Plan for Body Self-Care Habits

Committing to mind care and body care habits each day is essential to your overall health and indirectly helps you to achieve the daily Rocks you have set.  Having a healthy body helps to fight illness, build confidence, improve mood and reduce stress. Having a helpful mindset influences how we think, feel, act, make choices and relate to others.

Once we add our Rocks to the Daily I.Liv Plan, we get to plan how we will fulfil each of our active Fundamental Habits today.

• SLEEP: What time is bedtime tonight?
  • Key considerations:
    • What time will you realistically be able to go to bed considering daily activities? Plan accordingly.
    • What time do you have to wake up tomorrow? Work that backwards to give yourself 7+ hours of sleep.
    • What is your desired bedtime for optimal sleep routine? What small step can you take to build this habit?
      • Ex: If you’d like to be a person that goes to bed at 10pm, but now you typically get to bed at 11h30ish, can you:
        • Try to target 11h20 today?
        • Change into sleepwear earlier in the night, reducing friction for bedtime?

• WATER: Identify any necessary strategy to stay hydrated in consideration of the day you are going to have.
  • Key consideration:
    • How can I have water easily accessible to me throughout the day?
      • Ex.  Have water bottle at my desk, load water bottle in car for long drive, ensure to bring water to a conference, etc.
    • Consider what time of day works best for you to hydrate?
      • Ex. I start my day with a big glass of water and complete most of my daily goal during my AM routine.
    • Consider making general rules for yourself to support your hydration habit.
      • Ex.: I drink a glass of water every time I get a cup of coffee, I drink a glass of water before each meal, I drink a bottle of water while driving to and from work, etc.
• MOVE: Define your movement goal for today. Our bodies need to move and consistency rules (over intensity). This habit can have a wide range of planning that varies day to day.
  • Choose your own adventure, but be specific when you define your target:
    • If you have a big fitness goal you are working towards, what will you do today to get yourself ready?
      • Ex. Complete 10K run in preparation for half-marathon race
    • If you have a regular workout routine, what is your planned workout today?
      • Ex. Virtual Yoga class at 1pm, TRX after lunch in the basement, spinning class on my way home at 5pm, weight training with my trainer scheduled at 2pm – SO many choices!
    • If you have a busy day or it is a rest day, how will we still keep our bodies moving?
      • Ex. Complete 10,000 steps, stretching session, chair stretches after each virtual meeting, etc.

• NOURISH: What do I plan to eat and drink today that works with my day and long-term plans I have for myself and my life?
  • Key Considerations:
    • What kind of day am I having?
      • Ex. If you have planned lunch with co-workers, consider what you might eat at restaurant. Adjust accordingly for breakfast and dinner.
      • Ex. Taking kids to soccer practice right after work, plan to grab takeout after (Where? What?) or have food ready at home. Likely best not to plan to cook from scratch when arriving home at 8pm exhausted.
    • What are my nourishment goals?
      • Ex. Introduce more fruits and vegetables, try new foods, etc.
    • What food do I like?
      • Yes, please do plan food that you actually enjoy eating!
    • How can I maximize enjoyment of my food?
      • Ex. If I am going to a fancy dinner date with my husband, best is that I have a light lunch, so I am hungry for dinner and enjoy all the food.

Does this all sound a bit overwhelming? Not to worry – the I.Liv Program and app technology is designed to guide you through the daily planning practices one step at a time. And there is no such thing as the “perfect plan”. Committing to the process and taking small, incremental actions every day will lead to big, longer lasting results over time.