Monday, September 11, 2017

September Focus on Self Care

Normally I love Fall but this year, because we have had such a hot and dry Summer, I am trying to put it off as long as possible. However, as much as I hate to see these beautiful long Summer days come to an end, I know that Fall brings more structure to my life.  It is a real opportunity for me to focus on some much needed self care too.  In the Summer I tend to let things slide a bit... workout and play when and where I can... eat less structured meals... indulge in sweets a bit too much.  This year I even discovered ice cream!

I have been giving all of this some thought over the past week because I need to find a way to make the transition from Summer to Fall... it is a bit overwhelming but I know if I have a plan in place I can handle it.  I still want to do all the Summer things but I want to do all the Fall things, too. So, I have to put on my seldom-worn patience hat and do a gentle easement into Fall. I have realized I can have a foot in both seasons to a certain extent.  I can't do it all... but I can do some.  

Even though I am not ready to give up all of my Summer activities there are a few things on my September to-do list that will help me with the transition:

Exercise
  • Continue to run on only on Sunday mornings
  • Get into the fitness room on Monday and Wednesday mornings for a strength/conditioning workout followed by an outdoor walk 20 - 30 minutes
  • Continue to play tennis on Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • Schedule a fun but movement-intensive activity for Fridays... this week I plan to spend the day at a PGA golf tournament that is going to be held at a local golf course so I will be on my feet about 8 hours wandering the golf course to spectate the event.  Fridays may also find me golfing or hiking or picking berries... that kind of thing.
Eats
  • I want to concentrate on fuelling my activities with whole real foods as I know I feel better when I do
  • I have a plan to follow that will allow me to create tasty and healthy meals and snacks that also allows for the occasional indulges so I do not feel deprived or over-restricted
  • I am going to use a journal with colored pens as well as My Fitness Pal app to keep track of my food intake
Extras
  • I have joined a couple of online challenge groups to give me some extra help and incentives... one concentrates on increasing NEAT (you know non-exercise movement) as I do tend to sit a lot ... and the other is a short Fall Kickstart Challenge sponsored by Ariana Fotinakis who blogs at Evolution by Ariana that will inspire/require some introspection along with daily movement and offers support in her FB group.  I have done her challenges in the past and always get something valuable from them.
  • I need to take care of some personal/physical details too... hair color, manicure, pedicure, facial... fun things so these will be easy, just need to take the time to do them!

What are you looking forward to in September? Do you hate to see Summer come to and end or do you like Fall?

15 comments:

  1. September has also been my month of working on self care a little bit more. I am already feeling better hope you are too

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  2. I love that you're focusing on self care this month. This is something that we ALL need to do so much more often!

    This month I'm looking forward to cooler temps and entering taper mode for my marathon training.

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  3. Those are all great elements to focus your attention on. Funny how your summer was hot and dry while ours here was cool and wet.

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  4. Self care is crucial to physical and spiritual strength. I actually just did my nails before my mid-day walk today ;-)

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  5. Sounds like a great September! It looks like you have a great weekly list of activities to do!! Enjoy the PGA!! I'm looking forward to finishing my half marathon and then just relaxing and enjoy runnjnf/working out.

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  6. I love fall, though in Austin it's more of a slightly cooler summer haha.

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  7. Self care is one of my goals for September too! I really like you idea of planning fun movement intensive activities for Fridays - enjoy the PGA!

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  8. I'm focusing on training well and fueling properly in September (and October). We have some of the same goals!

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  9. I'm torn! I love summer but fall is really great in San Diego so I don't mind it at all.

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  10. It's been a great summer but I'm ready for fall! We've enjoyed some cooler weather over the last week!

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  11. I need to lock my self-care routine in place because work is really heating up! It's so hard to adjust after the slower pace of summer when my clients are on vacation.

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  12. Sounds like a great weekly plan of activities to keep you happy and healthy. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year so I am in my happy place right now.

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  13. I agree that fall brings structure back into my life. Curious--how do you once weekly runs feel?

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  14. this texan is SO SO SO SO SO GLAD FOR FALL and cooler temps and the ability to play outside for selfcare and not melt. <3

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  15. I love your activity plan - it's not all structures in the gym with boring cardio and weights, you get out there and active and have fun doing it! I adore tennis. I don't play much but when I do, I have a ball (ha! Literally!)

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