Is it just me or can we all agree that summer 2015 came and went in a blink of an eye? Then again I always feel like that at the end of every season. This year I made a commitment to myself to spend a lot more time outdoors and less time attached to my gadgets than I have in previous years. I am happy to report that I definitely spent more time outside this summer soaking up the sun and the warm breeze! However, I do have to admit that I have not been very successful in maintaining my fitness regimen, my healthy eating or my (somewhat) good sleeping habits in check. Typically, I feel re-energized to get back into my healthier lifestyle routine in the fall. Below, I am going to share the ways I have been able to get back into gear in past years.
Sleep is important every season of the year (but, we all knew that!). But adjusting back to a healthy sleeping schedule after the summertime can sometimes feel like an unfeasible goal. Lately, I’ve been getting between 6-7 hours of sleep at night - I know that in order for me to feel energized in the morning I need at least 8 hours of quality sleep. The thing to note here is that everyone is a little different – some people do not require more than 7 hours while others need a solid 9 hours of sleep. Pay attention to how long your sleep is and how your body reacts in the morning.
Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. As I mentioned above, I tend to always fall of this band wagon during the summer months. But every fall for the past 3 years I always participate in the Tone It Up fall challenge (this year’s theme is Fit for Fall). This is a community I found almost by accident and boy I am happy I did! Karena and Katrena never fail to put a smile on my face and always encourage me to be the best version of myself I can be. Their workouts may not look intense but, trust me, they are! At the end of the day you do not have to follow a challenge to get back into shape, it works for me but if you are into yoga, running, swimming, biking – whatever it is - the main thing here is that you get moving for at least 30 minutes each day. Believe me, your body, mind and soul will thank you for it.
Healthy Eating usually takes a back seat during all of the summer BBQs and that is totally fine! At least it is in my book! But just know that eating healthy at least 80% of the time will have a much more positive effect than the negative effect the 20% of unhealthy eating could have on your body. Think lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains. My overall eating habits have gotten much, much, MUCH better over the past few years and much of that came from educating myself about the foods I was eating. I now avoid as much fast food and processed foods as possible (meaning I very rarely eat fast food and pre-packaged frozen meals). I also read the ingredient labels on the food I do buy and if it contains any questionable ingredients I simply do not buy it. Instead I look for a brand that has a “cleaner” ingredient list, if you look hard enough there are almost always better alternatives!
And last but not least…
Hydration is the common denominator in order to succeed with the points above. Your body needs to be adequately hydrated to sleep well, to exercise at your optimal capacity and for your body not to confuse hunger with thirst. My rule of thumb when it comes to drinking water is to drink 50% of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs you should drink 75 oz's of water which equates to about 5 bottle or 9 glasses of water a day. I carry around a 17 oz bottle and make sure to refill it about 5 times throughout the day (some days I am better at this than others!)
How do you get back into your healthy lifestyle routine? Do you have any tips and tricks that work for you?