3 Ways to Stay Consistent When Life is Constantly Changing
1. Create a Routine + Stick to it
I don’t know about you but I am certainly a better person when I am in a routine. I have developed my own routine over the years that works best for me but I know everyone needs to have their own specified routine. My daily routine looks a lot like this:
Let’s Wake Up! So I wake up around 5:30/6:00 AM. But let me tell you…I’ve never been a morning person until I stuck to it for a while and now I would much rather wake up at 5:30 than sleep in until 8. You get so much more done and you go to bed feeling a lot more accomplished even for just those 2 extra hours.
Let’s Sweat! The first thing I do when I get out of bed is throw on my workout clothes and fill my water bottle and then I press play. I used to have really negative eating behaviors which led to poor sleep habits which led to more bad eating habits - eating leftover pizza for breakfast, snacking Cheez-its and pickles between every meal, eating sweets late at night which prevented my body from wanting to go to sleep (and you’re probably wondering why in the world I’m telling you this here). A lot of this got corrected by me working out in the morning. I was more hungry during the day which was hard at first because I felt like I never stopped eating but once I was doing it consistently, I focused on what I was fueling my body with. The more and more I turned away from foods that were not nutritional and full of junk, the more I craved the healthy things. And the more I ate these healthy things, the less I would crash during the middle of the day because although I was eating MORE food + calories, I wasn’t craving the junk food and the sweets anymore. So get yourself moving in the morning - even if it’s just for a short walk. You’ll thank yourself later!
Let’s Fuel Our Body! When the workout is over, I’ve usually got a grumbling stomach so it’s time to fuel myself for the day. The first thing I want to incorporate into my breakfast is some form of protein whether that be eggs, Greek yogurt, protein pancakes or a protein shake. I am one to start out with a medium sized breakfast because I like to have a mid-morning snack which typically consists of coconut flavored yogurt with some sugar free Jell-O mixed in (it almost tastes like dessert).
Let’s Get Ready for the Day! Once my stomach is no longer grumbling and I’ve finished my breakfast, I hop in and take a quick shower and then get dressed and ready for the day. I feel so much better changing into normal day clothes even if I’m not doing anything that day. Sometimes you just do the things that make you feel more productive even if you aren’t going to have a productive day.
Things to Track and Remember Throughout the Day:
DRINK WATER! I make sure to drink at least 4-5 of my water bottles throughout the whole day. This keeps me more than adequately hydrated. I did pee a lot when I first started this but now it’s more consistent however I do pee more than the average female I feel…
Stick to the foods you prepared for yourself to eat that day - this prevents you from eating unhealthy food items and also helps keep you from crashing mid-day from the junk food.
Sit as little as possible. Stand at work as much as you can so you don’t train your body to sit all day because when you sit all day, your body actually thinks exercising is foreign and we shouldn’t allow that.
Wear the right shoes for whatever you are doing. When I am going to have a busy day running errands and I know I’m going to be walking around most of the day, my shoes are the first thing I think of because if my feet are not comfortable, I am not comfortable.
Bring layers with you - especially in the spring and fall - you never know when you’re going to get too hot or too cold. I never leave home without a sweater or a light jacket during those seasons.
Shine His light on all around you! You never know when someone is going to need your helping hand - seek those opportunities to give back and help others. You’ll thank yourself later.
Let’s Go Back Home! I know your first inclination is to sit on the couch or at the counter when you get home. That’s okay - you have to give yourself a break from a busy day at some point. But let’s not forget we have to make dinner and still make good choices for the remainder of our awake time. At this point, I am preparing for dinner and squeezing in a short walk with the dog if time allows otherwise he waits until the evening. The meal is already planned and prepped from our meal plan we make at the start of each week which is highlighted below in the next point so all I have to do is start putting it together! Easy!
Enjoy Dinner! Some dinners are shorter than others due to my husband working night shift but this is still the meal we both look forward to every day. It’s a time not only to eat but it’s our time to keep each other updated and to dive into our daily devotions. Some of our most important conversations started at the dinner table.
Make Constructive Use of Your Evening Time! When I don’t have anything going on in the evening, I do one of three things: ONE - I choose to do something that I’ve been putting off for a while (like laundry, cleaning, organizing, etc.). TWO - I choose to do something with friends or family like going out for drinks, taking the dogs for a walk, or just simply spending time with them. THREE - I do nothing and I stay in and read a book or watch a movie and take some ME time.
Get Ready for SLEEP! My bedtime routine isn’t much like my morning. My body can easily be awoken but it’s hard to make it go to sleep. I spend most of my evening making sure the lights are dimmed in the house so I can naturally begin to become tired. And in recent months, I have cut out the use of electronics in the bedroom which has helped a ton. If I feel like stretching at night, I will always take that opportunity because the days seem to always get too busy for that. In the winter months you’ll find me drinking chamomile tea before bed most nights because I like being warm. My bedtime routine is like most others - put on your jammies, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, turn on the fan, plug in your phone and crawl under the covers. And just like that, we start all over again the next day!
2. Meal Plan at the Start of Each Week
This is one habit that Jordan and I made about a year ago and have enjoyed since. I created this weekly meal calendar that I print off in bulk to be used each week and I just stick it up on the fridge. It’s simple and I will link it below in case you’d like to use it, too! On Saturday mornings or Sunday nights, Jordan and I will make a meal plan for the week. This allows us to both share the things we may be craving and to ensure we don’t buy unnecessary food just to waste it without a plan in place. We compare our work schedules, our activities for that week and any other necessary events that would effect meal planning and work to decide what we want that week. We try to aim for meals that are easy to make when we are both working the same days so we can give ourselves enough time to make dinner without being rushed through eating it. And then on the days where we are not working, we make the meals that take a little bit more time.
Some of our go-to meals are listed and linked below:
(1) Korean Beef (with a vegetable for a side)
(2) Lillie’s Chili-Lime Shrimp Skillet (Found in Lillie Eats + Tells ONE Cookbook - sorry I cannot share but this cookbook is ABSOLUTELY WORTH buying)
(3) Lillie’s Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and “Rice” Casserole (Found in Lillie Eats + Tells ONE Cookbook - sorry I cannot share but this cookbook is ABSOLUTELY WORTH buying)
(4) Baked Salmon + Homemade Bruschetta on French bread
(5) Tacos in all the forms - chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, fish
Get the FREE Printable Meal Plan + Grocery List
Reprogram your weekly meal planning to set yourself up for success!
3. Move Your Body Every Day
Move your body every day. A sedentary lifestyle has shown to lead to poor habits and unhealthy practices. And I’m not saying go exercise for 2 hours each day - that’s not healthy either. But getting up out of your chair and stretching or taking a walk on your lunch break instead of sitting at your desk or standing at work instead of sitting for 8 hours straight. These are all really simple things we can do to alleviate some of the negative impacts that a sedentary lifestyle can have on ones health. I try to (at the least) be on my feet for as much as I am sitting on my butt during the day. Our human bodies are actually built to withstand being on our feet all day long, we just have created a new “normal” for our bodies that being on our feet all day makes us sore or tired thus sitting seems so much easier. I challenge you to spend more and more of your day on your feet vs in a chair. It’s good for you!
