No fasted workouts
I never did fasted workouts on purpose, but it became a bad habit. For the past 6 months or so I’m very mindful of eating carbs before cardio and carbs with 15ish grams protein before strength training. I feel SO much better during my workouts.
Chugging water before coffee
I always sleep with my giant water bottle next to me, but now making sure I take a second to actually drink it before moving on to coffee. I crave my cup of coffee in the morning, but forcing myself to hydrate first thing is essential.
My probiotic first thing in the morning
Not everyone needs a probiotic and I trialed off one for a while, but found I do better on one. I’ve been taking my Seed probiotic for 4-6 months now every morning on an empty stomach and chug my water. Like I said, not everyone needs a probiotic but it helps my digestion significantly so I’ve added it back.
Playing word games on my phone instead of scrolling when bored
I deleted my personal Instagram account for about a month because I felt like I was scrolling too much, esp. before bed. I added it back in, but don’t open up the app nearly as much as I used to. I rarely post on my personal account now for whatever reason and do not spend a long time scrolling. Instead I’ve started to play word games on my phone. I love Wordle obviously, but also play some of the other New York Times app games like Spelling Bee and Connections if I’m bored. I also re-started playing Words with Friends against my dad 🙂
Structured workout plans
I thrive on structure and this includes my workouts. I love Peloton workouts and I have been doing split programs, but needed a break from the repetitiveness of the workouts. They will not offer a customizable weekly plan based on your fitness goals and preferences. I’m not doing 4 strength days (2 full body and 1 upper body with core and one lower body with core) one power walking day, and one endurance day. I also add in pickleball, walks, hikes, stretching and mobility work as it fits in. You can pick what specific classes you want to count for the workouts and it checks it off as you do them (I love a checklist). It’s really motivating and keeping me on track.
Cooking at home more
With a busy schedule it’s easy to feel too tired to cook at the end of the day, but I’ve been much better at cooking more at home, even on the weekends, and it makes a significant difference in how I feel (and better for the entire family). I’ve let go of the need to make a different recipe every night and just focus on the basic protein, starch and vegetable on busy days.
Keeping my bedroom and home tidy
If my space is tidy I feel calmer. I tidy up the kitchen and living room nightly before bed so I wake up to a clean home. I make my bed first thing in the morning no matter what. I don’t function well in chaos and a messy space, so taking the extra few minutes to tidy up throughout the day is essential.
Play dates
I have a standing weekly playdate with a friend. We get the kids (and dogs together if it’s nice) and it’s just nice having that connection with a friend at least once a week. I also have a weekly pickleball group that gives me a social and competitive outlet I had been missing.
Meal prepping on Sundays
If we are watching shows on Saturday night I am most likely multi tasking. I will scroll Pinterest and find recipes I want to make for the week and make my grocery list. If I don’t have time Saturday, I’ll do this first thing on Sunday morning. I will either order groceries for pickup online or grocery shop first thing in the morning. Every week I like to make a batch of energy bites for pre/post workout snack or mid day snack instead of relying on bars. I also prep some sort of loaded veggie salad for lunches, hard boiled eggs, etc. Having these options on hand help me nourish my body and my family all week.
Asking for help
My husband is a good cook and can be very helpful in the kitchen. I’ve started to ask him to help more with dinner prep. I usually have him make the meat/protein while I do the sides. It makes me so much less stressed having the extra help on busy nights.
xx, A
