Clearly, life as a wedding planner and business owner can get pretty crazy, especially during wedding season. There will always be late nights and early mornings where you’re balancing your business and your couples’ needs. In the Wedding Guide’s terms, a wedding planner’s job is to be “a facilitator, mediator, money manager, artisan, and constructor of dreams.” That’s a whole lot to have on your plate all at once, making it easy for your health to fall by the wayside. But don’t forget to make time for your health, yourself, and the gym. Trust me, I know it’s hard, but I’ve learned that I need to take care of myself to take care of other people.
I recently got a few tips from our intern, Lauren, who has been a personal trainer for the past 2 years. She gave me 5 key things that can make all the difference in your health and busy lifestyle, especially during busy season. These may seem like common sense, but a little reminder never hurts.
Move Everyday CONSISTENTLY
Dietitian and author Kristin Kirkpatrick shares, “being active actually keeps your energy up; inactivity makes you feel lazy and sluggish.” We’ve all been there, I’m sure. However, I’ve learned that taking even 10 minutes in the morning or before bed can make all the difference. Make it a goal to move everyday; take a walk, stretch, or set aside time for an entire workout! You will be thankful you did because 10-20 minutes is better than nothing; it’s the consistency that counts.
Hydrate or Diedrate
Hydration is the key to health. Actually, water is the most important nutrient in our bodies. Every cell, tissue, and organ needs water to help you survive. Water is pretty darn important! With all that being said, start the day with plenty of water stocked up and ready to go. I always keep a bottle in my purse.
Plan ahead
Even outside of busy season, there are some really long days. There are cake tastings and fried chicken appetizers almost everywhere you look. These aren’t bad things, but it all comes back to balance and planning ahead. Every night, I plan what my day will look like and prep any food I’ll need to take with me. That way, I can keep in mind what nutrients I need out of the food I’m eating out and at tastings. For example, if I bring fruit and a granola bar as a snack, I’ll be heading for the protein at the tasting. I’ve learned that you can’t control everything when it comes to scavenging for food, but it’s good to be more mindful of eating and enjoying a treat every once and awhile.
Sleep
Ok, I am not even gonna pretend I am good at this one! I have been getting better the wiser I become. Being healthy is more than just consuming and burning calories. Sleep plays a major role in repairing your cells to keep you physically healthy and your mental health in shape. The more sleep you have, the more likely you will be productive throughout the day. Actually, there’s this thing called microsleep, which is when you doze off and can’t remember what you just read, heard, or what you were doing. I would often experience that. A decrease in sleep means a decrease in productivity, so let’s strive to promote our productivity and respect time for some zzs. Use that DO NOT DISTURB feature on your phone. It can wait. Trust me.
Change Your Mindset
Health isn’t about going on a crazy diet or spending your day training for marathons (unless marathons are your thing, of course). The best way to live a healthy lifestyle is to understand that it’s a lifestyle and it’s not meant to be perfect. Having the mindset that your health is your source of vitality, happiness, and productivity will give new light to making healthier choices. I often turn my desk time into answering emails on a treadmill or stationary bike!
All of these tips will help turn stress into passionate productivity. Spending a little time on improving yourself everyday will only lead to success.
Thanks for reading! To get started with your 5 healthy habits, here’s a 10 minute workout to add into your day:
– 3 sets of 10-15 reps of the following:
– Squat with kick
– Plank with hip taps
– Jumping Jacks (or lunges for low impact)
– Pushups
– Leg lifts
Stay Productive!
This article was written by Lauren Ringo
Photo: Matt Andrews
