Happy Friday! Many of you are excited to exhale, take a few days off, and “not think” over the weekend. I get it. And I look forward to it too! But, if you think, plan and motivate just a bit, your week next week will be healthier, more productive and a week from now – next Friday – you will be so pleased with how your week went. Lets go!
1. Take a look at your schedule next week and assess busy days and hot spots. Are you traveling? Do you have a super hectic day of meetings? Do your kids have a special schedule one day? Assess your schedule now and highlight busy moments. Those “hot spots” are the ones you will want to be prepared and have extra food, take extra breaths, be mindful so you can prep for success, rather than being blind sighted and overwhelmed by a stressful day. I recommend always looking at your schedule for the next day so you know when, where and what you will eat. On Fridays, taking a look at the week ahead is a great way to get ahold of the bigger picture so your schedule does not take over your health and wellness.
2. Grocery shopping and meal prep. I wrote about this last week – taking 2 hours this weekend to shop/prep/cook/pack will change the tone for your entire week. You do not have to be a gourmet chef. You do not have to cook anything! Just focus on prepping meals and snacks that are ready for you to grab during the week so you are prepared. Especially for those hot spots in your schedule.
3. Realistically plan for exercise and sleep. If you know you have an insane week, you are likely not going to get 9 hours of sleep and 2 hour workouts in. But maybe, you can get 7 hours and a 20 minute walk or interval session? Or maybe you can walk to a meeting instead of driving? Or play with your kids and get a sweat going? Or workout at home? Take a realistic look at your week and figure out how to fit in sleep and movement into your life in a sustainable way. Often times we “power through” a week, don’t sleep and push exercise to the side…what if we could still get some in, regardless of the insanity? Can we make it happen? I say yes.
Guidelines:
Eat within an hour of waking and every 3-4 hours thereafter – always!
Sleep 7-8 hours per night
Exercise – Move daily – ideally 30-60 minutes, whether it is broken up throughout the day or in one chunk
Stay hydrated – are you drinking water? Do you have a bottle nearby?
Beware of your vices – caffeine, alcohol. sugar, fried foods – watch out for these trouble makers when life gets busy.
You got this. Breathe. Be realistic. Make it happen.
Have a great weekend…week ahead!