non-negotiables that keep me on track
At 44 years old, I like to joke that I am a well-oiled machine. I know what works for me. Routine, schedule, go-to habits and products really keep me on track, which is especially important for moments where life throws you a curve ball. Like kids being in summer camp with irregular hours or shorter hours than school, where time to get stud done is shortened. Or trips and vacations where you want to indulge but not fall off track. Life happens. My clients know that I encourage them to build a treat into their daily routine. You have to live! No one looks back on life and thinks, “I shouldn't have had that cake.” No. They look back and think, “I should have spent more time with my loved ones.” And what buys you more time is Good Health and mindfulness on HOW you spend your time.
So let’s dig in to my Non-Negotiables for Staying on Track.
Waking up before my kid for “me time.” Now that my dog senses when we’re up and starts barking at 6am (yay), I’ve switched to doing some of this work IN MY BED and some of it during my morning walk with him.
Prayer
Graitude
Meditate - Lately I’ve been doing mediations through the To Be Magnetic App. But otherwise you can look up meditations through Spotify and customize them to what you need. Ie “5 minute morning meditation.” I also really love Joe Dispenza’s meditations. He has a GREAT convo with Lewis Howes (along with Jay Sheets and Mel Robbins) here.
Journal - This is a dump of all the things on my mind and heart. I think this can be really powerful for those who battle with anxiety or worry.
Healthy breakfast. This is is sooo important. It really helps anchor my day so it’s a domino effect of healthy choices later in the day.
Call or text a friend. Check in on them. Some times thinking about someone else helps us get out of our way when we’re feeling bogged down. And helps us not feel alone. I try to send two or three texts to friends or family every morning to check on them.
Gratitude. I started this as a small practice I did in the morning- listing three things I am grateful for. Now I do it literally all day long. We also do this with our kids at dinner. This is scientifically proven to shift your energy. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Pschology, people who kept a weekly gratitude journal reported higher levels of positive emotions, felt more optimistic, and experienced fewer physical symptoms of illness compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral events. Gratitude also rewires your brain for positivity, improves heart rate variability, sleep quality, resilience and energy. Needless to say, this is a big one if you’re not implement it.
Eating and sleeping schedule. I can’t stress this one enough. Just like babies bodies work best on schedules, well, so do we as adults. Our bodies work best with the circadian rhythm in terms of eating, sleeping and even light exposure. I FEEL like shit if I don’t get good sleep. When I had my fitness studio, I consistently got 6-7 hours and I look back now and think, how on earth did I do that?! I was tired all the time. Bed time is 10pm for me, and I’m usually up around 5:30/ 6am. Eating-wise, I also stick to a consistent schedule. I have breakfast around 10am, lunch 1pm, snack 4pm and dinner 6:30/7. Some times a small night time treat around 8pm. For lighting, I dim the lights in my house as the sun goes down and switch to lamps when it’s dark out. I’m convinced my babysitters think I’m a vampire, because the first thing I do when I get home is run around and dim the lights lol.
Electrolyte and creatine water in my 40 oz tumbler. This truly helps me get my water in. I traveled without my tumbler and electrolytes - never again.
Have some easy go-to food and snacks available. I make the ground beef and sweet potatoes for my lunch ahead and make sure I have the other go-to items on hand. I tend to eat the same things - smoothie or loaded oatmeal for breakfast, beef bowl or salad with chicken for lunch, greek yogurt for snack, epic or IQ bars for on the go, and then dinner varies. i’m always stocked up on berries for fiber, avocados, protein powder, almond milk, kale, spinach, chicken breasts and thighs, ground beef, cottage cheese, greek yogurt and brown rice. Having my go-tos helps take the guess work out of it.
Walking. If I can’t hit the gym, I’m ALWAYS staying on my feet. I love love love my walking pad from amazon and walking desk. Walking is one of THE best ways to burn belly fat, reduce cortisol, balance blood sugars and reduce insulin sensitivity. I now start my day with a 30 minute walk with the dog and we do the same as a family after dinner.
I hope you find this helpful. DM me with any questions or comments. I love connecting and inspiring you all.