Ahh the pillars of success. They’re different for everyone. But identifying what helps to set you up for success, and then figuring out how to accomplish and maintain those things is like warm pancakes on a Sunday morning. (read: freaking perfection.)
If I complete and maintain these five things week after week, I can’t usually go too wrong. The first three help me make sure I’ve got the nutrition I need and the proper fitness lined up to help me meet my goals, as well as making sure I’m doing all the things I need to be doing and seeing if I need to take anything out. (Big fan of work/life balance and social/solo time over here).
The last two help me make sure I’m taking care of my overall health. When these two things go out the window for me, all hell breaks loose.
Weekly Meal Prep
Meal prep is life. There’s a reason why this is a saying. Because it’s true. Invest some time to save a lot of time. It ensures I have the meals on hand that I need to support my training goals and mid/late afternoon hanger attack. Check out some of my favorite lunches and dinners here for some ideas!
Weekly Outfit Prep
This saves time in the mornings. That’s why I do this. I remembered a quote from Barack Obama a few years ago to get your routines down (therefore eliminating lots of little time-wasting decisions) so you can you focus your energy on more important decisions. So, in order to save precious bandwidth and willpower in the a.m., I pick out my work outfits and gym outfits for the weeks (socks and underwear and all). This also ensures I don’t waste precious precious sleep and that I can more easily stick to my morning routine.
Weekly + Monthly Planner
Planner planning. A planning palooza, if you will. I look at my week, make sure I have all my appointments written down and confirmed, any anomalies to the typical framework, and I write down my training for the week, as well as my social time. Then, I look at my month for an even better birds eye view. I cannot emphasize enough my friends how important the planning palooza is to my life. Now that you’ve got a plan, go forth and rock it.
Lots of Water
I require a lot water. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like I get dehydrated more easily than most people I know. I certainly drink more water than most people I know. It’s kind of funny and sad at the same time how much water I take with me on a hike. Those recommendations? You bet your bottom I’m automatically going for the generous end of that rec. I easily drink 3 liters of water per day. When I don’t, my body rebels. I’ve experimented. It rebels. So if for whatever reason I notice throughout the day I haven’t had as much water as usual, I get a little nervous… because I know the rebellion is coming.
Lots of Sleep
I. Need. Sleep. I actually had to stop reading in bed because I would force myself to read one more chapter. And then another chapter. And then hell why not, I’m almost halfway through, two more chapters. (Ugh, why do I have such good taste in books). Bookworm life + fit life don’t always blend together for me. So I stick to my reading chair and set a time for no more than an hour now. (Usually an hour… I readily take advantage of the days or nights when I can get in more reading!)
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