Does this sound familiar.....rushing out the door to get to work, not taking time to eat lunch, and then feeling out of control at dinner and especially in the evening afterwards when you finally have time to sit down and relax?
This is a common trend in our world--we love being busy and don't often make time to take care of ourselves with the basics. It's also not really "sexy" to not sound busy right? Think about this scenario-- you're at work and someone asks about your day and you tell them that you had a great run this morning followed by a tasty breakfast. Your colleague would probably look at you like you're crazy because it's unfortunately not the norm. Now if you would have replied that you got up at the last minute and grabbed a cup of coffee at the drive thru, you would probably have something to chat about it.
I've thought about this for a really long time. Generally speaking, we like to be busy and we like people to think that what we're doing is hard. Instead of always trying to be busy and doing something difficult (following a fad diet, over exercising, saying yes when you really want to say no) what if we prioritized ourselves?? Maybe that sounds selfish but here me out. If I'm not eating or sleeping enough, moving my body in ways that feel good, socializing, etc.. I'm not going to be able to be good at anything....my work, relationships, self esteem, etc.. is all going to suffer.
Instead of looking at habits (sleep, eating, hydration, movement) like optional things that we will do only if we have time, what if we made them priorities? Instead of focusing on the frustration of getting groceries for the week, zoom out....think about what that means for the rest of your week. It means you'll have the food you want and need to fuel your body to feel your best. It's shifting your mindset so that the behaviors will then fall into place more easily.
So what can you do?
Make a list of habits you would like to implement that would positively impact your health
Write down any barriers that you think could get in your way of accomplishing these things
Get real with yourself about what you actually want to do and what is possible. Start small and build up to your ultimate goal
Pick 1 habit at at time to work on so it doesn't feel overwhelming
Kayla Fitzgerald is a Registered Dietitian & Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor located in Charleston, South Carolina. She works with clients 1:1, through small group coaching, and self guided programs. Her goal is to help you fuel your body for whatever the day has in store whether it's a 100 mile race or getting through the work day.