Creating A Healthy Lifestyle: The Weekly Ritual

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Woman working out as part of her healthy lifestyle.

THE WEEKLY RITUAL

Creating a healthy lifestyle can be exciting in so many ways. The thought of a healthy body and mind motivates so many people. Thinking about it and actually doing it are two different things though. If you’re someone who is busy with life, kids, career, relationships and the various other things that can get in the way, you know that sometimes we’re thrown a curve ball.

Whether you’re trying to create or maintain a healthy lifestyle, lose weight, improve health and health markers or improve at a sport, chances are healthy eating, fitness and stress reduction are all part of the equation – or need to be.

I’ll be honest. I’m someone who has to be prepared or my week spins out of control – FAST. I always tell my coaching clients and fitness retreat clients that being prepared is half the battle. I developed my own weekly ritual to help me conquer food, fitness and fun. Check out my tips below.

HOW TO DO THE WEEKLY RITUAL

You’ve probably done or at least heard of Sunday Meal Prep before. It’s where people meal prep their food for an entire week. This way, they don’t have to worry about healthy meals or tempting options because their food is prepped and ready for the week. This practice of making food for the week has been done a million times over by many people. The “Sunday Meal Prep” philosophy applies to there areas of living a healthy lifestyle and can be applied across the board – not just to food. Here are a few options:

  1. What Needs To Be Scheduled – First, you need to determine which actives need to be scheduled for you. Do you need to meal prep or at least make a grocery trip for the week? Do you need to schedule in workouts, personal training appointments or map out weekly runs? Is daily meditation or stress reduction needed? Grab a journal or use the notes on your phone to figure out what needs to be scheduled for you.

  2. Meal Prep – If you are meal prepping food, when will this happen? How does it fit into your schedule? How many meals will you prep? There are options to meal prepping. Here are a few ideas.

    • Which meals will you plan in advance? Will you plan all meals, just dinners, snacks, grab and go foods? All of the above?

    • Once per week. This is the mega meal prep. You choose one day a week and meal prep all food that needs to be made in advance. Many people use Sunday to get ready for the upcoming week but it can be done on the day of your choice.

    • Two or three times per week. You might be someone who prefers to run to the store a few times per week and meal prep just for a few days. This is a great option for those who’s schedules are a little more flexible.

    • Daily – Some people like to cook in the morning before work or school. Or maybe you meal prep your food at the end of the day for the following day.

  3. Fitness – When and what will you be incorporating into your week? Some people need to schedule fitness just like they do any other meeting. Schedule the following:

    • Which workouts you’ll be doing.

    • Day + Time

    • Have a back up plan just in case life gets in the way (at home workout, late spinning class, etc).

  4. Stress Reduction – Schedule in your relaxation time too! No one else will take care of you so it’s important to make sure you treat yourself right. Do you need any of the following?

    • Meditations (short or long)

    • Yoga

    • Quiet Time

    • Book Reading

    • Massage

    • Facial

    • Reflexology

  5. Free Time! – Where will you enjoy some time to just enjoy life? Whether you go to a movie with a friend, to dinner with a special person or just spend time doing what you love, you’ve got to make sure you’re enjoying life all while living your healthy lifestyle.

“YOUR” WEEKLY RITUAL

Remember, it’s “your” weekly ritual. No matter what, the weekly ritual needs to work for you. Consider the following when scheduling in your healthy habits:

  1. Which healthy habits truly fit into your lifestyle right now?

  2. Are your goals and expectations of yourself for the week realistic?

  3. Do you like what you’ve scheduled for yourself?

 

If you need help fitting everything into your lifestyle, try our Health and Wellness Coaching. It can be done from the comfort of your own home and from anywhere in the world!

Or join us for a retreat to jumpstart your healthy habits.

Best In Health & Wellness,

Margot + The Vita Vie Retreat Team