Health reset without losing my mind

Why is it that our health is the first thing that we let slide when life or mental space gets full? Or maybe it’s just me? My exercise routines are now hit and miss at best. My eating habits are leaving me feeling sluggish.  Late nights have become more the norm than the exception. I know that taking care of myself physically has a direct impact on my relationships, work and leadership. The choice is mine. This is my declaration that I am pursuing a health reset. Maybe if I make it public the commitment level will increase!

“You have one body and your leadership lives in it.”

Jo Saxton

Mindset

The topic of health and exercise is fraught with opposing opinions and approaches. Changing eating habits and movement habits can bring with it guilt, shame and unhealthy obsessions. (I have come scarily close to an eating disorder before.) To combat this, you hear the encouragement not to ‘fat-shame’ and have self-compassion. I agree with this but then see the result is often a justification for doing nothing and making no changes. There has to be a middle ground. I need to keep myself on the hook for making the choices to fuel my body with nutritious food and exercise while still holding space for the times I make different choices without loading on the guilt. This is the mindset that I am approaching this health reset with. Is it one that you need to adopt too?

It’s the season

Here is Australia we have hit spring. The weather is amazing and the outdoors is calling. Spring and summer seem to be much easier seasons to get active and eat well, at least for me. Now is the time to make the most of it and solidify refreshed habits. There are more daylight hours to get out for walks. Getting up in the morning is so much easier when it isn’t dark and cold. Salads are my go to lunches because I genuinely enjoy them in summer. There are certainly still hurdles of motivation and preparation but I want to use the momentum of the season to help me push forward.

I know what has worked in the past for me and my body. Now I need to work out how to build the rhythms and routines into my days. I need to remind myself that I am still in a time of transition and trialling different rhythms for my days and weeks. The blocks of exercise time I am putting in my planner are not usually getting done, which suggests to me that something isn’t working! I don’t have this all figured out yet but it is a work in progress. Let’s approach health resets with experimentation in mind instead of hard standards and plans that leave us feeling like failures.

Start small

Today I choose to start small. I will make one snack that fits with how I want to be eating. I will schedule one swimming session for next week. Join me in making small changes each day. I have seen time and again how those small everyday choices add up. This is how we make sustainable change.

What areas of your life need a reset today? Have you been making health a priority? What is one small step you can take today? Join me in this health reset.