Helpful Habits: The Back to School Edition
By Jennifer Voorhaar, LCSW-C
Let me start by saying, if school has already started for you, and you’re already in the thick of back to school transitions….keep reading. Really! Keep reading. It is never too late to change things up, try something new or create a healthy habit.
Now that you’re still reading, I’ll next say….well done! You survived summer. Your kiddos are back to school, and you did it! For those of us (myself included) who still have children at home living their best summer life, hold on my friend, they're going back soon! In all seriousness, I truly love summer. I enjoy having my kids home and hearing them hanging out with each other (teen boys) as well as friends and family who visit. I enjoy the ease (and the quiet) of the mornings and the chaos of summer sports in the evenings. I really, REALLY enjoy not having to monitor homework!
But, here we are just a few days away from the start of the new school year. What I offer to you today are a few tricks, tips and ideas to help make mornings smoother, homework less stressful, and meals more enjoyable. Try them all, or try a few but I ask that you at least try one. When one works, try another and maybe... just maybe… you’ll try them all.
We want our kiddos to be smart about their choices and with their healthy habits so I’m going to break this down with an easy way to remember things… S-M-A-R-T.
S – Start Small – there is no need to go from summer ease to rigid school schedules. So, start small. Maybe you start with a slight adjustment with bedtimes which aids in the adjustment of wake up times. Start small. We’re not going from free range teens to 5 am risers. Ease back in over the next week or so. If your kids have already started school, and the bedtime and wake times are set, choose another place to start small. Maybe you chose to plan one meal a week rather than the whole week’s worth. Because here’s the deal… small things add up to larger things, and eventually you’ll have a week’s worth (if that’s the change you chose!)
M – Make it manageable – You’ve started small so hopefully it is manageable, right? Yes. But, another great way to make things manageable is the Habit Stack. This is my most favorite idea of habits. Habit stacking is when you pair two habits at once just like the old saying “two birds with one stone.” So, maybe you listen to an audible while you drive because you just don’t have time to sit down and read. Or, maybe you meal plan and make the grocery list at the same time. Maybe you drink water before making your coffee so you’re hydrating and enjoying your cup of joe. Maybe you take a walk while on the phone with a friend or better yet, invite that friend to walk with you. You get the idea. Two healthy habits done at the same time… saves time.
A – Always give yourself grace. If you make a meal plan and the week falls apart, and you don’t follow the meal plan… give grace. We’ve all had great ideas for a dinner and by mid day we remember the meat is still in the freezer. It’s ok! If you set a routine and it doesn’t happen one day, then do it tomorrow. Give yourself grace. It is ok to forget. It is ok to just not have time. But, try again tomorrow.
R – wRite it down. Ok, a little play on the letter there but you get the idea. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study and found that people who write things down are 42% more likely to achieve their goals. Grab a notebook, an agenda, calendar, or use your phone and write it down. Plan out your day. For example, here’s what a day written down for me might look like on a school day:
5:15 am – wake up and get ready to work out
530-615am – work out (wake boys if not already awake)
615-630am – ready my bible and have coffee
630-6:55am – boys ready, prep my food for the day
6:55-7:10am – boys to bus
7:10am-7:45am – get ready
7:45- leave (yes, I write down what time I want to leave so I have my plan together)
8:30 – this is where the work schedules come in (and that’s a different list)
I sit down the night before and plan the next day so I know what time I need to get up and I know what my morning will look like. But, I give myself grace if it doesn’t look exactly like this. Sometimes, I’m drinking coffee and listening to a faith podcast in the car instead of sitting down in my favorite spot. But, it’s still getting done and I’m successful.
T – Totally Celebrate the wins! That’s right. Celebrate and honor your hard work to get into back to school/fall routines. A celebration looks different for everyone, but embrace it. Maybe it means Frozen Pizza Fridays (yes, that’s a thing in my house most weeks) because we’ve worked hard all week and it’s time to slow down. Or maybe it’s Sleep in Saturdays (if fall sports allow) or maybe it’s a just a delicious beverage on the porch enjoying the cooler weather.
There you are…SMARTy pants! Leave us a comment below to let us know how it goes!
The Purpose Behind the Pursuit of Health and Wellness Goals
Written By: Tracy Pritchard (MS, CNS, LDN)
Does anyone else feel bombarded with social media posts and billboards about weight loss programs and workout routines? While this seems especially prevalent around the New Year, weight loss and fitness programs are ubiquitous. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation going around with the newest fad diets, the latest “superfood” (or toxic food!), that it can be downright confusing and frustrating to know what to do. Keep in mind that fad diets are a marketing tool and can be a dangerous message. Rather than looking for a ‘diet’ that significantly alters nutrition intake, consider steps to implementing a nutritious diet that supports a healthy lifestyle. I have been known to say that my approach to health and wellness is not dieting it is “lifestyling”.
In a world of instant gratification, it is not uncommon for someone to jump into a weight loss program and become quickly discouraged when the scale is not reflective of their sacrifices and hard work. Many of us are chasing a short-term solution instead of sustainable habit changes that will contribute to long term improvements in health and wellness. It is easy to caught in a cycle of short-term fixes that don’t last leading to feelings of failure instead of a holistic approach to improving one’s overall health and well-being. It is more important to pursue progress than perfection when taking steps to improving your health. Like many things in life long term consistency triumphs over short term intensity. Too often with health and wellness we feel that we need to be “all in” when in fact good is not the enemy of perfect.
It is important to understand our own individual “why” involved in making lifestyle changes. We all have different reasons that keep us focused on our goals. Some examples may include some or all of the following:
*Increase energy levels
*Sleep better
*Improve mood
*Longevity
*Play with kids and grandkids
*Reduce stress
*Clothes fit better
*Improved physical health
*Being a good example to kids and grandkids
When pursuing health goals and milestones, what if we considered weight loss as a positive side effect of making changes rather than the main focus? If the number on the scale is the main measurement or feedback for your efforts, you may find it does not keep you motivated to continue. The scale has no idea that you have been building more muscle, eating more vegetables, or getting more steps in each day. There are many other meaningful ways to measure health improvements that do not require a scale. These are known as non-scale victories (NSV) and may range from improved energy levels to being able to wear a pair of pants from several years back. These victories may be related to physical change but also consistent behavior change. For example if you have made healthy changes to your diet and exercise routine, blood work from your Doctor may indicate improvements in your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In addition, when you start making small changes over time you will typically find that you feel better leading to greater confidence in making additional changes without putting undue pressure on yourself based on the scale alone. Remember that the scale is one number – a moment in time – but certainly does not reflect your journey to a healthier life or tell the whole story of your progress. Perhaps you set a goal to run or walk a 5k and followed a couch to 5k program that led you to accomplish your goal. Regardless of the data on the scale, it is important to recognize and celebrate this non-scale victory to support your self-esteem and relationship with food and exercise. You may have an added benefit of new sources of social support if you decided to pursue this goal with others. If you enjoy rewards for your achievements, be sure to reward yourself with some new running gear or a sports massage!
How can you use non-scale victories to motivate you? You may notice improvements that are not related to weight but are related to a healthy lifestyle. Each time you are able to walk a little further than last time, you wake up feeling more rested, or find yourself in a better mood, you will know that your efforts are paying off. You may need to pay attention to changes in your daily life to observe subtle changes – sometimes you get additional benefits you didn’t realize were connected. For example, if you start exercising on a regular basis or meeting your daily water goals you will likely feel better. This may lead to better self-confidence and overall satisfaction.
It may be helpful to keep a journal to keep track of your achievements and observations no matter how big or small. What is something in your health journey – big or small - that you can take time to reflect on and celebrate? Take a moment to notice the inner and outer changes you have made; consider it an investment and stay the course!
The Impact of Social Media on Self-Image
In the past, it was the perfect portrayals of people on magazine covers, spectacular looking movie stars on the big screen, and supermodels stomping down the runways of Fashion Week that made us wonder…
”Is that what I’m supposed to look like?”
“Is there something wrong with me if I don’t look like that?”
“How would life be different or better if I did fit these seemingly impossible molds?”
“What can be done to mirror these standards of beauty that seem to be skyrocketing the social status, careers, and self-esteem of all who meet it?”
While all of the pressure sources of the past prevail today, social media is an additional channel, through which many of us humans are relentlessly influenced to shop trends and modify our natural hair, skin, body composition, and beyond, on a basis so constant it’s raising concern.
“Studies show that 88% of women compare themselves to images they observe on social media, with over half of them emphasizing that the comparison is unfavorable. Studies also show that 65% of men compare themselves to images they observe on social media, with 37% of them indicating that the comparison is unfavorable.” (emotionmatters.co.uk)
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Furthermore, “the online survey of British teenagers aged 13 to 19 was commissioned as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, found:
Almost one-third (31%) of teenagers felt ashamed in relation to their body image.
Four in ten teenagers (40%) said images on social media had caused them to worry about body image.
More than a third of British teenagers (35%) had stopped eating at some point or restricted their diets due to worrying about their body image.
Four in ten teenagers (40%) said that things their friends have said have made them worry about their body image.
Thirty-five percent of teenagers worried about their body image often or every day, and 37% of teenagers felt upset and ashamed about their body image.” (mentalhealth.org.uk)
What is perhaps the most fascinating about these staggering statistics, is the lack of transparency, details, and full-picture perspective on which many of them are based. For example, a short-form video of a statuesque fitness model doing squats is not likely to feature any information about the extreme physical demands and pressure under which this person operates to maintain their physique. It is only long enough for us to observe the differences between ourselves and them and develop feeling about those differences. There are, however, almost always opportunities to complete a transaction based on these feelings alone. The purchase of the featured protein powder or fitness program promises to equip the consumer with all the tools needed to achieve the same results of which we saw only a few curated seconds. These types of promises are rampant on social media, incomplete at best, and in many cases, downright misleading. It taps into the part of our brain that wants a “quick fix” or instant gratification. It is also worth discussing, however, if the “solutions” we’re being sold are actually problems in and of themselves.
For example, is it a problem that we don’t wear the same size jeans that we did at age 24?
Or, is it a truer problem that society tells us not to grow, shift, and change over time?
Is it a problem that we have wrinkles around our eyes from smiling and laughing all our lives?
Or, is it a truer problem that society tells us our wrinkles aren’t youthful, and therefore not appealing/acceptable/beautiful?
Are we being sold solutions to problems? Or are we purchasing greater problems in pursuit of meeting a standard we never intended to set?
As a person who shows up on social media platforms professionally at least 5 days a week, I can speak personally about how persistent exposure to social media, influencers, and the overall culture has impacted me. The constant opportunity to compare physical appearance, aesthetics, messaging, and overall online presence to others aside, it’s also quite convenient to compare approval and feedback.
The pressure for posts to “perform” still exists and perhaps increases when there are professional results attached. Attempting to calculate how to convert scrolls to “likes” and “likes” to clients with an ever changing formula is not for the faint of heart. Creating and publishing content that feels genuine and rich in value can take hours and go unnoticed forever, while a flippant meme can go viral in under an hour. Whether working or using social media platforms solely for entertainment, it’s important to recognize that the environment can become toxic.
There are many ways to set boundaries with social media and regain a sense of confidence and control:
-Set daily time limitations on social media apps to help cut down on time spent scrolling
-Partake in activities outside of social media that reinforce confidence and joy
-Unfollow accounts that give you feelings of insufficiency or poor self-image
-Give yourself permission to break the “rules” of social media and give it what you want back from it: take long breaks, be inconsistent, forget the filters, ignore the algorithm, and stay authentic!
Sources:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/news/millions-teenagers-worry-about-body-image-and-identify-social-media-key-cause-new-survey-mental