in your calendar.  

Next up – obstacles!  Hopefully you’ve already crossed off the things that are actually excuses.  Obstacles can be overcome or at least worked around.  If time is an issue, especially time where childcare is concerned – maybe working out at home before everyone wakes up is your solution.  You will see great benefits and results from just 30 minutes three (3) or (4) days a week.  Is proper nutrition and meal planning an obstacle?  Use Instacart or order your groceries online to pick up on your way home.  Utilize a slow cooker to prepare meals, at least your protein sources, that won’t require you to stand over the stove.  Purchase produce that’s already chopped and ready to cook.  These little steps can help you make the best use of your time and still prepare healthy meals for yourself and your family.  

Please keep in mind that non-scale victories are MORE important than the number on the scale.  How your clothes fit, increased energy levels, increased strength and stamina, improved mobility, etc., are successes!  

Now you have your homework – get started before your kids go back to school so you’ll have a plan in place.  You’ll be way ahead of the game and ready to tackle the busy season of Fall while crushing your goals!!  

Life can certainly throw some surprises at us!  We’ve all been caught off guard by health issues, family crises, home and vehicle repair needs, etc.  Such a WIDE range of things!  Most of us have our heating and air systems serviced to keep things running as smoothly as possible, and we keep our vehicles serviced (oil changes, tune ups) to keep them running as smoothly as possible to prolong the life of our cars.  In keeping with this proactive thinking, why not be proactive with your health and overall wellness?!   A lot of you may already have healthy habits in place.  If you don’t, what are you waiting for?!  The Covid pandemic took the world by surprise, and certainly put our health and wellness front and center.  If your health and wellness is already a priority, you have a little less to worry about.

Making your health a priority is NOT being selfish; in fact, it’s an investment in your loved ones.  Why wait until some illness or injury occurs to re-act?  Much like keeping your cars maintained, being proactive with your personal health is a very wise choice!  There will always be things out of our control; however, there are things we can do to prolong a healthy lifestyle!  These are:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Avoid fad, trendy diets, and embrace a healthy lifestyle!
  • Cut out processed sugars, enriched breads, and sodas

• Decrease the amount of dairy you consume

• Increase movement!  Dance, walk, run, lift weights, stretch, etc.  

• Instilling “anti-aging” habits
  • Include a quality multivitamin in your daily routine

• Add a quality probiotic, and Omega 3’s into your daily routine

• Make getting enough rest a priority

• Avoid tobacco or vaping products

• Limit the amount of alcoholic beverages you consume

• Use sunscreen, and apply a quality quality lotion after each shower

• Improving and strengthening your immune system
  • Remember the quality multivitamin?  Make sure you’re getting enough Vitamins B, C, and D!

• Quality sleep is important here, as well. 

• Avoid sugar!  There are various forms of sugar hidden in most of our foods (including spaghetti sauce and alcoholic beverages).  If you cannot cut sugar from your diet, at least limit it.  Sugar literally suppresses your immune system.

• Include at least three (3) servings of green vegetables into your diet daily!  

• Improving and strengthening your mobility
  • Include some form of resistance training at least three times each week

• Include quality stretching.  I highly recommend weekly yoga classes!

• Be aware of and intentional about your posture!  Keep your back straight, and your shoulders back and down; whenever you feel yourself slouching, roll the shoulders back and down!

• Move often throughout the day, even if you have a mostly sedentary job.  Standing up, walking around your office, doing arm circles, bodyweight squats, etc. will be helpful!

• Maintaining a healthy hydration level
  • Make a new habit of drinking at least 72 ounces of water each day

• Any time you feel hungry, drink an 8-ounce serving of water

• If breaking a soda habit sounds impossible, start easy.  Replace one soda or sweet tea drink a day with water.  Add lemon or lime if you’d like.

• Get a fancy or pretty cup that you love!  Use a straw.  If it encourages you to carry it with you and drink water – it’s almost a necessity!

Putting healthy habits into place will keep all of your systems (central nervous system, respiratory, cardiovascular, etc.) operating at full capacity, and keep YOU operating at full capacity as well.  

Here are just a few examples of how being proactive can serve you SO much better than being reactive.  

1. Nutrition:  Reactive nutrition looks like grocery shopping and meal prepping on the go; running into the store and snagging things on sale, putting things in the buggy based on cravings, emotions, and “on a whim.”  Proactive nutrition looks like menus have been planned out, a proper grocery list was made, and maybe even ordered online to pick up (via InstaCart, etc) outside the store without additional emotional or unplanned purchases.  Cook and eat according to your plan and what’s in your own home!

2. Exercise:  Reactive workout plans are the ones where workouts rarely happen.  Once you get out of work, you realize you either don’t have your gym bag or forgot tennis shoes, ear pods, workout clothes, etc.  You don’t have a plan, or any accountability, so you go on home planning on another day.  Proactive workout plans are the ones that happen each and every day necessary because the gym bag was packed the night before or stays packed with charging cords, extra shoes, sports bras, socks, ponytail holders, etc.  There most likely is a workout partner, personal trainer, or fitness group that is expecting you to show up AND expecting YOU to hold them accountable as well.

3. Weight Management:  Reactive weight management most likely resembles a yo yo; weight fluctuates more than 15 pounds every few months, and no real changes have been sustainable.  Reactive weight management basically reacts to weight gained by severely restricting calories (including necessary nutrients) and attempting to adhere to a fad or trendy diet only to return to old habits and gain weight back, plus some.  Proactive weight management combines clean, healthy, whole foods daily, and consistently maintains this for life.  Proactive weight management includes a consistent exercise program in addition to taking enough calories from meals made up of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, green vegetables, and healthy fats.

4. Immune System:  Reactive immune systems are typically weak, and, well, reactive:  prone to catching any and every bug, and commonly more prone to chronic health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis issues, etc.  Reactive immune systems are also prone to be on various medications, both over the counter and prescriptions (which cause various side effects and other health issues).  Proactive immune systems are typically stronger and resistant to most common bugs. Even if someone who is proactive with her immune system catches a cold or virus, it isn’t as severe and is short-lived.  Someone who is proactive with their immune system typically is free of most prescription medications, and does not suffer from the most common chronic health issues.  Even arthritis symptoms are easily manageable without prescriptions through exercise and clean nutrition. 

5. Anti Aging:  Reactive aging creeps in – slow weight gain throughout the midsection, stiffness in the joints, difficulty in getting up after sitting for long periods, difficulty getting up from the floor or a low seat, dry skin, low energy levels and frequent fatigue.  Proactive aging is ANTI aging!  It consists of eating a clean, healthy diet, staying sufficiently hydrated, staying active, maintaining a consistent exercise routine, getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, less achy joints, more fresh air, and less screen time!

Wouldn’t you prefer to be proactive and invest in your longevity? Being reactive can also drain your energy and time dealing with health and weight management issues that, quite frankly, could be avoided completely with a proactive mindset and proactive habits!  Decide today, for yourself and for your loved ones, to be proactive about the things you can.  Does all of this leave you feeling overwhelmed?  You don’t have to be!!  Pick just one area to start with.  Make a checklist for yourself, in this one area, of the things you can put into place this week.  Start with small steps – the things you can manage this week.  Once you get a few new habits in place, you’ll feel much better and more confident.  Then build from there!

If you really want to make some serious lifestyle changes, but don’t know where to start, a good personal trainer can be the best investment in yourself.  I would love to help you!  There is no reason why you can’t be healthy and live your best life – at any age.  Please feel free to reach out to me if I can help you!  Email me at Fitteachermom@aol.com, or contact me through the link on this web site.

Here’s to healthier habits and a proactive mindset!!!