Uffta we are in the thick of summer! Those of you who are retired or don’t have kiddos may not feel it as much, but if you have school-aged children? What a difference in routine (or lack thereof)! Vacations, birthday parties, random play dates… it’s not my type-A personality’s jam right now, but there is, of course, still a lot of good in it!
Because of this chaos you might be facing (or will face in a season from time to time), you may notice that we might be tempted to let our routine of exercise, healthy eating, proper sleep, and stress management (our pillars/foundations of health) techniques fall by the wayside along with your regular routine… after all, you need to stick to it every day or there isn’t really a point right?! Wrong… and that’s what we’re chatting about today: The importance of health routines, and how to realistically manage them and view them… ESPECIALLY during those stressful seasons!
Now, it comes as no surprise that many of us are conditioned to have this “all or nothing” mindset. The world is full of “hacks, shorts cuts, and quick fixes”. But, the truth to each of these taglines? They won’t last! Because they don’t set us up for the reality of life. Having too many life events come up to do a workout every day for 100 days is normal. Not being able to complete the 75 Hard challenge? Yeah… that’s okay! They are meant to teach habits, but in reality? They teach people to think being healthy is super hard and unattainable.
Real life? We’re going to have a kid throwing up, crawling into your bed, or sick in some way about once a month if not weekly… We’re going to have a relative or pet die. We’re going to get gout or have to have a knee replaced. We’re going to have sciatica pain… Get a sinus infection. A migraine. Pull a muscle. Or have to travel for work. You know how I know? All of those things have happened to me and my extended family of adults (about 10 people), most of them within the last few months!
So, does that mean we just aren’t cut out to live healthy lives?! No. It means that this is the truth about EVERY SINGLE PERSON’S LIFE. We WILL have hard stuff come up… and therefore? These hardcore challenges/fixes/hacks/short cuts? They are not setting us up to deal with real life.
So, now what, Jess? Where is the middle ground?!
Enter: non-negotiablables. What are they? Things you do every single day/week as a general rule. A morning walk. Daily quiet time with God. An evening gratitude journal. Meal plans for the week. 4 lifts/week. 2 cardio sessions/week. 100oz+ of water a day. Church. 10,000 steps. 8 hours of sleep. They are the big rocks of our health.
These are just a few examples of what you might want to make a “non-negotiables” or “big rocks” in your regular schedule. You pencil them into your week like you would a meeting, and you try your best to make it happen like you would a work meeting (because you’re just as important as your colleagues and boss, right?! The correct answer is “right”… just in case that one is a little foggy for you!).
Now, if there’s an injury, surgery, illness, death, vacation, or mental health crisis, we would take time off from work, right?! Maybe we’d still be able to take a meeting here and there virtually or pop into the office for the day (example: a few workouts on vacation or still including daily prayer)… but, as a whole?
We can take off that time with our health routine too, if needed. And then? We reschedule those meetings we penciled in… or we skip them and just get back to our schedule!
So often, these hiccups in our lives and routines are excuses for us to throw in the towel. But, we need to realize that health is, in fact, a journey without a destination. It is a lifelong job that we will always have- taking care of ourselves: mind, body, and soul.
If you find yourself getting that “all or nothing” mentality or feeling like you’ve had too many days “off of work” lately, it’s okay. You know why? Because, once you identify your big rocks or your “non-negotiables”, then you’ll always know what to go back to… the things that you need to include in your life to truly thrive and care for yourself fully.
What are your “non-negotiables” or your big rocks? Write them down! Think basic health: nutrition, stress management (including health practices), sleep, & exercise practices.
Now, look at your week and pencil them in. Repeat weekly!
I hope you are having an amazing summer! And I hope this mindset shift helped you drop an all or nothing mindset and truly think about your big rocks that you can return to once chaotic seasons in life settle down.
I have a few things on the agenda such as a new “Bullet Point Reflection” journal I created that is in the publication phase, morning health chats I’ve started doing on weekdays via Instagram/Facebook/YouTube, the final stages of studying for my initial health coaching cert, a fat loss journey/cut that I’m a little over halfway through, and a family vacation to Flagstaff…
**But, I wanted to let you know that I am taking ONE MORE free client as a part of my certification/business launch process, and wanted to offer it to this community first before offering it to my larger social media following.**
-It will begin in fall, and there is a possibility that one of our virtual chats may need to be recorded as a part of my certification process to help me refine my tactics. But otherwise, it will just be to help me smooth out my business process for my future paying clients!
Just respond to this email if you’re interested!
I hope you are doing well, and I can’t wait to chat again soon!
YouTube: Wholee Healthy’s YouTube (including new Morning Health Chats!)
Email: wholeehealthy@wholeehealthy.com
Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/wholeehealthy
Instagram Messenger: https://www.instagram.com/wholeehealthy/
And don’t forget to order my book, Women’s Cyclical Health Guide, if you haven’t already!
Stay Healthy!
Jess
Empower Her Health Coaching 
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