In conversations with friends, I hear the push and pull of the pressure summer puts on our relationships with our bodies. It’s nearly impossible to avoid comparing our bodies to the bodies around us at the pool or beach. You may feel motivated to hit the gym and discover that six-pack underneath those layers.
And yet, vacation feels like the most appropriate time to stop watching what you eat and indulge. So which is it? Is summer when we should be crushing it and getting in shape or YOLOing it up?
What if I said it’s the totally wrong conversation to be having?
Loving and caring for our bodies doesn’t come and go with a season. The things that are best for our bodies are the best all twelve months of the year. Approaching our health with an on-off switch will not lead to maintainable results.
The best approach to any improvements you want to make in your physical health is to take it one habit at a time. That is always the most sustainable approach.
There are many great habits to consider; here are a few I recommend:
- Getting enough sleep. Try just focusing on your rest for a few weeks
- Are you drinking enough water each day? Try just monitoring your intake for a while.
- Are you a late night snacker? Maybe take the summer to commit to no foods after dinner and see where that new habit gets you.
- Daily exercise, even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes, the consistency of the daily is more important
- Increasing raw vegetable intake
- Keeping your sugar to the recommended daily intake (36g for men, 25g for women)
- Limiting processed food, increasing whole foods
What if you take the next 4-6 we have left of summer and commit to replacing ONE bad habit with ONE good habit? If that good habit stuck with you permanently, what would the results look like three months, six months or a year from now?
Which habit is top on your list?
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