It is BACK TO SCHOOL time!

What a crazy 2020 it has been. Our kids are returning to campus for the first time since mid-March and we are all holding our breath. Many of us have been longing for a sense of normalcy. COVID has seriously gotten us all out of our routine. It has put a strain on us and our mental health. Now, more than ever, we need to be doing things that are going to increase our health and vitality. The best defense against any chronic degenerative disease or any illness is a strong immune system and robust health from the inside out.

Back-to-school time, even with all the new policies and not-so-normal school days, is a time of year when parents are excited to get back into some sort of routine. For many, getting back into routine also means recommitting to your health goals. Unfortunately, it is exceedingly difficult for many despite the strong desire.

I feel ya.

I am a parent of four children. One in college, one in high school, one in junior high, and one starting first grade. Many of you are in the same boat. While sending our kids back to school gives us some breathing room during the day, we still have to mitigate the mass chaos of the afternoon shuffle. Car pool lines, pick up after volleyball practice, or bring to volleyball practice on virtual learning days (my high schooler is on a schedule in which she alternates days she is on campus and days she does virtual learning from home), after school care, etc. This can be stressful and thwart our efforts to recommit to our health because there are only so many hours in a day.

So, the million-dollar question is…

How do we recommit to our health this school year?

First, let’s capitalize on the “back to routine” mindset. Mindset is everything. As Confucius says, “Those who think they can and those who think they can't are both usually right.” Basically, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Instead of getting discouraged with all the obstacles, let’s focus on the things we CAN control as well as making our health a priority. Afterall, how can we be super mom and super dad if we are not taking care of ourselves?

Once you’ve decided it is a priority to you, I can help you with the rest. By the way…you should check out my blog post on Priorities.

Now that you’ve got your mind set on getting back to a routine and it is a priority for you, you will need to map out a plan on how to accomplish it. Check out my post on The 4 Disciplines of Execution.

5 ways you can recommit to your health this school year:

Hydrate.Water makes up about three-fourths of our bodies affecting everything in our systems - from our blood to our skin to our muscles. Water also aids in eliminating waste, both at the cellular level and in overall digestion. Because of its major role in digestion, being properly hydrated is also important for the absorption of the macro- and micronutrients in the foods we eat. We could be eating the healthiest diet in the world, but if we aren't properly absorbing those nutrients, we're not getting much benefit. Water helps to regulate our body temperature, as well as providing lubrication for our joints and protection for our central nervous system (our brain and spinal cord). How much water should you drink? Start with half your weight in ounces per day. If you would like to learn more about hydration, check out this post.
Go for a walk.Commit to walking 45 minutes a day. Living in the 21st century, we simply do not get enough physical activity. We drive cars, sit at desks, sit in the bleachers at our kids ball games, sit on couches watching Netflix, lay in our beds drinking coffee and watching TV, etc. We are a highly, under-active culture. If we want to increase our metabolism, burn off those extra pounds, improve circulation, and increase our energy, we have to get MOVING! Check out my YouTube video “Move.”
Add in some resistance training. In addition to walking daily, I suggest also engaging in a resistance training routine. This could be done at your local gym or even in your own home. You do not need lots of fancy equipment to accomplish this. If time is an issue (and it always is, lol) simply commit to just 20-30 minutes three days a week. Once you’ve established a routine doing this, you will find that committing to 45 minutes of resistance training a few days a week is not only realistic by you will be amazed by the results this commitment produces. Increased energy, muscle tone, decreased body fat, a great sense of accomplishment and self-worth and lots of endorphins! Starting with something is always better than nothing. And as always, if you’re not sure where to start, give me a call and I will help you develop a routine specifically for you and your circumstances, environment and schedule.
Sleep.Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. If our body can’t repair itself, we end up in a vicious cycle of being overly catabolic and our body is degrading at an accelerated rate. When we are well rested from getting the rejuvenation and repair that happens when we get a full night’s sleep, our body has a fighting chance to endure all the stress we put on it each day. We live in a time that our sympathetic nervous system is VERY over stimulated while our parasympathetic nervous system is VERY under stimulated. As the sun sets and sunlight dissipates our bodies natural rhythm is to shift into parasympathetic mode releasing neurotransmitters and biochemicals to do all of the cellular and neural repair work our body needs. When we stimulate the sympathetic nervous system with bright lights, mental, emotional stress, etc. as well as going to bed too late, we compromise our bodies ability to recover and repair. For more on this, check out my video on Circadian rhythms as well as my post on sleep and repair.
Improve your nutrition. As the old saying goes…”You are What you Eat.” The reality is that the food you put into your body is either supporting and nurturing health and vitality or it is directly contributing to biochemical imbalance and creating disease. When we eat healthy food, we are insuring cellular health by giving our cells the vital resources they need to do their job of cellular repair and support optimal function. Quite literally, what we eat becomes apart of us. A great starting point when it comes to making positive changes to your diet is to start simple. Start with making small changes as to not overwhelm yourself and increase your chances of sticking to it. If you try to make a 180 overnight, chances are you will fail. I suggest starting small. For example, if your drink soft drinks daily, try cutting it in half the first week. Replace that half with water. The next week, cut it in half again and so on until you have eliminated soft drinks from you daily routine. Next, pick just one of your daily meals that you would like to make changes to (breakfast or lunch or dinner) not all three. Once you have made a habit of eating healthy for that one daily meal, you are ready to work on the second daily meal. Once you’ve mastered the second, then you are ready to move onto the third. As far as what changes you should make in these meals, follow these simple guidelines.
- If you cannot pronounce something on the ingredients label, rest assured your liver doesn’t like it and it most likely is not supporting health and vitality.
- Choose foods that were here a thousand years ago like, fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, etc.
- Chose organic as much as possible. Avoid highly processed foods and drinks with dyes, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.
If the thought of dietary changes overwhelms you and you need some help, my team and I are always here for you and we can help you. If you would like to go down the rabbit hole with me on nutrition, grab a bag of organic popcorn at watch my YouTube video on “Food for thought.” Then, read this post on connecting your health to your food.

If you would like help recommitting your health this school year, we have designed a specific program to help our clients to do just that! We cover in great detail these 5 ways to recommit to your health and a WHOLE lot more with a foolproof program full of accountability. Our Fit 180 program turns over every rock and covers every variable to insure our clients reach their goals and increase their health and vitality.

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