Here are five health changes I’m making this summer and the small tweaks to set me up for success.
I’m sure you know the feeling: You’ve been humming along at life, busy and distracted, and realize that you haven’t really focused on your health much lately.
Mindfulness is key to a healthy lifestyle. I truly believe that if we aren’t mindful, we’ll just trend towards habits that aren’t as health-focused. Sugar, fat and alcohol are delicious and addictive for a reason. It takes more time to prepare a salad than pick up a quick meal. You have to be mindful if you want to put your health first and set yourself up for success.
Every now and then I like to do a check in with myself and figure out some small tweaks I can make to set myself up better for success. Whether it’s mental health or physical changes to my diet or exercise routine or just checking in on the habits that add up to make up your total health foundation.
Here are a few of those reflections and five health changes I’m working on to focus in on the areas of water, strength, walking, dessert, and wine.
5 Health Changes I’m Working On
Getting intentional with my water consumption
While my giant 32 ounce Hydroflask follows me around my house all day, I admit I am not the best at drinking from it! I tend to use thirst as my guide to drink (naturally). And unless I’m sweating in the sun, I don’t feel thirsty all that often!
But we all know how good H20 is for you, and I decided I wanted to be a little more proactive with my water consumption.
Thus, I’m trying to drink one whole bottle (32oz) before lunch and one whole bottle after. It’s a loose goal, but I am doing better! I’ll tell you: drinking water is b-o-r-i-n-g but it always always makes you feel better and it has countless health benefits!
Sipping water while writing this post!
Focusing on strength
As I detailed in this post, I did so much cardio in March and April when I was away from the gym. I probably did one strength workout each week. I decided that I missed feeling more toned, and I have committed to at least two full body strength workouts each week.
Strength Classes
Now that I’m back at the gym, I love to do strength classes. I don’t push myself nearly as hard when I’m on my own! The classes I attend are 45 minutes and cover almost the whole body – with a focus on triceps and biceps one day and chest and back the other. We’ll also focus on lunges one day and squats on the other. I find I’m the strongest, most fittest version of myself when I go to these classes! And I LOVE the music and community that come along with them.
Virtual Strength
If you don’t have a gym or strength classes you love, I highly recommend the Sydney Cummings YouTube channel. It was my go-to in 2020 when I was working out at home. (Other alternatives are the Peloton app or Nike+ app.)
I LOVE Sydney’s style, and her channel is great because I can watch them for free right on my big downstairs TV.
Sydney has all kinds of classes and different times too, so I choose the style, time, and focus based on how I’m feeling that day.
Favorite Sydney Cummings classes I’ve done:
- 30 Minute HIIT Legs, Cardio, and Agility Workout
- 45 Minute Full Body Workout
- 15 Minute Full Body Friday
- 30 Minute Full Body HIIT Burn Workout
Other Workouts
On the non-strength days – I Peloton, play soccer or walk! Check out my favorite Peloton classes and instructors in this post. Sometimes I run but I’m mostly walking or Pelotoning these days to rest my foot that has chronic pain.
I made a walking desk out of my treadmill
Speaking of walking…I’ve been walking during calls and while watching courses on the treadmill! We have a NordicTrack 990 (review here).
I took our dining room table leaf and flipped it upside down on the tread. (*do not try this at home). It’s heavy enough that it doesn’t slip. Perhaps long-term I’ll have Thomas make me a more permanent sturdy version.
But while I’m doing Beautycounter calls or checking emails, it’s been kind of fun to get my workout in at the same time. (I’m usually doing this during Birchie’s afternoon nap). The most I’ve done was 3.5 miles (at incline 5) doing an hour and a half of work! That is the definition of efficient. It’s also about the max I could do in a day – I could never have a walking desk for an 8 hour workday! I needed a good foam roll after my hour+.
Check out the updates to our basement fitness room here.
Typical: Cutting back on sugar
I am all about desserts when the time is right – an ice cream cone mid afternoon on a hot day, a slice of cake at a party. But I feel better when desserts are reserved as a “sometimes” occurrence than a daily habit.
Dark chocolate is the exception – a square or two a day is always encouraged! But nightly dessert bowls after dinner? Thomas and I got a little too used to having ice cream after dinner for a while there, and I made the decision that I would reverse that habit back for a bit. It was an easy change to make (surprisingly the easiest of them all!)
I find that if I brush my teeth early in the evening (especially if I floss!) the craving for dessert goes away. So I go up and do my nighttime skincare routine and brush my teeth right after putting Birch to bed.
Doing a little reading on the benefits of cutting back on sugar always inspires a bit too. There are so many health conditions and public health PSAs surrounding added sugar, and who doesn’t want to put their health as the very top priority at the end of the day?!
Wine
A change that wasn’t so easy is going back to wine on the weekends. I’m not sure if it’s feeling like so much has been taken away during the pandemic or a reaction to actually following a program for a year (or both) but it’s been hard for me to say no to a class at 5:00 during the week! It seems the nights that Mazen is with his dad are the ones that feel a bit more like a vacation and I find myself craving that glass at the end of the day. Progress not perfection is my goal here, and I’ve been doing better taking some nights off.
Amy says
We save alcohol and ice cream for the weekends as well, and I’m glad that I already had that guideline in place before quarantine started, because I can see how what you’re saying would be such a slippery slope. It would be really easy to tell myself I “deserve” a glass at the end of a long day right now, because what else do we have these days? I’ve seen a lot of people mentioning how they are drinking a lot more these days, so having a simple guideline in place has been so helpful.
Kath Younger says
Slippery slope indeed. It’s been a struggle for me after a solid year of no-alcohol weeknights!
Katie says
Wine and sugar for me! I haven”t had a glass of wine for 5 weeks now (and going to ride this train as long as I can). It was negatively affecting my mind too much and for me, just not worth it. I try to save dessert to 1-2 times per week (typically once during the week and once during the weekend) and that seems to work well. My husband is obsessed with ice cream, so that’s typically our dessert. We never have it in the house though, otherwise we’d be eating it daily, so we drive to our local ice cream shop (Graeters mmm) and support them that way. It just tastes so much better when you don’t eat it daily and look forward to it after a long week of work from home. 🙂
Denise says
I’m super proud of the progress I’ve made on my water intake! I average 60 – 75 ounces a day now and that is HUGE for me. Wine and sugar are the two I need to focus on. I make a goal and then somehow it falls by the wayside. I don’t actually eat a lot of desserts. I’m focusing on added sugar now. But wine, oh wonderful wine! I am really enjoying the cans of rose out now. I don’t keep it in the house, so maybe it’s just a purchase I’ll make during grocery shopping and that’s it.
Kath Younger says
That’s amazing on the water!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I love your walking desk! I wish I had a treadmill to do something like this! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Jamie says
The ice cream and wine consumption have definitely increased this year! And when I try to avoid one then I tend to think I deserve the other as a reward. I’m working on it. I did buy super small ramekins and use that as my ice cream dish so I still have a taste but don’t over do it.
Elizabeth A Weber-Falk says
Growing up dessert was a treat. Most evenings we would have fruit for dessert. Plums, peaches, nectarines. In the cold seasons it was bananas, grapes and assorted apples. These were in a bowl on the table to grab when we wanted.
Kath Younger says
Fruit is nature’s dessert!
Denise says
Given how much sugar is in fruit, I don’t understand what this kind of perspective accomplishes other than to be typical diet-restrictive. A well portioned homemade dessert (which may include fruit) is part of a balanced diet, the same as snacks and a small glass of wine is.
Health does not mean restricting everything all of the time. The message coming from an RD, probably not meant intentionally but I think sent unintentionally, is those who are choosing these things are not choosing health which is not true.
Kimberly says
I’ve been trying to drink more water. I really need to get my butt in gear and get moving. Don’t know why I lack motivation lately. I’m seriously annoyed with myself.
Melanie says
I struggle with balancing wine/beer consumption so I feel you! We try to only drink on weekends and for the most part, we stick to that. It’s throttling it on the weekends that can get tricky. If I open a bottle of wine around 5, I’ve easily finished it by 11:30 that night (by myself!). Too many calories, too much alcohol!
So this has be summer of the wine spritzer for me. I’ve been topping every glass with a generous glass of Topo Chico (my very fave plain sparkling water). Topo is expensive and comes in glass bottles so I’ve kind of made it special to have it. That’s cut my actual wine consumption to about 10-12 oz per evening. I’ve also been buying a lot of canned wine – Crafted Union, Underwood even good ol Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc in cans! Then I portion that out along with the Topo Chico and it keeps me in line. Love single serving packaging!
I really have enjoyed this little routine – the bubbles make it feel festive and I don’t feel nearly as bloated and crappy the next morning!
Kath Younger says
Good strategy!
Tara says
So I love the comments and suggestions about the wine drinking/reduction. My bf is a beer drinker so if I open a bottle of wine then it’s super easy for me to pour myself big glasses and go through 3+ glasses and finish the bottle on my own in a night. I haven’t found a can wine that is easily accessible here so my go to wine is Kendal Jackson Chardonnay and it’s not THAT expensive and if I want to limit my wine drinking to two glasses (get this…make sure you are sitting down). – I will pour half the bottle down the sink right after I open it! OMGOSH – does that make you cringe – yep – I hear ya. But it creates an environment for me to make a better choice of sticking to my 2 glass plan.
And actually since July I’ve reduced the wine drinking in general to never – and chosen a gin and seltzer with muddled cucumber, lime and mint! That’s super refreshing and doesn’t make my body feel ick after two drinks.
It’s funny how much easier things are when we just listen to our bodies!
Bravo to you for focusing on these changes to help you feel great!
Kath Younger says
haha!! You need a wine saver that sucks out the air and put it waaaaay back in your fridge (or even better, a downstairs/basement fridge) to forget about it until the next time!
Stephanie says
I’ve also started drinking more water. I aim for 64oz of plain water per day. I will usually drink a couple cans of sparkling water also (lunch and dinner), but I don’t count them towards my 64oz. This is more because otherwise I might only drink sparkling water and I wanted to limit my consumption (budget reasons). A friend of mine and I text each other our water and workout progress each day, it’s been very helpful to have the accountability.
I”m also working out more. Or again? I’ve gone back and forth on exercise over the years. I decided to turn my guest room into a workout room mirrors and all. This has been amazing! I’m in there 5-6 days a week now. I’m using BeachBody on Demand. I started with Country Heat (so fun!), and now I’m doing LIIFT4 with Country Heat on my off days. I’ve always loved lifting. It feels nice to get back to it.
The one goal I’ve been not as good on is cooking more. I’m currently on Nutrisystem, but this time around I wanted to focus more on getting in the veggies they recommend and also doing the flex meals (meals not provided by them). I didn’t do this the last time and when I stopped and started eating out again all the time I started to gain weight back. Thankfully I didn’t gain it all back.
Kath Younger says
good for you for taking charge!!
Barbara says
All great ideas…I’ve been consciously trying to up my water intake also ( my goal is 3 -28 oz water bottles per day.)..what I do to make it much more tasty is throw in a fruit flavored tea bag…add water and ice and keep adding water all day long…my favorite is celestial seasonings fruit tea sampler.
Kath Younger says
A fruit tea is a great idea!
Sarah says
Ah, weights. I prefer cardio, but need to do them for total healthy. Thanks for the Sydney Cummings recommendation. I’ll have to check her out!
Robin says
I saw your “treadmill desk” and copied it. Great idea – makes quarantine more bearable!
Kath Younger says
Yay!
The Many Thoughts of a Reader says
I need to get better at water drinking. I am so so bad at it. I am not drinking anything else, I’km just not drinking! Besides my 2 cups of coffee in the morning that is ha! I have been trying to get more steps in too. I usually take the kids on an after lunch walk and then after the baby goes down I go walk by myself. I’m trying to start running again, but I totally need a better sports bra.
Bionaze says
We have a very similar situation. I’m also focusing on my health nowadays. Before COVID-19, honestly speaking I don’t really give care to my health. But after realizing that HEALTH is really very important, I focus more and invest in my health. Thank you very much for sharing your story. I’m going to do this too.
Rashi says
One major health change that I have adopted is replacing refined sugar with raw honey and I can see a difference in my energy level and I feel so much better and less bloated. I have been using the Raw Honey by Kapiva and I have
quite enjoyed their taste and texture.
Jay Asitis Whey says
the year 2020 taught me a lot of things. I learned to stay healthy and fit on a bare minimum. Now, I don’t need fancy equipment or a gym to stay in shape. I can workout anywhere. This is the best thing I have learned so far.
Vasara says
I was struggling to beat procrastination for very long time. Your article motivated me to get rid of procrastination. Taking inspiration from your story, I’ll start with breaking my goal down into a minuscule, effortless, initial task and putting it into motion immediately.
Thanks for sharing.