Episode 192: Spring into action! Reset, Refresh & Recommit to Your Health Goals

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss, where I help you get on track and stay on track with your weight loss journey. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. So let's get started.

[00:00:27] Welcome to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly. Now, spring has sprung and you know what that means. It is time to shake off the winter blues, dust off those sneakers and get back on track. If your New Year's resolution have been gathering dust like that forgotten treadmill in the corner, don't worry, you're not alone.

[00:00:54] Today, we are hitting the reset button and diving into simple, fresh ways to spring into action and refresh your health goals. So grab your water bottle, step outside for some sunshine and let's get moving. So why is spring a great time for change, you may think?

[00:01:15] Spring is a season of renewal, growth and transformation, making it a perfect time to refresh our health goals. Spring naturally boosts energy and motivation due to longer days and more sunlight. Exposure to natural light, which helps regulate the mood and metabolism. Warmer weather encourages more movement. People are more likely to go outside and be active and explore new activities.

[00:01:43] And spring is also a season of renewal. Just as the nature is blooming again, you see the pods on the trees, you see the flowers starting to grow up. So can your health and habits bloom again. And spring is that cleaning for your health. Just like we declutter our homes, we can declutter our bad habits that no longer serve us. For example, if you've been eating lots of processed foods,

[00:02:09] now's the time to swap them for fresh, in-season fruits and veggies. And you may have started the new year strong, but lost momentum in the last couple of months. That's okay. Springtime is the perfect time to get back on track without feeling guilty or frustrated. Now let's talk about some ways to reset and refresh your health goals. Now spring isn't just about starting over. It's about refreshing and refocusing.

[00:02:39] So let's dive deep. Now the first thing is we need to reevaluate our goals. So take a look at the goals you set in January. Ask yourself, are these goals realistic? Were they easier for me to do at this point? Have I made any progress in doing it? Like, or have I even started doing it? Most importantly. And then ask yourself what obstacles got in the way? And how can I overcome these obstacles?

[00:03:07] If your goals feel overwhelming, break them into smaller and more attainable steps. A good example is this. If you want to keep moving and you feel like you just don't have enough time, instead of saying, hey, I'm going to go to the park and I'm going to walk two or three miles each day, you may say, hey, let me just back it up a little bit. Let me start with 15 minutes on my treadmill or 15 minutes in my neighborhood. And then when I have more time, I can build up.

[00:03:34] Now the second thing you can do to reset and refresh is spring clean your kitchen and pantry. That means getting rid of your processed snacks, sugary drinks and expired food. And restock your kitchen and pantry with seasonal nutrient dense foods like berries, strawberries, blueberries, leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, cruciferous veggies like broccoli and asparagus,

[00:04:03] lean proteins and healthy fats like avocados or nuts. Organize your kitchen so that the healthy choices are easy to access. Like they're right in front of me. So that when it's late at night and you're looking through the refrigerator, you can be like, okay, I guess I'll get the nuts or I guess I'll get the fruit and just snack on that for right now. Now, the third thing you can do is to get moving outdoors. I don't know about you, but I love it when it springs forward because there's just so much more sunlight.

[00:04:30] And I'm able to go outdoors and just take in the beautiful air and just walk around nature. And sometimes it's hard for me to force myself to go into the gym. But I find so much enjoyment in going outdoors to go for a walk. So try something new. If you have to take a meeting instead of sitting at your desk to take the call, maybe you can go walking outdoors to take the call. But if you want to try something with friends going on a hike or go biking,

[00:04:59] these are great ways to burn more calories and enjoy nature. And don't forget gardening. There's a lot that you can do in gardening. And it's definitely it's one way to get your body moving and a stress reliever. Now, the fourth thing is to make sure you have a hydration reset. As the warmer weather starts to come upon us, it's important that we increase our hydration needs. And so sometimes it's hard to remember to drink water.

[00:05:25] But if you start the day with at least 16 ounces of water before your morning coffee and then throughout the day, make sure that you're drinking your water, you'll get enough that you need for the day. Definitely, if you're one that does not like the taste of water, they actually have water bottles where you can put citrus, berries or herbs in your water, like mint water, that type of thing, or putting in strawberries, blueberries just to give your water some natural flavor.

[00:05:52] Also, sometimes you just have to set your reminder on your watch or your phone so that you remember just to drink throughout the day. Now, the other thing I would say is that there is a seven day spring challenge that you can do that you can commit to yourself to do one small change per day. So a good example of this is like on day one, add one extra serving of vegetables to your meals. On day two, walk for 10 minutes after a meal.

[00:06:20] On day three, try a new healthy recipe with seasonal produce. On day four, drink half your body weight in ounces of water. On day five, go to bed 30 minutes early. And on day six, do a short, short strength training session. On day seven, reflect your progress and set a goal for next week. So that's one way how you can create a seven day spring challenge to help you spring into action and get back on track.

[00:06:48] Last but not least, another way that we can have more actionable steps is meal prepping with our spring foods. So definitely plan meals around seasonal ingredients for maximum freshness and nutrition. So make sure you're incorporating your fruits, your veggies and protein. So a good example of this is breakfast having a berry smoothie with spinach and flax seeds. You're getting your fruit and your veggies for lunch.

[00:07:14] Have your protein with your grilled salmon, your grilled chicken, baked chicken or grilled chicken with your asparagus or quinoa on the side. Also for your snack, you may have a Greek yogurt with strawberries. Or for dinner, maybe even a stir fried tofu with broccoli and brown rice. So you're making sure you're incorporating those veggies and that fruit in each and every meal along with your protein. So that's one way. The last thing I would say is going to be so important to have so you can boost your energy with getting enough sleep.

[00:07:43] So sleep is so important. And definitely morning sunlight. So morning sunlight helps regulate our circadian rhythm, which improves our sleep and metabolism. But it's most important that we're getting in our seven to eight hours of sleep each day. So making sure you go to bed early so that you can wake up. If you're someone who kind of suffers with insomnia, you may have to go to bed earlier so that you can make sure you get enough rest that you need.

[00:08:08] Some tips for better sleep is making sure you're not looking at screens 30 minutes before bedtime. Keeping your bedroom cool and dark. And create a bedtime wind down routine. Like 30 minutes before you're supposed to be in bed. Try even reading a little bit of a book, stretching, journaling, just to kind of get your body ready for bedtime. And then the other thing I want to mention, it's so important for us to have an accountability or support group. Because we can't do this alone.

[00:08:38] And we find that it's much more easier if you have somebody who's trying to be more healthy as well. So some ways where we can find accountability and support is joining a wellness challenge at work. I know our work is doing a step challenge. So we have to have so many steps per day. But you can do a wellness challenge with your friends or family. You can use a fitness tracker or habit app to kind of stay motivated. And then also following inspiring social media accounts for daily encouragement can also help.

[00:09:06] And the other thing I would say is the last thing that's so important is making sure that our mindset is in the right place. One of the big challenges that I see is our mindset. And sometimes our mindset is so set in stone that it makes it so hard to overcome these barriers and to actually spring into action. For example, sometimes we give ourselves the biggest excuses or mental blocks like, oh, I don't have time.

[00:09:36] I'm too busy. I can't possibly do this. One way how to shift that mindset is say, hey, let me start small. Even if I have to do five minutes of movement, that caps. So trying to break it up into small action steps can also help you break through the mindset shift. Also, the one thing we always tell ourselves, oh, I fell off track. So why do you even bother? Why should I even get back on track? So in order with you or thinking about this, definitely tell yourself that every day is a new chance.

[00:10:05] I don't have to wait for Monday to get started on eating healthy or being healthy. I just need to start it one day at a time, one step at a time. And it's so important that we let go of perfectionism, that all or nothing where everything has to be right or nothing is going to work. Sometimes when we take that perfectionism away, we realize that we're just human. And so nothing's ever perfect.

[00:10:30] In fact, I love the saying progress over perfection, because even if I'm improving one small improvement, it's a win. It may not be everything, but it is something. So focus with one small step. Also celebrate what you can do rather than focusing on what you didn't or cannot do. Sometimes it can get really discouraging when you're like, man, I have such back pain. I can't exercise the way I want to. But celebrate what you could do.

[00:10:57] You may not be able to go for a walk, but maybe you can do some chair exercises or strength training while sitting down. So focus on what you can do rather than what you can't do. And then last but not least, find joy in the process, because this is a journey. You're going through a journey right now, a process. And so it's important to find joy in that. If you dread workouts, going to the gym, find a fun alternative.

[00:11:25] It may be going dancing, going hiking or playing a sport, but finding alternatives that mean something to you and allow you to still exercise without you necessarily dreading to go. The other thing is, if you hate meal prep, try to make it a social thing where you talk to a friend while you meal prep or you play your favorite music. Make it fun and find that joy in the process.

[00:11:50] So as we spring into action for 2025, I challenge you all to pick at least one, one action from today's episode and start right now. Feel free to tag me at DrShelliemd. I love to hear about what that one action is and just keep moving forward. And remember, you don't have to wait for the perfect time. Spring is already here.

[00:12:18] So start today and let's grow together. Thank you again for joining us on the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. If you like this episode, please share it with others, like it and subscribe. And don't forget to leave a five star review. See you next time.