Summer is a time of poor health. Seriously, poor health.
Decision making goes out the window, commitments go out the window, ice cream runs, poorly planned trips to Six Flags where your diet is not even considered… poor decision making in general.
So, I have come up with a few good ideas for you to help yourself stay somewhat focused, so that when school starts back up, you aren’t like most people every year –
“I need to get my life back in order”
Exercise can be done when the house is asleep. Tabata – 4 minutes of any movement, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jumping jacks, jump rope, running in place, running, burpees, presses and pulls, etc. 20 seconds of work as fast and hard as possible, and 10 seconds of rest completely, in 4 minutes that is 8 rounds, and at my intensity of squats, that is 160 squats. This is enough to change your life.
The start to every day sets the tone for the rest of the day… consider buying grass fed whey protein as a start to a good morning smoothie. No sugar, sweetened with stevia, add some berries and unsweetened almond milk, and you will be on your way to starting your day right.
Pack the right snack – when going on a day trip, stay away from sandwiches on high carb bread. Move towards packs of berries and nuts and dump the pretzels and chips. Slicing cucumbers and bringing along some greek yogurt with some spices stirred in is the fastest way to a ranch dip that you can make on your own, in a healthy way.
Be accountable – write down your weight on a chart hanging on the mirror in your bathroom. Have a spot to record it at the same time of day every Monday. Weekly accountability to that number will help you stop yourself from falling completely out of control.
Your spine is the source of all first function. Before anything else can work, your brain needs to communicate with your body through your spine. Make a habit of adding 1 minute of plank holds and 1 minute of hollow holds at the end of your 4 minute workout to drive the maintenance of your spine- https://youtu.be/BQCdzRPE9Ao
Be at peace. Find a time right now that you can sit and read the Bible, say a prayer, and sit quietly. 15 minutes a day is an amazing tool, or start your morning with my ritual of thanking God for all things in your life, good and bad. It helps, trust me it helps.
And with those 6 steps, I promise you will come back to the fall saying, “Hey, it worked… my commitments truly are greater than my feelings in this moment!”
Be well and Be blessed – Dr. E