I recently had a conversation with a friend/client about taking care of herself. Obviously, I am in the business of fitness--caring for the performance, aesthetic, and structure of our bodies. Moving on a parallel line to your workouts, is the care of your sleep, nutrition, stress levels, and holistic self.
When I am bringing on a new personal training client, there is always a discussion about stress levels, sleep, and nutrition. I need to know what's happening outside of the 1 hour block that is dedicated to movement. The other 24 hours are often time more defining to achieving (or not achieving) goals, than the 1 hour you spend on your workout.
Self-care can look various ways according to the season of life you are currently living. Let me explain that a bit more:
When I was in my early to mid 20's with no kids, newly married, minimal responsibilities outside of a full-time job, my self care working out, cooking new recipes, running in races. I worked a desk job and really craved a physical outlet. Meal planning and trying new recipes was super fun and I dedicated a lot of time to it.
Fast Forward to my husband and I having a newborn. Those first few weeks at home, self care looked different! A shower, finishing my coffee while it was warm, getting take-out, ordering some clothes that fit--that was taking care of myself. I prioritized walks before my husband left for work without the baby in the first couple of weeks. Just 20 minutes outside ALONE really helped me feel better. As I felt stronger, I would ask for 20 minutes alone to do stretching, core rehab, and some light upper body. The key word in this is ALONE.
Moving forward, we adjusted to life with one kid and then added another! Self care continued to look different. The main difference of having one kid vs. two kids is that you reduce your overall "free" time. I assume this is the case with every kid you continue to add. With one kid, I had some built in free time within the day. With two kids, it reduced to very little (at the beginning). ASKING for 30 minutes to stretch/lay in the floor/core rehab (again alone!!) was key. Walks without the kids. Deciding that we would get in the car and drive to Starbucks for a drive-thru coffee. (and maybe just drive around for an hour if the kids fell asleep!!!). I began having a cleaning service assist with the house cleaning once a month. I began ordering Daily Harvest so I had frozen healthy, mostly organic meal in my freezer. I began ordering Hello Fresh so I didn't have to spend my time and energy on meal planning and thinking. Brain space is valuable. I began to only grant my brain space to things that mattered and were pivotal for our wellbeing.
I have entered into a new phase of caring for myself with a 6 year old, almost 3-year old, and new fitness business. Caring for myself means waking up early and having a probiotic and some coffee (not together lol) in the dark hours of morning. Going to bed early and consistently at the same time. Still using Daily Harvest and Hello Fresh to assist me with occassional meal planning, but also dedicating some time to cooking for my family. It means assessing the week and determining if I need to hire a babysitter to get some uninterrupted tasks done.
Self care in this phase is a skin routine!! I am using vitamin C, using the serums, eye creams, cc creams, masks, peels. I am investing in some quality products and services with an esthetician. This is important to me, and I prioritize it.
Massages need to happen. Stretching needs to happen. Proper nutrition with adequate amounts of vitamins and protein is a non-negotiable. I decided a long time ago that alcohol was not going to be part of my daily, weekly, or even monthly routine! I am not at my best when I have alcohol. Now, don't misinterpret--I enjoy a delicious glass of bubbles socially or out to dinner :) Prosecco is usually my drink of choice if you are wondering.
Bottom line--at this stage in the game. 35 years old, 2 kids, husband, and very physically demanding job, I either take care of myself or watch it crumble.
I tell you this because every single person is going to have a different way of taking care of themselves. Having tea in the afternoon with a book may not be as replenishing to some as it is to others. Walking or running around the neighborhood may not be what your body and self are craving as care.
So what does it look like for you? Do you need to create some new self care rituals? What are you going to do this week to bring your own self some joy, some peace, or some care?? Write it down or DM me!
Sometimes, taking care of ourselves in the short term is the greatest gift we can give to our future selves.
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