Summer Health Goals

Summer is a time where many people feel good: spending more time outside, the sun is bright, produce is fresh and delicious, it’s easier to socialize, and the pace of life might be a little bit less intense.  Where menstrual cycles, mood, and energy might have been a struggle in the winter, many people notice improvements or just have less awareness of these concerns in the summer.  

This is actually a great time to reflect on health goals and implement new routines as you may have a bit more capacity to reflect, and energy to follow-through.   However, many of my patients find that because they feel a bit better they tend to have more erratic sleep schedules, consume more coffee and alcohol, and have less consistency with meals.   You can absolutely get away with some of this, but it’s still important to reflect.  

Break it down into concrete pieces:  sleep, nutrition, stress management, and movement are the biggest pillars that move your health forward.  Which do you struggle with the most? Break that down even smaller.  For sleep - is it your brain keeping you up at night because you don’t have a chance to think during the day? Is it getting caught up online at night? For nutrition, which meal is the biggest struggle? For movement - what do you enjoy? Is ‘stress’ an overactive stress response, too many demands, or your brain/body moving in too many directions at once? Choose one pillar, break it down, and start there in tiny, manageable pieces.  The struggle for most people is overwhelm leading to inaction OR overambitious goals which you can maintain for a week or two but don’t become routine.   A concrete plan is KEY, and accountability is what builds consistency.

If you’re struggling with this, feeling overwhelmed, or need that accountability, please reach out! Your health is so important for lifelong happiness and the small changes you make now provide massive impact!