Here are 3 steps to build an exercise & nutrition routine after a busy summer to set you up to achieve your goals with the remainder of the year! The fall season is kicking in & you know what that means: PSLs, Instant Pot soups, & a whole evaluation of your exercise & nutrition routine.
Is this the part where I share a high protein Instant Pot soup & we get on with fall already?
Perhaps that's the case. I'm not (totally) mad about it.
Is Labor Day the moral code for “it’s now Fall”? While I’ve still got the summer feels on my mind, I can’t help but support an Instant Pot Soup on a gloomy day and high protein desserts that satisfy as we get closer to the holidays. With the change in season, kids going back to school, schedules changing and the holidays being now in sight, there can be an underlying pressure to “get it together”.
You may be feeling like you’ve been off track with your exercise and nutrition routine this summer, or that you get into a good rhythm and then fall off when times get busy or tough. You may be ready to get into the zone and have a plan or strategy you can follow to keep you on track this fall and in a consistent routine ahead of the holidays.
Here are 3 foundational tips you can start implementing as we head further into the fall season and to set you up to achieve your goals this year!
Grocery shopping & meal planning The more you can do for your (busy freaking) week on Saturdays and Sundays to set yourself up, will make the work & school week that much easier, even when travel is involved. Set a day to do all of your meal planning - think: meals for each day of the week (breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks), recipes you may follow, grocery lists and needs to make your meal prep easier. Then make time to actually do the work. This includes: grocery shopping & meal prepping, which can both take some time, so plan accordingly based on your other commitments. How can you make this easier on yourself, online grocery shopping, pickup or delivery? Know what works best for you & try out something new if it will save you some time and you already know what you need!
Setting realistic expectations This goes for both your nutrition & your exercise routine–though considering you’ve already taken the steps to plan ahead for your nutrition, that will likely all go according to plan & your exercise routine is the only cliffhanger. Know your other commitments in your day to day routine that you HAVE to do every day: work, eat, pick up the kids, make dinner, sleep etc. You know your schedule best. Based on your already set-in-stone commitments, determine when you can realistically get in your workouts & the time you can spend on your workout (this may be different from day to day based on your schedule). The more you can lower the barriers to entry for getting in your workout, the more likely you are to actually make it happen. Though it starts with being realistic with your schedule and commitments ahead of time.
Getting clear on your mini habits One of my absolute favorite topics- mini habits!! Think of regular habits, only smaller, achievable building blocks to get you closer to the larger habit or routine. Going right for the gold with your exercise and nutrition routine right off the bat isn’t exactly setting you up for long term success. It may work for the first week or 2 and then ‘life happens’ you ‘fall off track’ & the cycle continues. Mini habits are how you break this cycle. When you break down your goals to very small, achievable, no-brainer tasks to accomplish in your day– you’ll be left saying, “so building a routine could really be this simple.” Think of it this way: you know when kids are starting to get really curious about, well…everything and they continuously ask the question, “why” over and over again until they get to the root of the answer. This is a similar process you’re going to follow with your goals until you get it down to a very small, mini habit that is absolutely doable within your routine, every day, that will get you closer to building your ideal future routine.
To follow this step by step process & get clear on your mini habits to start implementing in your daily routine, grab my Mindset & Habit Building workbook at the link below! Building habits isn't easy & takes patience. When you can make the barrier to entry smaller, more enjoyable & something you can start doing daily, with ease...you're more likely to not only stick with it, but also build upon it and take on more challenging tasks as you continue. In this workbook, we're going to get clear on each of these steps above & create mini habits to achieve your exercise & nutrition goals that you can start implementing TODAY. This will leave you feeling confident in a tailored strategy you can follow the rest of this year & next!