Back to School = Time to Prioritize You
It’s Back to School time and the excitement of new beginnings rivals that of the new year. What better time to jump start your own health and self-care than now when setting new routines is key for the entire family? If your household is anything like ours, the schedules are pretty busy. And even though health, fitness and wellness are my livelihood, I too have to create a schedule to make sure my routine is sound for my own good health. Check out the following 4 tips that are key to making sure your fitness and nutrition don’t get pushed to the back burner.
PRIORITIZE WELLNESS TIME: Schedule time for exercise and self-care into your weekly calendar just like you would any other appointment you need to attend. The majority of clients I’ve worked with throughout the years have found that getting up a little early to get it done before the rest of the daily craziness has begun keeps them on track - and prevents them from skipping out on this important part of their day. Remember that you’re not being selfish for taking this time, as fitness and self-care keep you strong and healthy so you can better take care of those around you.
MEAL PREP IDEAS FOR BUSY SCHEDULES: Eating nutritiously can be easy if you take a few moments to plan in advance. Create a weekly meal plan and grocery list so that you have all the ingredients necessary to make healthy meals. Meal planning can be more efficient with a few tricks. One example is to cook extra at dinner and take leftovers for the next day’s lunch.
Another one of my favorite kitchen hacks is to roast a large whole chicken (or in a pinch, grab one from the rotisserie at the store) which we eat with some roasted veggies and potatoes or rice. The leftovers can be used the next night for enchiladas, on a salad, or in a soup. If I’ve roasted my own chicken, all of the drippings get saved for a soup broth.
One more healthy eating tip is to chop/dice veggies for snacks and meal starters before they ever hit your fridge. We all know how they can end up hidden at the back of the drawer, completely forgotten till your making your next grocery list. If you clean and cut them up and leave them in view, you’re more likely to grab them and use them.
*reach out through the “contact” tab at top of page to get a free weekly meal planning calendar / grocery list
DON’T FORGET TO ALSO FEED YOUR BRAIN: Try to read something that inspires you. If you truly don’t have time to open a book, look for motivational and informative podcasts to listen to while commuting, doing cardio or during mindless chores. There are so many to choose from that can inspire a great workout or teach you new things to improve your health. A few of my recent favorites are:
A few of my favorite recent reads are:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This Is Your Brain On Food by Uma Naidoo, MD
The Rain Barrel Effect by Dr. Stephen Cabral
Compete Every Day - The not-so-secret secret to winning in your work and life by Jake Thompson
Get Your Mind Right - 10 Keys to unlock your potential and ignite your success by Todd Durkin
4. ASK FOR HELP: Hire a coach, trainer, nutrition specialist for even a single session to help optimize your routine so you can effectively reach your goals. Even we specialists get help from outside sources to get past our own limitations so we too, can work at being our best selves. An objective eye is sometimes all it takes to create a routine that works for you.
Need help with any of the above? Feel to reach out to me at any time. We’ll work together to get you back in a routine for optimal health!