Let’s be honest, women are the busiest people on the planet. You’re waking, dressing, breakfast making. Coordinating school snacks, backpacks, drop-offs, pick-ups, locating lost sippy cups. Long commutes, deadlines, multitasking, handshaking, deal-making. Managing meetings, paperwork, projects, and people every damn day. No wonder you’re so tired (and probably wanting a glass of wine!)
You know you should probably workout, meal prep, drink green juice, take vitamins, meditate, do yoga, get a massage, read, etc.. etc.. etc.… but it’s already bedtime, and you have to get up early and do it all again tomorrow. Who has time for wellness, when you barely have time to breathe?!
I get it, and I’ve totally been there. Health may not be your top priority right now, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret…
When you feel better, everything else gets easier: career, motherhood, school, you name it. As a bonus, you look better, too (Think glowing skin, a lean body, decreased signs of aging).
Um…yes, please! Am I right?
To get you back on the healthy track and on your way to feeling great, I’ve outlined a simple process below that will help you clarify and implement your wellness goals. You will soon find that you can make substantial improvements without sacrificing a lot of time.
Step one
Choose one thing, do that often.
There are so many things you can do to improve your health, and the internet has a beautiful way of sending us into overwhelm. We think we need a morning routine, a personal trainer, perfectly portioned and photo-ready meals, a solid meditation practice, and ten hours of sleep per night under our weighted, sustainably crafted bamboo blanket. While that might be ideal, it isn’t realistic for the busy modern life of the majority of the population. So, what can we do? Start small. Do one thing at a time until it has become a solid habit and then add in something else. While you may not have time for all the things, you can certainly make time for one thing.
Take action: Set a timer for 5 minutes and do a quick brainstorm of all the healthy habits/activities you would like to incorporate into your life. Write down everything (and I mean everything!) that comes to mind. After five minutes are up, review your list and choose the top five or so habits that feel the most realistic to you, given your current time constraints and circumstances.
Next, decide which one you are going to implement first and set a goal for the next month of how many times you will complete that action. (Bonus points: add the habit to your calendar each day you plan to achieve it)
Be sure to track your completion stats along the way. If a month isn’t long enough to make the habit feel like second nature, then practice the same habit for another month until it becomes something that you do without thinking. When this happens, you are ready to incorporate another healthy habit.
After you have decided which healthy action you want to incorporate, you want to find a way to make it as easy as possible for you to complete it. Enter step two in the process…
Step Two
Remove the friction
Make being healthy as straightforward as possible by removing obstacles coming between you and your new habits. The easier something is, the more likely you are going to actually do it. For example, you could sign up for a fitness class that requires you to change clothes, drive five miles in the opposite direction you are going, sweat your buns off, take a shower, change clothes again, and then drive some more.
-or-
You could sign up for an on-demand workout service that streams to the TV in your home, leave your pajamas on, workout and then get ready for the day. With this option, you’ve removed the obstacles of commuting, buying/wearing special workout attire, and taking an extra shower. You are saving yourself a lot of time, making your workout a lot more accessible, and probably saving money as well. Win, Win, Win.
Other ways to remove friction might be
- Keeping junk food out of the house. If it isn’t there, it’s easier to resist.
- Carrying a water bottle with you at all times, so hydration is always accessible
- Keeping vitamins and supplements in a highly visible location that you frequent
- Hiring a massage therapist/acupuncturist/healer to come to you
- Buy pre-washed, pre-cut fruits and veggies to cut down on prep time
- Sign up for a meal kit or meal prep service to take the guesswork out of meals
Take action: Going back to the first habit you decided to implement, make a list of all the obstacles that could possibly get in the way of completing the action. Next, come up with ways you can remove the friction around completing your activity. For example: If time is your biggest obstacle, think about things that take up a lot of your time and see if there is anything that is totally unnecessary, or that you might be able to outsource to free up your schedule.
Even if this process doesn’t resonate, I encourage you to do something (anything!) to work on improving your health. The greatest gift you can give yourself, your family, friends, and the world is a you that feels good.
If you want to improve your health, but implementation is where you struggle, I’m always here to help. Schedule a free consultation here.
Talk to you soon!
Leah