A busy woman’s guide to prioritizing her health

Is your plate overflowing? … Are your days are filled with juggling jobs … juggling kids … juggling jobs and kids? Are you overwhelmed even thinking about fitting one more thing onto your plate? The thoughts might be in the back of your mind … “I want to exercise.” “I want to feel better in my body.” “I want more energy.” “I would love to prioritize fitness and/or wellness as my self care.” Does any of that sound familiar? You might even have a little time where you could fit something in, but you ask yourself, “where do I even begin?” or “how do I even begin?” You landed here. You are taking the time to read this post. This is your answer to where and how to begin! Welcome! I am so glad you’re here! The key to beginning is starting slowly. One step at a time. Once you master step #1, then move on to step #2 then to step #3 and so on. This is the magic formula. Slow and steady wins the race. Before you know it, you’ve built a strong, healthy body that you can sustain, and you are feeling confident, energetic, and in control of your health and wellness. I’m a personal trainer so you might think I am going to jump right into getting you moving. But, I am also a health coach, so there are a couple of steps I want you to consider before we even get into moving. By taking these steps first, I hope the fitness part will come much easier to you because you’ll begin to feel more energy by laying the foundation to any solid health and fitness program. So let’s get into this! Step #1: Prioritize sleep I’m sure you’ve heard this before. You may have even tried it before, but because you are so busy, you just can’t get more than 5 hours of sleep a night. Plenty of people operate just fine with just 5-6 hours per night. But this really doesn’t give our internal processes (think brain recovery from all the nervous system stimulation from the day – i.e. kids/husband/boss/employees crying/whining/demanding your energy). For me, sleep is my primary form of self-care. It’s what I need to function and focus each day. As step #1, I would like to encourage you to get 30 more minutes of sleep a night. Work your way up to adding 1 hour of sleep each night. –Again, start slow, pick one or two nights a week where you can plan to turn off the lights 30 minutes earlier. Take some time for this new sleep habit to kick in by slowly adding more days per week where you are now getting 6-7-8 hours of sleep per night. Find the right amount that works for you. The right amount that allows you to feel rested when you wake up. Your body and your brain will notice and thank you!   Step #2- Proper Hydration Feel free to tackle this one now or as you are getting more comfortable with your new sleep pattern. Hydration is the name of the game. Getting and staying hydrated is a game changer. And yes, I am talking plain ol H2O. Now, I love plain ol H2O. I had to get used to it as it is so…well, boring. But now it really is my beverage of choice to quench my thirst. There are so many flavored waters on the shelves now, if plain ol water is not your thing then indulge in a flavor you fancy. Just keep an eye on what exactly is flavoring the water. Is it sugar? Is it adding calories to something that should be zero calories? Watch out for that! Or maybe it’s as simple as adding a splash of lemon to your ice water to give it the kick you need. If you are not a water drinker now, this is where I encourage you to start slowly. Order water with lunch. Aim for adding in 12oz of water a day (that’s typically 1 bottle of water). Then work your way up to doubling that (2 bottles of water). And keep going! Water is another thing both our body and brain need. Adequate hydration provides the body with more energy. It can help clear skin. It can help take away bloating. Getting and staying hydrated helps all of our internal systems work better and feel better.   Now, I’m just going to leave these two foundational steps here. I want you to become the master of your sleep. I want to feel energized and I want to feel ready when we do start to add in the movement. Stay with me here at NickiFit A to Z to keep learning simple, sustainable ways to take control of your health, to feel energized, confident, strong… to feel better in your body. Much more to come!