Getting Back to Basics & Elevating Your Baseline

Everyone feels rundown, overworked, and just plain depleted at one time or another. Getting back to basics with your weekly schedule will keep you feeling your best and ready to take on all that life throws your way.

‘The Basics’

Quality Sleep, nutritious meals, self care, journaling, and connecting with others are the main areas I focus on when I’m feeling depleted.  While at the surface these seem like pretty tangible goals to maintain, when our calendars are full to the brim day after day, these basic elements for a happy and healthy you are usually the first and easiest things to push to the wayside.

Personal Baseline

What is your personal baseline you may ask? What I am referring to with this term,  is the point where you feel stable, secure, nourished & calm so that you can go out and be the best you while you are fulfilling all of your commitments to others and working towards your personal goals.

For me, I feel my best when:  I eat healthy meals regularly, sleep at least 8 hours (even if 2 are just laying in bed & not actual sleep), working out in some capacity, (yoga, walking, zumba), have a clean house, and a plan in place for the upcoming week. Everything on top of that such as social events or fitting in a squeeze from my nephews are just icing on the cake.

That may sound like a lot, but if I have missed a workout due to a social event or grabbed a meal on the fly it won’t throw me off.  However, if I have eaten crappy for a few days, had a few bad nights of sleep, come home to a messy house, haven’t seen anyone outside of work in a few days AND missed my daily work out then I will most likely be feeling frazzled which will snowball into missed meetings, tardiness, forgetfulness and crankiness.

Taking time to check in with yourself to make sure your baseline needs are being met is a great way to ensure you are being the best version of yourself when you step into the world.

Plan it Out

Whether you work 9-5, 11-7 or nights and weekends - pick an afternoon or evening to map out your week so you can see when & where you need to be. Plan for your meals as much as you can, and work towards cooking as many as possible.  Add exercise as an event on your calendar and aim for 30 more minutes and 1 more day a week then you currently at. Pencil in some you time to journal, take a long bath; paint your nails or do something that allows you to check in with your mind, body & soul. Connect with others either during one of the meals or on a walk.  Just like anything else, the more you practice the things that make you a happier you, the easier it becomes to make them fit in naturally to your day to day life.

 Tips & Tricks from a Busy Chick

Time and money seem to be the 2 biggest roadblocks people will bring us as to why they don’t take time for cooking, exercise and self care. Remember, everyone has the same 24 hours in a day that you do – so make the most of the time you have.

Here are a few suggestions on for your meal prep day

1.       Wash & chop veggies for easy go to salads, hard boil eggs for protein on the go

2.       Make a big batch of soup for an easy lunch or dinner throughout the week

3.       Use a crock-pot – the best invention ever for quick easy home cooked meals

Fitting in a workout

1.       Get up 30 minutes earlier OR skip TV after dinner & go on a brisk walk, jog or run.

2.       Meet a friend for a workout instead of a meal – try a new class together through Groupon or Class Pass if they are offered in your area.

3.       Plan to walk on your lunch break – even 10 minutes will be a great addition to your day

Taking time for you

1.       Schedule it like you would any other important meeting, and don’t blow yourself off

2.       Look for fun ways to try something new for free. Sephora offers make up classes regularly & local park districts often provide free or low cost events and classes.

3.       Unplug everything - I mean it start to unplug 30 minutes before bed not looking at a screen of any kind and I bet you will fall asleep faster.

Increase your Understanding

As I delve deeper into my own self study, I have become fascinated with many different ideas and teaching, one in particular is Samskara.  Yogic philosophy teaches that we are all born with a set of mental & emotional patterns that we cycle through over and over throughout the duration of our lives. These ideas and actions together create our conditioning. When repeated over and over a sort of groove is formed which can be hard to break away from. Now these grooves can be positive, negative, or somewhere in between. The fact is being aware of them, and understanding that they can be changed – you can always break an old pattern and create a new groove in your life.

Think of your morning routine, for me it involves brewing a cup of coffee – hearing the grinder, smelling it brew, and enjoying a hot mug before interacting with anyone else =) I’m aware this groove, I enjoy it and I am not trying to break it at this time.

On the other hand, this time of year as the daylight shortens, and the temperature falls – my groove is to get mope-y and blue. I exchange tea for wine and salad for carbs. A little of this is just going with the seasonal flow, but when I find myself falling out of my good habits that I worked hard to create I make sure to get back into the positive groove(s) I created.

Why am I writing this?

I am a strong believer that knowledge is power, and even thought most of this is basic stuff, it can be helpful for people to read what others do to keep the wheels turning in their lives, so I am sharing what I have found useful with you.

If you like what you’ve read, check out my blog, join me in a class, or sign up for a week of yoga, healthy eating and self discovery in Spain. Along with 2 other instructors, and all made possible through Lucia Yoga, we will offer 6 days of yoga, mindfulness, healthy eating and exploration in beautiful Grenada Spain.

Full details on everything at www.stretchandbreatewithme.com or sign up at www.luciayoga.com choose Janet Keogh from the drop down menu, and feel free to email with any questions.