Josie has two kids, a spouse and a full-time job. She feels like she can barely go to the bathroom alone.

Joe is a travel nurse. He works long hours, sometimes weekends, and likes to spend time with family.

Sam has elderly parents that require a lot of care and attention. She brings them to doctors’ appointments and checks in often.

Do these scenarios ring a bell? Chances are you and/or people you know have a similar story to the people depicted above. After all, we all have a lot going on and give a lot. But if we are honest with ourselves… 

We all have time. You just need to take it.

The airlines have it right when it comes to self-care. When the plane hits turbulence, masks deploy. You put your own mask on before helping others. Do it any other way and you won’t be able to help anyone else.

Likewise, putting your health and fitness, your engine, on the back burner will leave you sputtering. At some point you’ll be, quite literally, gasping for air.

When was the last time you took time to evaluate your self-care practices? 

What does your exercise routine look like? Do you feel like you’re able to make as many workouts as you want each week?? Block a specific time in your schedule, just like a doctor’s appointment. Make it your priority. After all, this time can help you relax and refocus so you can do those other things in your day with much more energy making things more efficient and take even less time!

Do you have a solid exercise schedule? What does your recovery look like? After all, the gains we see from the gym come when we rest. Schedule a massage, yoga class, or some quiet time. Block it off. Make it an appointment.

What does your diet look like? Does it need a little cleaning up? Mix a healthy meal in as much as you can. Start with one and go from there. Need some guidance? We can help.

It’s so easy to brush off self-care! There’s always chores, work, errands, parties to attend, family to take care of, and other stressors. Take the time now to make yourself a priority!

Even as someone who owns their own business and would think has total control of their day, I have these issues too! Katelyn called me out on how I was letting things just take up way too much space in my mind and I wasn’t prioritizing my time effectively a couple weeks ago. It resulted in me feeling like even taking out the trash was just a monumental task. We made it a point to set a bedtime for ourselves and do yoga together twice per week. Now I’m able to attack work in less time (today I’m doing 2 hours of work in about 45 minutes because I was able to focus myself by starting out the day with some stretching and coffee, now I have an extra 75 minutes to dunk on my son at the basketball court)!

It’s important to embrace self-care. Increasing physical activity, decreasing mental stress and being intentional with healthy eating is vital to supporting mental and physical health, staving off illness and recuperating faster if we get sick or injured.

Pull out your planner (google or apple calendars work great)! Make an appointment with yourself and stick to it! Breaking friction and creating some inertia will help lead to you feeling better than you ever thought possible.

Be better at life by being better to yourself first.

To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro