[00:01.4]
Hello and welcome to the Own Your Health podcast, I'm Cyndi Lynne and I can't wait to help you step into your health power. Today I want to talk about the weather. I want to talk about the beginning of the summer season. The longer days, the brighter mornings, the later evenings, and how you translate that into owning your health.
[00:21.8]
I'm going to give you a few tips and let you in on some pitfalls, mistakes that I actually make in this wonderful season. So for me, this time of year, being means being outside even more. It means making vitamin D. It means being able to be outside with skin exposed a lot more potential to be actually outside, with that early morning bright light right in our eyes to help reset our sleep cycle for the day and keep that all running smoothly.
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Wonderful for health. It's an easier opportunity to exercise. The dogs like to be out for longer walks. You don't have to worry about slipping on ice. It's great all the way around. And I find myself doing more and more.
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And that's one of the pitfalls. This is a mistake that I make every year about this time. And I noted it in my journal. As I was about, I was sitting with my journal and about to start writing and I thought, this sounds familiar.
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And sure enough, I dug back in a journal from last year and had the same notes. I'm not getting enough sleep. Why is my sleep so poor? After all the windows are open, the air is fresh, it should be more ideal.
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But what I find this time of year, before I make an intentional course correction, is that I'm doing more and more. I can get started on projects earlier in the morning. I can get out through the day and get my things taken care of, get my walks with the dogs taken care of, run errands I can work out in the yard in the afternoon.
[02:11.9]
And then I can even start running errands again at 7, 8 o' clock at night. Now, in winter, that's something that I would typically never do unless I absolutely had to go out. I would not go out in the dark and cold in winter at 7, 8 o' clock to run to the grocery store or anything.
[02:32.1]
It's, it's as if winter gives us a built in hibernation signal. And in fact there is. It's a time for rest. It's a time for rest. In nature. The trees rest, the animals rest. It's a different sort of timing.
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Well, summer comes along and those signals are gone and we have an opportunity. Opportunity to do things for hours and hours beyond when we normally would. And so that's what I find myself doing again this year, because obviously I didn't learn last year.
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And I need to be very intentional about taking time in the morning for me, if that's what I want. Quiet, thoughtful time in that first morning light. And then I need to schedule a hard stop in the evening.
[03:22.6]
Now, does this mean that I set my phone and I hear the alarm and I go to bed at 8:00? No, but it means I start to wind down. I actually start to let things darken for me as they naturally do.
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As the sun starts to go down. I slow down, I narrow the input that I have, whether it be from devices or, traffic or, or other people around.
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I find in summer that I tend to be so much more social and out doing things with people. And so I am intentional about not, having something every night on the calendar and in fact only having things two or three times during the week on the calendar.
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Because this is very important time to me. Time for sleep, for restoration, for quiet. And I love all of the things that I have planned and that I'm doing.
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And if you, if you think to yourself, okay, if you love what you're doing and you're happy with that, why would you make the change? And, this is what I encourage you to do. Look and see how you're acting, how you're behaving, what your activity level is, what you're engaging in, these seasons change.
[04:52.6]
And then ask the question, is this producing results I like? Now, if it is, you're golden. But if, like me, you're noticing that all of a sudden I'm back down to six and a half, seven hours of sleep. I'm kind of frantic.
[05:10.8]
The sleep I am getting isn't good because I'm sort of buzzing around, busy doing things again, all things I like. But that busyness right before bed, that lack of a wind down, means that the sleep I'm actually getting isn't as good, it's not as high quality of sleep.
[05:31.2]
I crawl into bed and I absolutely, fall asleep right away. I have no trouble falling asleep, but the sleep that I actually get tends to be much lighter sleep. It takes longer for my heart rate to drop down because of all the busyness and all the light and all of the activity signals I continue to give my body.
[05:54.4]
So, as always, I ask you to check in when I see things with my clients or with myself. I know I'm not the only one. I know they're not the only ones and it's a good opportunity for me to check in with you and you to check in with yourself.
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Are you spending your time as you choose in this change of season and is it producing the results, the health that you want? If you want any help with this, if you want to help sorting it out or bounce off some ideas, I am always here for you.
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You can book a quick free session for a chat, or you can actually book the three sessions with me through the link below. Great price. And work through your specific issue one on one with me over the phone or zoom.
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It's simple and it gets you in a position to own your health. So do your evaluation, check in on your timing, make any adjustments you need, and until next week, let's go out and own it.
