Skip to main content

QUICK WINS WEDNESDAY

While we may not have all the time in the world with back-to-school creeping in, last minute vacations before summer is officially gone, and dealing with the ridiculous end of summer heat (at least where we’re located), as Busy Moms we still have daily opportunities to get Quick Wins for our health and wellness that don’t require an entire rearranging of our lives to get them.

So, here’s my list of five Quick Wins you can implement TODAY with little to no extra effort or going out of your way to make them happen.

Eat a Piece of Dark Chocolate Every Day. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, and to be honest it can be an acquired taste. I didn’t like it years ago, either. But if you get 70% or higher, you’re giving yourself a mini-health boost with vitamins and minerals like copper, manganese, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, calcium, and almost all the B vitamins. From CHOCOLATE! And an added bonus, your kids probably aren’t going to want it because it’s not as sweet as milk chocolate so you can have it all to yourself! It’s also really easy to stir it into a Greek Yogurt parfait, or add it to Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal.

Do Counter, Stair, or Wall Push-Ups. Again, not the most earth-shattering fitness tactic, but when you’re pressed for time, have kids hanging off your legs, or you’re just plain exhausted, this is a super quick and it really feels like a victory amidst the chaos.

Listen to a Sleep Meditation or Music. I know it sounds silly, but I’m telling you, I’ve actually been getting better sleep (which is hit or miss because of Perimenopause) when I play one of these at night. If you already do this, keep it up! If not, maybe give it a try. I was skeptical, but it usually knocks me out fairly quickly. I may not STAY asleep (again, perimenopause sucks), but it’s helped me fall asleep faster than anything else I’ve tried in a long time.

Drink Your Water. It’s trite. It’s cliché. You’ve heard it a million times. I know. I have too. But….it DOES bear repeating. Drink your water. Especially in the summer heat. You’re dehydrated whether you know it or not. And this is an extra tip – take it or leave it – but add a flavor packet to make it more bearable if you really don’t like drinking water. Again, I KNOW this is controversial and other health professionals may raise heck over me “promoting” it, but if adding a single flavor packet will get you to drink an extra 20oz of water, I’ll take it.

Try Box Breathing. The technique is breathe IN for 4 seconds, HOLD for 4 seconds, breathe OUT for 4 seconds, HOLD for 4 seconds….and repeat the pattern to reduce your stress and anxiety. It helps you relax, it really does help with your stress, it soothes your nervous system (a real thing that involves a lot of hormones and neuroreceptors between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system), and it helps you focus when the brain fog is strong. It works any time, anywhere, and doesn’t require rolling out a mat, changing clothes, or contorting your body into pretzel-like positions (just a joke! I’m working on yoga myself!).


Those are my five Quick Wins for this week. Again, not earth-shattering stuff, but during the hectic times when you feel like your health goals aren’t being met, or you’re struggling to keep up, these little wins can boost your confidence and give you that sense of accomplishment and celebration you need to keep going strong!


www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EVEN AS A HEALTH COACH, ONE OF THE HARDEST LESSONS I’M STILL LEARNING

MY FOOD IS FOR NOURISHING MY BODY , and even though I’m ALLOWED to eat whatever I want, if I want my body to be well and function for me, I’ve got to give it what it needs. I’ve seen way too many posts about how “toxic” it is to chase being skinny, and trying to lose weight means you don’t love yourself enough as you are, or accept yourself for who you are. Fair enough. If that’s how you feel, I understand. I’m not suggesting anyone turn themselves inside out or upside down to chase a number on the scale or a certain size jeans. But I AM suggesting that if you want your body to function optimally, you have to nourish it with the foods it needs. Your body needs protein, it needs fats, it needs carbs (yes, really), it needs vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and water. The ratios in which your body needs these nutrients will vary, but you still need them. And I’ve been gaining a lot of clarity in the last few years as I’ve gotten older, learned more about health, nutrition, and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE HEALTH LOOP YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE IN….

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You probably KNOW you’re in it, you’re just not sure what to do about it or how to get OUT of it. Let me explain. In this article I talked about five top health issues we face as busy moms: weight loss, stress management, sleep deprivation, dealing with mom guilt, and struggling with life balance. And the truth is, all of these health issues can be interconnected in ways we aren’t even aware of. You’re a busy mom. You’re going to have a hectic schedule. That can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to stress or weight gain (or both), which can lead to more sleep deprivation, which circles back to mom guilt for being tired and cranky and stressed out, and you’re trying to find a way to balance it all…. Sound familiar? In the article , I mentioned that an easy first step is to just Start Small . Have one glass of water. Take a 5-minute walk. Do 5 squats while you’re waiting for the microwave. Eat one piece of fruit. Just one little thing...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BREAKDOWN DAY - (warning, kinda personal)

We all have them. We’re busy moms, holding life together by a thread. You’ve had a series of THINGS happen. And by the way, it’s a BIG misconception, that it just came out of nowhere. No, it didn’t. This meltdown has been building up over time, like lava beneath the earth’s surface. The “things” can be big or small, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a bunch of issues over time that build and build. You may have had moments where you thought you had dealt with them. But in reality, you were probably just dealing with PIECES of the issue, and the rest was getting shoved aside to be handled another time. Only, you’re a BUSY MOM! “Another Time” rarely comes. You’re pushing ahead through the next thing and the next. I’m just going to use my example really quickly because I know EVERYONE’S situation is different. Perimenopause is causing a plethora of physical issues including night sweats, fatigue, sleep disruption, mood swings, weight gain, and others. Big Issue . Crazy sc...
Post a Comment
Read more