Five Steps to Self Care
Self Care. What does it mean to you?
Considering it pertains to the self, we're a subjective subject, no? So here’s my take on the care that is the self.
This day in age, our society is full of extremes. It's almost as if 30% of the population is either vegan, a yogi or a personal trainer of sorts, living what seems to be an unattainable lifestyle for most. The other 70% will follow an Instagram workout for a week, try those shakes for 2 days, and stretch on a Wednesday. It's so easy to get caught up in trends only to resort back to what we know; what we've taught ourselves is normal and natural.
As a citizen, personal trainer and lifestyle coach, influenced by the extremes, I can tell you with confidence that extremes don't work!
Self care, to me, is about finding ways to FEEL GOOD. Feeling good, although sometimes temporary, should not have a "come down" or crash. So please don't take my suggestion to feel good as a ticket to binge anything. Rather, ask yourself these questions: What makes you feel good? What motivates you? Who are the people in your life that make you better? That make you want to be better? It’s not easy pulling yourself out of a funk, but start by getting yourself off the couch, and I promise you will feel a lot better!
Balance is the key.
Finding balance in our lives, I feel, is THE GOAL. Considering work utilizes the majority of our resources (time and energy - sometimes money), let's start here. We hear and talk about work/life balance. I believe this to be a great start BUT that leaves us susceptible to disappointment due to high expectations and extreme goal setting. So let's turn the table a bit... What about balance AT WORK? How many of you wake up and go through the motions? Some days are better than others right? Then you come home and are exhausted, but you told yourself you were going to hit the gym and eat salad. I say, throw that notion out the window. What can you do in the morning for 5 - 10 minutes that will make you feel good? What can you do at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm? Something simple without your phone, that you can associate and pair with something else like a break at work. Maybe it’s closing your eyes and listening to your favorite song while focusing on your breathing. Maybe it’s writing in a journal and only focusing on positive things in your life or aspirations?
Self care has to be one of the hardest goals to achieve because we so often let other things prioritize themselves over our own well-being.
So here are my 5 steps to self care:
1. People - latch on those who make you smile and uplift you to greater heights.
2. Find 5 little things that make you smile and rotate them throughout each weekday.
3. Drink half your body weight in water. I know! Tough right? Every two hours try setting a little alarm to remind yourself to chug!
4. Eat protein before bed. The majority of us are protein deficient because we are bombarded with fast, cheap carbohydrates. Eating protein before bed will help you balance your blood sugar and provide you with more energy when you awake!
5. Get Moving! Especially when you don’t want to. We are designed to move so when we are stagnant we naturally feel lazy, tired and our moods follow suit. Ever notice how annoyingly happy the #fitfam is? Go be like them!
