09 Sep Why We Thrive on Routine

You know how when you start waking up at similar times each day, it becomes easier to wake at this time and you naturally will start to wake up without your alarm?

This is a result of our bodies natural rhythms.
We see this with babies and mommas literally build their schedules around the babies sleep, wake and eating times. When the child doesn’t get enough sleep or eating patterns are thrown off, guess what happens?
They are fussy and may have challenges with digestion.

Yes, we can tolerate being thrown off better than an infant, but it still honestly affects how we feel and our productivity through out the day. When our routines are thrown off, our mood, energy, digestion patterns are thrown off!

Just like our circadian rhythm our digestion thrives off of routine and consistency. When we eat at rhythmic times and amounts our body adapts and becomes efficient at digesting these foods.

When we eat inconsistently and overeat/under-eat, our body gets confused, unsure of when the next time it will get the nutrients it needs.

Just like creating a rhythm with our sleep and wake schedule, having established daily eating rhythms helps our body digest and absorb our food more efficiently and keep sustained energy levels.

What should this eating pattern look like?

Like all things nutrition, it is very individual based on the person and what is realistic for your lifestyle.

One of the first things I do in the beginning of working with my nutrition clients is review their typical day / schedule. We start building a guide for meal times within their day and scheduling it in!

It’s not about being regimented with this, but eating within the same hour time frame of meals can be really helpful!

Here are some ideas on how to settle into a good eating rhythm.

1. Try to eat within the hour you wake up (depending if you are working out first thing in the morning)

   • Aim for a nutrient dense meal with adequate protein, carbs and healthy fats to start your day

   • How you start your morning is how you start your day!

2. Listen to your body

   • When you start tuning into hunger cues, and creating more consistent meal patterns, you will start to notice you are hungry at similar times in the day. This way you can plan meals better and have better options when you are out of the house for longer periods. Yes, this requires pausing more and paying attention to how you FEEL, which is often challenging for those constantly caring for others or feeling burnout with limited personal time. You Matter!! Self awareness of your most powerful tool <3

3. Dedicate time for food planning

   • Life can get hectic and throw you out of your routine, is you let it. Meal prepping is a great way to avoid this and always have accessible feel good food on hand. Before you leave the house, think about how long you will be gone and bring a meal or snack option with you! Just like you would naturally do for your kids 🙂

Not only do rhythms improve our food habits but they affect all different lifestyle habits. Finding your flow will not only help you with eating patterns and improve digestion but it will also create comfort and rhythm that you can rely on, especially when everything else may seem out of your control!

How do you create other lifestyle routines?

How you start your day in the morning has a huge impact on how you feel and the choices you make through out the day. Creating a morning routine is so important for setting the tone and mindset for the day ahead of you. This does not have to be two hours, it can be very simple and really depends on your schedule and circumstances. The most important thing is doing a few things first thing in the morning that make you feel good and accomplished. It can be as simple as drinking water, making your bed, reading a positive message and have a balanced breakfast.

How to create a morning routine that works:

• Wake at similar times each day
  Whether this looks like setting an alarm or going to bed at the same time the night before, try to start your day at similar times. The more routined your sleep and wake times are, the better ensured quality of sleep you will have! You will wake up feeling more rested and clear. On the weekends it can be helpful to get to bed at reasonable times to allow this to happen. Or aiming for waking within an hour of when you do on weekdays. If you are trying to wake up earlier to have more time for your self, start in slow increments, rather than trying to wake up 1-2 hours earlier than you usually do. This extreme, won’t last long 🙂

• Practice healthy habits first thing

  When you start your day with positive habits, this builds momentum and makes you want to continue these habits throughout the rest of your day. Incorporates habits that make you feel good! Some healthy habits you could start doing are drinking a glass of water when you wake up, meditating, stretching, journaling, going for a walk. Starting your day with this space for yourself helps you move into your day with more clarity and continued better choices!

Just like morning routines, evening routines can be just as important to set us up for success in the morning.

Ideas for implementing an Evening Routine:

• Give yourself at least 30 min to get ready for bed with a non screen activity. It’s important to give yourself time to wind down after going non stop all day. This is especially important with our days being more consumed with screen time. Just like you would never expect your kids to be running around and playing all day and immediately go to bed. We need this time to transition as well. You give your kids baths, and reading time before bed, and we are needing these slower activities as well! Giving yourself this time can help improve sleep quality and manage stress.

• Change your environment to a space your mind associates with rest. If you’re coming home to a hectic household, make a restful space for yourself. This can be somewhere outside or a room within your home. Somewhere you feel at peace. Be careful what you fill your mind with in the evening also. If you are stressed all day and then watching murder mystery shows at night, that are also stressful, this can do the opposite of helping us wind down.

• Aim for lights out at similar times each night. Going to bed at similar times each night can help improve sleep and set you up for time for yourself in the morning!

Our routines and habits are very interconnected with our nutrition choices. By creating a routine within your day, and building in time for meals and activity will actually help you be MORE productive with all of your daily tasks. Our bodies are extremely smart. They are constantly adapting to the environment and the situations we put them under. Creating a rhythm provides less stress for the body to continually have to adapt to. While life does not go as planned (most of the time), it can be helpful to focus on areas you can plan for and create a sense of comfort. Book ending your days with a morning and evening routine is a great place to start!

What are you going to try adding to your morning or evenings to propel you towards your health goals?