I have a daily routine that I stick to seven days a week and it’s full of Microsteps to get myself into peak state for the day ahead. To start, I aim to get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night. I wake up at 5 a.m. and immediately drink some water, sometimes lemon water, to quickly hydrate after sleep. Then I exercise for 30 minutes and practice gratitude while I take a shower. I make time to meditate or practice breathing exercises and then journal for 10 minutes, including affirmations. I call or text my husband and tell him I love him — as I don’t always see him in the mornings — and then I make my to-do list. It’s so important to me to have this routine for myself every day. It sets me up physically and mentally and has made a positive impact on my mindset.
When organizing my day, I set a cutoff time to stop work and I stick to it. I’ll also set an alarm for every 30 minutes to remind me to move. I’ll go outside to get some fresh air, do some star jumps, squats, or just dance around to some great music, even while I am on a call. At the end of every day I acknowledge my accomplishments — I don’t beat myself up about what I didn’t do, but reflect and ask myself “what could I have done better?” For my nutrition, I practice intermittent fasting, portion control, and I take a health protocol that balances my omega-3 and omega-6, strengthens my immune system, and improves gut health. This has resulted in significant weight loss.
Since prioritizing these new lifestyle habits, the changes have been profound. I started them in January this year when I had a major breakthrough in looking at my life, health, and my desire to have a quality of life as I get closer to turning 59. Now my energy levels are through the roof and my clarity of mind is super sharp. My body is stronger and healthier and so is my mind. These changes have positively impacted all areas of my life and my personal growth is tangibly felt by all that I interact with.
For example, I am going through menopause and, as we know, this is a hugely difficult time for most women. We tend to lose a lot of confidence in our abilities (brain fog), we get very emotional about the smallest things, and the physical symptoms can be massively impactful (hot flashes, thinning hair, weight gain). Therefore our personal brand, especially at work, takes a massive dent. Last year I considered leaving the business because I felt that my abilities to do my job were impaired. However, my self-development journey, which included creating new habits and new beliefs about myself, changed that completely. Self-love is so important — in fact, it is the most important thing anyone can do for themselves.
I believe that the obvious changes in me have inspired people around me to look at their own well-being and mindset, but they also feel inspired because they see my transformation. I make lots of white space in my days to reach out and connect with my team and I know it’s appreciated.
If I could offer some advice to those reading this, it’s to be kinder to your body. Your lifestyle has a huge impact on your natural ability to function at an optimal level. Try to have a more proactive or preventative mindset toward your health and well-being. Having a reactive mindset can be very damaging. Additionally, stay authentic to yourself and don’t feel pressure to be or look like someone different. Stay in your own power and be the guardian of your mind. Talk to yourself positively. Regularly look at your life container and remove or change the aspects that you are holding onto that no longer serve you. Replace them with things and people that do. Having a life coach can help you navigate aspects of your life that you need some traction on, and will keep you accountable. And finally, negative people don’t pay rent so they have no place living in your mind.