3 easy Self-Care habits to Kickstart your day: 5 min read
Steve the Electrician rang the doorbell at 8:29 am.
He was nothing if not prompt.
I welcomed him in, lead him through the areas of the house that needed his expertise and then asked the polite question one should ask when someone comes into their home.
“Steve, can I get you anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“No thanks. I already had my cappuccino and a slider.”
I tried guys.
I tried SO hard.
However, I cannot be held responsible for the look of horror that swept across my face.
“Oh, okay. Well, let me know if you change your mind.”
Did he just say, “Cappuccino and SLIDER,” in the same sentence all before 8:30 in the morning?
For the next several hours Steve worked diligently and so did I, offering him water more times than presumably appropriate to offer someone working in your home. I couldn’t help myself. I could hear his organs silently pleading for hydration.
Now, let’s talk September. It’s upon us and without question every single person I’ve talked to is BUSY. SO much on their plates. And inevitably, the first thing to go when we’re busy is self-care. We all pretty much know the things we SHOULD be doing to take better care of ourselves. But like most things, it’s not always a matter of knowledge, but a matter of priority.
It’s easy to prioritize self-care when we’re sick. You have too. But when you’re healthy-ish and busy? Who has time?
Well, you do friend. You do. Because here’s the thing about time, you never “find” more of it. It’s not like the random nickels wedged in your sofa cushions. If we’re going to have time, we must make time otherwise, we will fill time with other things.
We’re not going to launch into an overwhelming list today; giving you 20 things to do for self-care or talk to you at length about the benefits of adding Collagen to your coffee.
Although I do and it’s wonderful.
Instead, we’re going simple.
Do-able. Small investment big impact kind of stuff with 3 self-care habits that REALLY could completely change your health. I know I know. It sounds salesy and dramatic. But, what if getting healthy and taking care of yourself was SO much simpler than you’re making it in your head? You know what’s actually much harder?
Feeling gross all the time and never doing anything about it.
So if you’re ready for a mini-jump start to your self-care and your day, these tips will get you there.
1. Start your day with 32oz of Water
This is 1 new health habit that has made a world of difference for me. I’ve always been a big water drinker. But this is different. This is 1st thing in the morning, before coffee, downing 32 oz of water. Why?
75% of Americans are dehydrated & just a 5% drop in water levels can cause a 25% drop in energy. And even though coffee is God’s gift to humanity, it can dehydrate you. So you’re compounding your dehydration by drinking coffee without first having water.
I have a goal to drink a gallon of water a day. Most, not all, but most days I get there.
How? I have a 32 oz ‘water bottle.’ (I use that term very loosely because it’s LEGIT a mason jar. My co-workers call it ‘Megan’s moonshine.’)
I chug 32 oz first thing in the morning. I ALSO have a couple of ounces of water with lemon and a teaspoon of coconut oil. But that’s me being extra, so, baby steps. You do you.
After coffee (because I want to be nice to people) I fill up my water bottle again, this time with a little Apple Cider Vinegar and stevia to cut the vinegar-ness of it all. That goes down either during exercise or getting while I’m getting ready depending on the day.
Try it. Because at that point, you’ll have 64 oz of glorious water floating through your belly, and you’ll only need to get another 64 oz throughout the day to meet your goal.
I PROMISE it’s not as hard as you think. Your brain, your energy, and your organs will thank you!
2. Exercise even if you “don’t have time”
We’ve talked a lot about the mental, physical and emotional benefits of exercise. Here & Here. And more tips to make exercise happen here.
There’s something about moving first thing in the morning that really connects your spirit, soul & body. And sure, would a 60min HIIT class be ideal?
Maybe.
But you know what else would be awesome, just making sure you’re moving every day. So here’s what I’m proposing. Set aside 12 min.
That’s it. You’ve got 12 min.
You can grow from there if you decide to. But, 12 minutes to get your blood pumping, your muscles activating, your endorphins kicking and your heart rate up will do wonders.
So set your alarm for 12 min earlier. It doesn’t have to be as hard as you’re making it in your head. Go on Youtube, look up a couple 12 min workouts, make a playlist.
But do it the night before, because YOU ONLY HAVE 12 MIN 😉
You can go longer, sure, double up and increase and rock out a longer workout if you can, but 12 min is much better than nothing AND if you can incorporate more movement later on in your day, you’ll be well on your way to creating, wait for it, a fitness routine. Look at you getting all buff.
3. Actually, take your vitamins
Chris and I have a line item in our budget for supplements. I’m holistic like that. But if that’s not your deal, start small and research a few supplements that will increase your health. Now, I’m no doctor and everybody is unique, however, in general, a good place to start is Vitamin D, which most Americans are deficient in, Vitamin C, Omega 3’s and Flax oil. And if you’re feeling stressed and/or a female Calcium/Magnesium isn’t a bad idea either.
To make it easy on yourself, get a weekday pillbox like this.
Mine is straight-up geriatric. It’s. Massive. But it works like a charm.
It takes me about 6 min a week to sort through supplements for both of us and then, we’re ready to go zero excuses.
It’s time to take care of yourself. You will never “find” more time. And you deserve to feel good for your life.
We can’t control everything, but we are responsible for what we’ve been entrusted with. As far as it depends on us, let’s be good stewards of these bodies God’s given us. These 3 tips will give you a good jumpstart.
What’s one self-care area that could use your focus right now?
Until next time,
Meg
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