Help! The Wheels Have Fallen Off: 3 Simple Tips To Getting Your Diet - And Your Life - Back On Track
Listen, I get it. We are in the middle of a freaking pandemic and for a lot of people, including MYSELF at times, the wheels have fallen off the wagon. I mean, you should see my house, people.
Here are a few simple tips that can help you get your diet - and your life - back on track.
(Side note: Remember, it’s about PROGRESS and NOT perfection. It’s impossible to be perfect, so, I want you to take that “hat” off your head and throw it away for good. What IS possible, is to make daily progress. And to do so, you need to take things in small steps.)
Tip One: Get back onto a routine!
Just like kids thrive on routine, so do adults. So let’s tackle just three things here:
• Go to bed and wake up on time: The temptation right now is to stay up late or binge watch TV 7 days a week. Don’t do it. At least not during the weekdays. In the morning, set your alarm and get up on time, or even get up early. Go to bed on time too.
• Shower and get dressed every day. Even if you don’t see anyone other than your spouse and kids, or you turn the camera off on your work video calls, getting dressed sends your brain a cue that it’s time to go to work. When you get dressed you’ll be in the mindset to be productive. Or to homeschool the kids and not feel so gross every day.
• Take at least 10-15 for yourself each day. Whether that’s in the morning before you get going or in the evening before bed, schedule this date with yourself and don’t cancel on yourself! Read a devotional, have a warm tea, use some essential oils, stretch….whatever you need to do for you, do it! And do it daily. This is key to keeping you sane right now.
Tip Two: Pick just ONE area of your health or wellness that you want to focus on.
Maybe that’s exercise, your nutrition, sleep or another form of self-care. Next, ask yourself, “What do I need to do to put just 5% more effort into this area?” Once you’ve got your answer, write it down and commit to taking action – just 5% more - on that ONE thing.
If you picked “nutrition,” maybe this looks like having one piece of fruit with either lunch or dinner each day, 3 or 4 days a week.
If you picked “exercise,” maybe this looks like committing to moving your body 15 min a day for 5 days a week after the kids are done with homeschool.
You will start to notice a difference in how you feel and sister, when you do, this will motivate you so much more to stick with it. Plus, your body will thank you for the extra TLC.
Tip Three: Connect
I can’t stress this one enough: We were NOT wired for social isolation. We were wired to connect with other human beings. What we are facing as a global family is unprecedented and none of us have ever gone through something like this before.
During this time, many people are fighting depression, anxiety, fear, anger and a lot of other emotions. Part of this is due to the fact that we are unable to BE with other people like we are used to.
Now more than ever, it’s vital for your emotional and mental wellbeing that you make a point to connect with family and friends.
Send a text. Make a call. Write an email or send a hand-written letter via snail mail. Do a drive-by for a birthday or “just because.” Utilize ZOOM, Marco Polor or FaceTime and have snacks/tea/coffee/or a cocktail together. It will help you - and others - to feel a lot better!
Tip Four: Give Yourself Extra Grace
The grace we are able to give to ourselves is usually in porportion to the grace we will be able to extend to others….and right now, we need to be able to give ourselves A LOT of grace. I know I do. Big time.
So what if a few days in the past month your kids had way more screen time than normal or eaten way too many (___insert food here___)? Rememer, things are way off for our little people, and they too are struggling to understand what’s happening. No school building to go to. No friends to play with. No trips to the park or visits to playgrounds that the love.
We are all doing the best we can with what we’ve been delt with and the skills/tools that we have.
I hope these tips prove helpful to you. I’d love to know what part resonates with you the most! Let me know by commenting below!