What I do to return to reality and re-establish routines and healthy habits.

Well, it was always destined to happen.  Summer is just about over.  It’s back to school time which I think many people can feel in the air regardless of whether they have children or family members in school or if they attend themselves.  The light, energy and atmosphere changes signaling that it is time for many to settle back into those routines that may have loosened up during summertime. If you are looking for some ideas, here are a couple of things that I have been doing over the last several days to get back to business and re-establish some of my good habits that I let slip (which to some extent was intentional so that I could spend more time enjoying summer) over the last few months: 

1. MEAL PLAN.  First, I sat down and put pen (actually, pencil - my favorite) to paper to plan out the meals I wanted to make over the next couple of weeks, visit my favorite cooking websites to find new recipes and then prepare my grocery list.  Once that was done, I invested a couple of hours at the grocery store to stock up on ingredients and fill up my pantry after a summer of limited food prep. 
2. FOOD PREP.  Then, the food preparation could begin.  I batch prepped a couple of soups, chili, sauces, dressings, veggies, oatmeal, rice and grilled lean protein.  This effort resulted in meals for the week as well as filled my freezer wholesome, healthy food that can be easily defrosted for busy weeknight meals.
3. ORGANIZE.  I cleaned out just a couple of closets and drawers to get organized.  I also went through clothes and household items that are no longer needed and prepared them to be donated.
4. PLAN WORKOUTS.  I reviewed my work and personal schedule for the next few weeks and calendared my workouts into my planner.  I may not always be able to get them in when planned, but it helps me to ensure that I get them done more often than not.  Then I don’t have to think about or decide when or whether to do it.  Once it is written down, it is likely to happen even when I don’t necessarily want to do it.
5. TRACK HABITS.  I resumed tracking my  list of daily tasks that I want to be sure I accomplish - like stretch for 5 minutes a day and remember to take my supplements.  I use a beautiful planner and habit tracker that was created by my friend, Alex.  She is truly amazing and you can find out more here. 
6. BREATHE.  This actually falls under 5, above, as something I have been working on developing as a habit, but it is so important to me that I felt it worthy of its own mention. Once summer is over, the days can be fast-paced and stressful.  I find taking a few minutes a couple of times a day to remember to actually breathe tremendously helpful in navigating through routine.

If I can help you with developing strategies for making healthy habits a part of your routine, reach out!