What’s your biggest challenge? To begin again

I often ask clients, “what’s your biggest challenge right now?” For a 44-year-old mother of two, a career woman, and someone trying to move across town, the answer was simple: to begin again.

She hadn’t checked in for 3 months. Her nutrition and exercise went from the best it’s ever been to “nothing.”

I grilled her for half an hour on why that happened, whether she could pinpoint a reason, etc.

We concluded that a lot of life and little energy conspired to derail her self-care.

No problem, it happens all the time. When she said she just needed to begin again I broke down how to go about getting back into the swing of things after a layoff. My suggestion is counterintuitive. A list of most important behaviors to start with goes like this:

Sleep

Food tracking

Weight lifting

Walking

Cardio

She expected to jump back in to the full tilt schedule she was in three months prior. I’m sorry to say, but things just don’t work that way.

After a layoff you have to start small and once you have proof of behavior your build back to where you were before. The building process can take a couple weeks if you’re on top of things or months if there’s a lot going on in life.

Sleep is the cornerstone of it all and there are two things to focus.

1.) The hours before bed

2.) The hour after waking

Before bed, there needs to be preparation for rest that gets rid of blue lights from devices. So no TV, cellphones, or laptops.

A warm bath or shower helps the body temperature drop once you get into bed, leading to sleep.

A non-stimulating activity like reading or listening to non-lyrical music helps.

It needs to be cold - the optimal sleep temperature has been found via research to be 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Knock liquid consumption off about 90 minutes before bedtime so you don’t need to wake up to pee.

Consider supplementing with L - Theanine, melatonin, chamomile, and other natural supplements to help wind you down and keep you asleep.

If supplements don’t work see your doctor about prescription options.

Aromatherapy helps with lavender and other pleasing scents topping the list of relaxing smells.

Lastly, white noise machines that produce a little background sound and drown out barking dogs, traffic, airplanes, and other distractions help.

All of that is to be considered in the hour before sleep, which is arguably the most important hour of the day, followed closely by the second most important - the hour after you wake up.

When you get up you want to have water after your bathroom and teeth brushing. Your body has been dehydrated for 8 hours or more so getting some cold water in starts the day right. Take any supplements or medications at the same time.

Next, exercise, meditate or read with a beverage of your choice. The most important thing about your morning is to not be rushed. Research has confirmed our minds work like inertia in the morning. If we wake up late, rush around in a frenzy, and create panic you can bet the rest of the morning/day will feel the same. That’s why it’s important to take your time, and DO NOT expose yourself to email, social media, the news, or any other information within the first hour of your day.

When my clients need to begin again, we start by taking care of their hours before bed and hours after waking.