During the summer, we often relax, stay up late, and enjoy BBQs with friends and family, which can cause our health goals to take a back seat. Finding the motivation to reconnect with our commitments to nourish our bodies through good nutrition and exercise can be a struggle for most. This can be even more challenging for those of us with children going back to school. The chaos of a packed schedule starts to take over, creating a hectic pace of life. For those of us without children, returning to the commute back to the office with the resumption of early morning and rush hour traffic begins to creep in, and soon our cortisol levels steadily climb. So how do we reconnect to our commitment to nourish our body, mind, and soul when the flux of life is thrust upon us at the end of a long summer? The answer doesn’t need to be complicated. Allow yourself the grace to take things one day at a time, and slowly reintegrate your commitments to help you quickly locate your north star.
Here are a few ideas on how to get back on track:
Start a 30-day challenge:
For instance, if you were indulging in sweets or alcohol over the summer, perhaps your 30-day challenge is to cleanse from these substances for 30 days to help reset.
Ease back into the swing of things by savoring the long September days and adding some active recovery sessions to your busy schedule. Maybe that looks like a long walk with your family after dinner each night to gently reintegrate exercise, which has the compound effect of also reducing the cortisol spike that tends to creep in and show up around our belly. It's also a great way to stay connected once the busyness creeps in.
Re-evaluate your goals:
Take an honest look at your goals for health and life. Ask yourself “why” multiple times over and over why you want this. The outcome of the question may reveal that you perhaps don’t want that goal but feel obligated for some unknown reason. Suppose you do want to achieve that goal and you haven’t because it seems so big. Breaking down the goal into small bite-sized pieces can help you feel like you are making headway. Whatever it is, re-evaluate where you want to go compared to where you are now. Do it without judgment and find the dotted line to get to where you want to go, and before you know it, you will have arrived.
If you would like to dive deeper into this topic contact me to see if you are a good fit for my 1:1 coaching.