Yikes! So, let’s back track a bit here. I know – who really wants to go back to the dreaded March of 2020? When the pandemic arrived, I hit the panic button. At first, we thought – things will be shut down for a week or two. Then that quickly expanded to one month and it continued through the close of the school year. Ugh!!!Panic button number one for me was how will this affect my kiddos – their education, socialization, and growth as teenagers?
Panic button number two – will I get the Coronavirus or will my family contract it? Having autoimmune – me with MS and my kids with mild asthma – ramped up my concern.
Panic button number three for me was – “I just decided to pursue becoming a health coach and here we are in a literal pandemic situation”. How do I handle this with the utmost grace and genuinely help people to be healthy throughout this time? That is when the “Free Coaching Friday” videos were born.
So, I persevered each week with videos about how to boost your immune system, deal with anxiety, improve sleep, quarantine weight loss, etc. But what I wasn’t doing was practicing this with my own kids. At first, things were ok but as more time went by, schedules started to slip. Bedtime for them went later and later which meant wake up times were extremely late. This spiraled into poor eating habits and quite honestly, them not eating enough and not getting the necessary nutrition as growing teens. Bad habits had started for them. I was still going to bed early and waking early – I am a stickler about setting my circadian rhythm but march harder to implement with my two teens.
It was pretty much an epic fail – as my son would say. My thought process in justifying this – they are kids going through a pandemic so I will let them do what they need to get through it. I wanted them to have the comfort – being comfort foods and a very flexible schedule. I wanted them to be happy since they couldn’t see their friends, play sports, sing in choir and they were adjusting to online schooling.
Here I was telling my clients to implement all of the important factors for being healthy – no skipping meals, having a meal plan, food prepping, get the proper sleep and establish a routine. Yet, this was not happening cohesively under my own roof.
Do I regret this behavior? Well – it was an extremely difficult and scary time, so I am not going to beat myself up over it. I am thinking some other parents out there can relate. Are we still dealing with this ridiculous pandemic? Yes – very much so but I have learned and evolved throughout this journey.
When summer arrived and we landed at the beach, new and improved habits started. 3 meals per day were happening again. Both kids had jobs which helped with putting them on a schedule and instilling good habits. Having my brother in the house also helps – he is a huge role model to them! Both of my kids started making better food choices (certainly not perfect – they are teens after all) and were working out on a regular basis. This was without me nagging them either. Better for everyone, TRUST ME!
We have started the 20/21 school year with a great plan – since doing remote school for the 1st marking period. We had a family meeting about a plan of action.
- We put together a meal wish list and grocery list for the first shopping trip.
- They will be helping me with meal prep and grocery runs! Woohoo!
- On Sunday’s we will plan out the upcoming week’s meals.
- They will be making dinner on occasion. Yippee!!!
- The remote school schedule has structure – start at 8:45 AM and end at 3:30 PM – Much Needed!
- This means set wake up and bedtimes. 😊
- The kids will be joining a gym at home. I am saving for a Peloton and know they will love this too.
- We will build in friend social time – socially distanced of course.
Find comfort that we are all trying to navigate through this challenging time – especially as parents. We are all doing the best we can considering the circumstances. I hope this helped you!
Coach Christi’s LATEST News:
- New recipes coming out Weekly – What’s Christi Making Monday! Start your week with a new recipe – delivered directly to your inbox. Never miss a new recipe again by subscribing. And it’s FREE! https://christihealthcoach.com/wellnourish-center/
- Coming Soon:
- Interactive Group Forum – Discuss varied topics including tips on removing inflammation, weight loss, gaining energy and much more!
- Projected Launch Timeframe: Fall 2020
- My First Ever Online Program – 8 Week Program – Stop Suffering with Inflammation and learn to eat the Anti-Inflammatory Way. All with the added benefit of shedding some weight, gaining more energy, and getting a thriving life back!
- Projected Launch Timeframe: Fall 2020
- Interactive Group Forum – Discuss varied topics including tips on removing inflammation, weight loss, gaining energy and much more!
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Cheers To Your Health,
Coach Christi
