Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey there and welcome to the Healthy Hot Mess Mom podcast. Are you a frustrated mom trying to navigate the maze of diet and fitness trends, only to give up before you even start? Do you wish you could stick to healthy habits, have more energy and finally feel confident in your own skin? Are you tired of telling yourself this is the year I'll get healthier, only to find yourself back at square one? Well, you're in the right place. I'm Rebecca, a health-obsessed working mom of two littles and a self-proclaimed hot mess mom. In this podcast, I'm here to help you cut through the confusion and discover practical ways to become the healthiest version of yourself, no matter how chaotic life gets. We'll dive into staying consistent with healthy habits, fueling your body without feeling overwhelmed, and making mindset shifts to keep you motivated. You'll learn to enjoy moving your body, lose weight and feel more energized and confident than ever before. Remember, it's all about progress, not perfection. So grab your iced coffee and let's get started on this journey together. Welcome to the healthy hot mess mom community. Hey there, happy Monday and welcome back to another episode of the Healthy Hot Mess Mom podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, so I hope you guys had a great weekend, hope you have today off and I hope you're able to, you know, recognize that we are entering a new season and no matter what that means for you whether it's the transition of kids being done school or maybe it's an awareness or an awakening that you have and wanting to get healthy, lose weight, just feel overall better, whatever that is and what that looks like for you, I hope that this episode finds you well and motivated to just put yourself first and start the summer off with a bang. So today I wanted to give you guys my five best tips that you know, even though you're a busy mom and you're losing your mind almost every day. These are five things I think are pretty easy to focus on in the beginning of a health journey and also if you are in the middle of your health journey or anywhere just looking to be, you know, feeling better motivated through the summer. Things that you can do, tips and tricks. These are the five easiest things that I think anyone can kind of handle that I think are just like really good reminders too. Like I said, even if you are on a health journey, just things to kind of recenter yourself. Refocus on that. Anybody can use. That are helpful tips. So in no particular order. I'm not going to say one of these is more important than the other. I think everything's always important, but these are the five things, in no particular order.

Speaker 1: 2:31

So the first thing would be hydration. Summer months, typically, where you're located, means that it's hotter, right, typically means you're going to spend more time outside. So really focusing on hydrating our bodies and using this time to whether it's find a really cute water bottle that inspires you to drink more water. Maybe you want to start infusing your water with some fruit. Maybe you want to explore with electrolytes, anything that you can do to get more hydration into your life, because a lot of times we mistake being hungry for being dehydrated. So really making sure that you're fully hydrated, especially, like I said, if you're spending more time outdoors and you're sweating a lot, if you're working out outside, if you're working out, make sure you're drinking a lot of water. You know your needs for water may be higher in the summer than they are in the winter. So just making sure that you're addressing that, making sure that you're staying on top of hydration, like I said, and honestly, you will feel better too. So some things that I like just to mention. I like the LMNT electrolytes. They actually just launched a sparkling version, so I'm excited to try that this summer and it's a really you know another really good way to kind of incorporate. You know, if you're going out and you're trying to lessen the amount of alcohol that you're drinking, that sparkling LMNT could be a good solution or any type of sparkling water where you're still getting that effect of bubbly but you're still getting hydrated without the alcohol effects or the effects of alcohol. So hydration is very, very, very important and something that we can focus on these summer months to make our goals a little bit easier to achieve All right.

Speaker 1: 4:06

Number two and, like I said, in no particular order, it would be spending more time outdoors, right, taking in more sunlight. Try not to get sunburned, but taking in more sunlight. Trying to get outside earlier in the day, taking breaks to go outside. We spend so much of our lives at a desk or in a car or just indoors, taking this time, if the weather is nicer near you, to get outside more. If you're not at a kid's sporting event, you know when you're just at home with your kids. Take some time to go do something outside as a family. Take a walk after dinner, you know, take a walk in the morning. Something me and my husband like to do is, you know, wake up at five and sometimes just go for a walk. It might be the only time in that day that we actually can have a conversation without interruption and it's peaceful. You hear the birds chirping, you see the sunrise, things like that.

Speaker 1: 4:49

So taking this time to really spend more time outdoors, go for hikes, bike rides, all those things Just remind yourself, if you don't live in a climate that's nice all year, that this might be the only couple of months that you actually get to enjoy being outside, where you're not freezing to death. So I, for one, just feel more alive in the warmer weather. So I am all about taking breaks and just taking as much time as I can to get outside and enjoy feeling warm, add a coat and just taking a deep breath and taking it all in. So spending more time outside doing activities, making you know movement not seem like such a chore, is something to really focus on this summer, where you know it makes you just feel good and it doesn't feel like you had a clock minutes on a Peloton bike or anything else in that regard. So spending time outside highly recommend it in the summer months.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Number three, and this is something that you maybe didn't think about, but I know a a lot of people, especially me, with a lot of my food allergies. I get in this rut where I eat the same five things all the time and although sometimes it's makes my life a little easier, this summertime is a good time and a good reminder to switch it up. Try seasonal fruits and vegetables and in doing so you might find something that you love. But if you go back, you know, I don't know thousands of years, like that's what our ancestors did. They had to eat the fruit that was being seasonally grown, and nowadays, with all the stuff being in the supermarkets at all times, we kind of get away from that. So maybe stopping at a local farmer's market, a little fruit stand, and seeing what they have Most of the time they're organically grown too, which is great you can save some money, you can support local farmers. But really, you know, going to pick your own blueberries, going to pick your own strawberries, doing things that are seasonal and consuming more of those fruits and vegetables that are seasonally grown, maybe local to your area. I wish I was from an area that had avocados, where I could just pick an avocado tree. I'm not, but hey, we have blueberries and raspberries and strawberries here, so I will take that. But just to remind yourself to maybe switch out what you're eating.

Speaker 1: 6:48

Summer's a really great time to, like I said, an easy way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, maybe ones that you haven't tried the rest of the year. That's number three. Number four is really now. This is something that can easily get kind of like thrown to the wayside in the summer because we're kind of a little bit off schedule. Maybe the kids are not in school or a camp, it's the same hours, but keeping to a sleep routine. Sleep, I am just like diving into a ton of research on sleep and I am recognizing, as I have for a while, just how much sleep and good quality sleep affects me and my day and my motivation to do things and just how strong I am in the gym and things like that.

Speaker 1: 7:26

But really making sure that you're not taking such a deviation from the rest of the year in your sleep schedule, making sure that you're not taking such a deviation from the rest of the year in your sleep schedule, making sure that you're getting the seven, eight hours a night. Making sure you know you're not consuming food because it's easier to be, like at a barbecue at like eight o'clock at night, you know. Making sure that you're not changing everything up, like your sleep routine. Your nighttime habits are similar, because if you go so far from what you're normally used to doing, you can really affect your sleep. Maybe finding a way to monitor your sleep to make sure that you are kind of staying on a real healthy path with your sleep could be important during this time.

Speaker 1: 7:59

And also, if you have kids, like making sure they don't get so far off, because those first couple weeks of school are going to be horrible and miserable. And, trust me, I have a 10-year-old. He wants to stay up to all hours of the night and you know, sometimes you give into that. But really explaining to them the importance of sleep, and especially to do sports, I try to talk to my son all the time about getting a good night's sleep, how you're going to perform better that next day, but it's just a reminder.

Speaker 1: 8:21

Sleep is, like I don't know, so important. I don't know if it's the number one, but it's up there right as the number one important thing we can do to help our bodies feel good, help it, take the time that it needs to rest, metabolize our food, revitalize ourselves, get ready for the next day. And really, when it comes down to it, you know everyone's like, oh, I'll sleep and I'm dead. But it's like sleep is so important while you're alive because it's something that you can't escape. It's universal to all of us. We have to sleep and if you're not sleeping, potentially all of the like, just how you're not functioning properly. Your brain's not working on all four cylinders. You're, you know, probably going to make poorer food choices. You're probably not going to feel strong enough or maybe even have any energy to do a workout or to hang out with your kids or to go for a walk.

Speaker 1: 9:18

So sleep, focusing on sleep and keeping some type of like summer routine that is not so far extreme from the rest of the year. Like I said, obviously you want to have fun, you want to enjoy your summer, but just being mindful that the more far away you go from your regular routine, the harder it's going to be and the worse you may be feeling. So focusing on sleep is so, so, so important. Okay, and five, something that you know because of this time being so crazy really taking time for yourself, practicing self-care, really honing into like something that you can do during these summer months that makes you feel good. That's not, you know, running the kids to sports, running them to and from camp, doing doctor's appointments, all of these things like really figuring out what you can do for yourself. Maybe it's doing a monthly massage, maybe it's getting pedicures because your feet are out all the time.

Speaker 1: 10:04

Finding something that you find joy in, whether it's maybe taking like a, you know, a fitness class outdoors, maybe it's going for a bike ride with a bunch of girlfriends, whatever it looks like for you that you find joy in during these summer months to keep you motivated, to keep you on track. Because we all know mindset, mental health is so important and it's one of those things that kind of is forgotten about and it really is like the center, the cornerstone of our health. So finding something, whether it's meditating in the grass, whether it really is like the center, the cornerstone of our health. So finding something, whether it's meditating in the grass, whether it's grounding in the morning, whether it's going out and enjoying some sunsets, sunrises, finding something that makes you feel good about your health, that makes you feel good and motivated to continue on the healthy path, that you're on something that is for you. Like I said, not running a kid to a sporting event, not running them to a doctor's appointment, you know, not all the necessary tasks that we just have a love-hate relationship with, but truly finding something for yourself. Maybe it is going to have a brunch with a girlfriend once a month during the summer, and that is okay, right. Taking time for yourself and Taking time to address our mental health and finding happiness in the summer and finding things that we find joy in. Taking the time and carving out that hour in your busy life. You deserve it and I just feel like the summer is a really good reminder. When you're off the regular schedule, where kids are in school, things are looking different. You know, although we probably have a job and you're having hours to do that, things look different in the summer and I do think it's just a reminder to slow down, enjoy the time that you have and enjoy some time for yourself. So again, just a recap of the tips.

Speaker 1: 11:50

Hydration is key and one other last little tip on hydration is if you are going to consume alcohol. I'm not against alcohol, I'm not sober. I do drink occasionally. But I am trying to be mindful of hydration and making sure that if I'm going to consume alcohol, I'm consuming it a little bit earlier in the day because, again, this can affect our sleep. So so, just being mindful of that, I have noticed dramatic changes in my sleep and how poor it is when I drink alcohol later in the day versus earlier. So, when it comes to being hydrated, just be mindful of trying to consume alcohol earlier in the day if you're going to make that decision and also consume some electrolytes with it too. So, hydration number one.

Speaker 1: 12:34

Number two getting outdoors, enjoying all kinds of outdoor activities, spending as much time outside as you can, especially if you're like me. I live in New Jersey and we have all four seasons, but much of the spring is rainy. The winter's cold fall can be kind of questionable, so summer is really like the solid time we have to enjoy the outdoors. So enjoy everything you can outdoors Dine al fresco, go to your kids, sporting events, walk with girlfriends, all the things. Number three is trying to be mindful of incorporating different fruits and vegetables into your diet this time of year, especially if you live in an area where things are more seasonal, you know, go pick berries, go pick avocados. If you live there, go pick citrus fruits. Wherever you live, try to be mindful of eating with the seasons, and it's a really great time of year to do that. So just a reminder.

Speaker 1: 13:22

Number four is really being mindful of sleep patterns and trying not to deviate too far from our, you know, rest of the year patterns. You know, I know that kids are out of school, but really trying to be mindful of not having such a wide window and getting so far off path from where you usually sleep, because it can affect your sleep. And number five, last but not least, is doing something for you. Taking something, carving some time out of your day, out of your summer, to regularly do something for yourself that's not in the normal daily task do-to-do list. Finding something that you're passionate about, something that makes you feel alive, something for you. So I hope this episode find you well happy unofficial kickoff to summer, and I will find you next week.

Speaker 1: 14:07

Thank you for tuning in to the Healthy Hot Mess Mom podcast. I hope you found some inspiration and practical tips to help you on your journey to a healthier, more confident you Remember it's all about progress, not perfection. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave a review. Your feedback means the world to me and helps other hot mess moms find our community. Join me next time as we continue to navigate the ups and downs of health and wellness together. Until then, keep striving for progress, stay consistent and embrace the beautiful chaos of motherhood. Take care, keep striving for progress, stay consistent and embrace the beautiful chaos of motherhood. Take care, stay healthy and keep being the amazing hot mess mom that you are. See you next time.