7 Things to Set Yourself up For an Energized Week
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Over and over and over again, I hear you ladies complain about never having enough energy. Is that you?!
But let me ask you this:
What are you DOING to get yourself some more energy?
Are you actively setting yourself up for an energizing week?
Or are you repeating the same habits hoping that one morning you’ll just wake up with more energy?
I’m assuming the latter.
That’s why in this episode of Embrace Your Real, I’m sharing 7 things you can start doing now to set yourself up for an energized week.
If you loved this episode, I know you will also love…
Episode 101: 3 Things to Stop Doing to Live a Happier Life
Because let’s be real…the happier we are the more energized we will be!
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get, and let's go.
Hello, and welcome back to another Embrace Your Real Podcast. I'm so grateful that you are here spending some time with me today. Wherever you're tuning in, we have listeners all over the world. I'm just thankful that you are choosing to show up, to prioritize yourself so that you can become the best possible version of yourself to serve others in your best capacity. Over and over again, I hear so many ladies complaining about never having enough energy, but I need to ask you this. What are you actually doing to give yourself more energy? Are you actively setting yourself up for an energizing week, or are you repeating the same habits, hoping one morning that you'll just wake up with more energy? I'm assuming the latter. That's why in this episode of Embrace Your Real, I'm going to be sharing seven things that you can start doing right now to set yourself up for an energized week.
But before I dive in, it would mean the absolute world to me if you quickly pressed pause and subscribed to the podcast. It is that big purple button on Apple Podcasts. Or make sure that you are subscribed on Spotify or wherever you tune into the podcast. This way, you will always be notified when new episodes release, and you'll never miss an episode. Also, if you haven't already clicked that rate and review, all you have to do is scroll down on Apple Podcasts. Click that rate and review. It takes less than 30 seconds. And subscribing and rating and reviewing the podcast really does help the growth of it, so I appreciate you in advance for doing it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
All right, so let's get back to the episode. Seven things to set yourself up for an energized week. Number one, stock up on energizing food. No, I don't mean buying healthy food. I mean buying energizing food. If eating plain rice and plain chicken and plain broccoli all week is going to have you feeling hungry and trigger something, like crazy cravings that you're going to have to battle all week long, that's not probably going to be very energizing for your week. But at the same time, if you're only stocking up on food that you know is going to trigger you to overindulge, that likely won't be very energizing either. I need you to stock up on foods that both nourish and satisfy you. Those are foods that will actually energize you, thus energizing your week.
When you're at the store, ask yourself before putting something into your cart, "Will this energize me? Will I feel more energized after this, or is this going to trigger something that is going to lead me to battling something all week long?" I need you to be honest with this. And this is something that honestly many people struggle with, but they're not open and honest about it. But I think that the more open and honest you are about certain things, the easier it will become to invite moderation into your daily intake. For example, maybe ice cream will energize you, but be honest with yourself. If you know ice cream will always give you a stomachache or makes you groggy, maybe save it for the weekend. Maybe just have a date night and go out for ice cream afterwards instead of inviting the whole entire container in your refrigerator. But again, if this isn't something that triggers you, it's okay. Have things in moderation. I want to encourage you to make a list before you head to the grocery store so that you're ultimately setting yourself up for success.
And also having a food journal really does help with this as well. Once you are eating foods, asking yourself, "Is this energizing me? Is this making me feel like I can conquer more and more tasks? Or is this weighing me down? Do I feel like it's a trigger food? Or do I feel just not at my best after I eat it?" The more and more you are in tune with your body when it comes to certain foods, the easier it's going to be to help you stock up on energizing food throughout the week.
Number two, food prep. Notice how I said food prep, not meal prep. Sometimes meal prepping can be too time consuming and too daunting, to be honest. That's why I like to just do food prep. I'll prep a big thing of rice or a big thing of chicken, a big thing of veggies, so that way during the week I have all the ingredients prepared, and I can make endless dishes with these prepped food, not necessarily meals that are prepped.
This can help you have a more energizing week in two different ways. Number one, it saves you energy because you don't need to be cooking a bunch of meals throughout the week. Let's be real. Cooking two to three times daily can be exhausting, and it's likely that it's not sustainable, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. Thus, you're not going to be able to stay consistent to it.
And number two, it can give you energy because you're less likely to grab food on the go that is anything but energizing, and you're more likely to eat food that actually fuels you. Plus, having food prep like batch proteins and batch things that you can put together in meals can save you a ton of money as well. Because like I said, if you don't have anything prepped at home, even like base preps that you can throw together in a bowl or throw on top of a salad or whatever, you're more likely to just justify constantly going through a drive through or constantly stopping at the grocery store, which is likely going to result you in spending more money than maybe you even have in your food budget for that month.
Number three, look at your schedule and see where you can ask for help. Sometimes we forget we have the opportunity to ask for help. It's perfectly okay. And let me tell you, it can honestly give you an amazing energy boost when you do ask for help. I need to remind you that not everything has to be on your plate, so start sharing what you currently have on your plate. Before your week begins, first, organize your to-do list and calendar, and then determine things that can be outsourced. Can your husband drive the kids to practice on Wednesday? Can you and your friends possibly share days to pick up the kids? Do you need to potentially ask for help to watch the baby for a few hours to get stuff done? We need to stop placing expectations on ourselves that we must do everything ourselves. Figure out what you must do, and then ask for help on the rest if you can. I'll leave you with this quote. Sometimes asking for help is the bravest move you can make. You don't have to do this life alone.
Number four, set appointments with yourself. If your life is dictated by your calendar, start scheduling appointments for you to go work out, for you to have downtime, for you to go to bed, and for you to turn off. I know this sounds crazy, and I know it sounds like I don't want to have to schedule everything in my life, but look at it as an opportunity to actually help you save time and stay on track. Seriously, I want you to put these things in your calendar. I would recommend sitting down every Sunday and scheduling it out. It will take less than 20 minutes, but it will also help you to balance everything in your life, from work to working out to resting to having fun time and downtime.
What days and times are you going to work out? I want you to schedule it. Schedule it like it's an appointment. When do you need to start getting ready for bed each night? Schedule that. I always set an alarm about an hour before I go to bed so I can remind myself, start winding down. Because if I don't remind myself that, I will stay on my phone or I'll do something that's in front of a screen that's not going to allow me to wind down to have the most restful night's sleep. Don't be afraid to schedule things. I know it might sound crazy. I know you might feel like that's too particular, but I'm telling you, it will help you stay on track so much. Treat these things as appointments, just like you would treating a meeting with a client, a coworker, or having a game for your kids. You'll actually find that scheduling things in will give you more time for yourself, and it will allow you to have way more energy to knock everything else off of your calendar much more effectively and efficiently.
Number five, wake up an hour early. I know what you're thinking. Sleeping less is going to make me more energized? Say what? Okay, but hear me out. First things first, like I just talked about, scheduling in winding down before you go to bed so that you can have the most restful night's sleep, so you're not tossing and turning every night because you had just spent the last three hours on your phone, scrolling through TikTok and Instagram or Facebook or watching a movie or whatever it is, but you're actually doing things to help you wind down. For me, that's reading. For me, that's stretching. For me, that's taking a hot shower. All of those things are going to help me wind down so that I can have the most restful night's sleep.
But if you do that in addition to allowing yourself to wake up an hour earlier instead of just rolling out of bed, quickly throwing on some clothes, chugging some coffee, and going straight to staring at your computer, it doesn't really matter if you had that extra hour of sleep if you're going to feel energy deprived anyways. What if you allowed yourself to have enough sleep? You've scheduled in your bedtime. If that's possible, asking yourself, "Okay, how many hours do I feel best?" For me, that's between seven and eight hours. I need at least seven and a half, if not eight hours. I ask myself, "Okay, if I want to wake up at this time, what time do I need to go to bed?" That will help you a lot as well. Trust me, if you wake up one hour earlier and take time for you, once you start your day, you're actually going to feel ready to start your day because you're going to allow yourself to ease into it.
Take your time drinking your coffee while journaling or doing devotions or reading an educational or motivational book. Taking time to actually visualize your day, to meditate, to stretch, to work out, do yoga, get some fresh air, move your body, whatever it is that you need to do. And I know that these things sound amazing, but you're probably listening like that's not realistic. I'm here to tell you that it is. These things don't have to take enormous amounts of time. But if you start with maybe waking up 15 minutes earlier, then for a week, do that. And then the next week say, "Okay, I'm going to try and wake up 30 minutes earlier." And then for the next week, do that. And then say, "Okay, for the next week, I'm going to wake up 45 minutes earlier."
You will start to see how much more energy you have when you allow yourself to ease into your day. The more you ease into your day, the more energized you'll feel once your day starts moving a thousand miles an hour. And I always tell this to people, especially those who are tuning in right now, you guys are the people that want to serve other people. You're here to become the best version of yourself, to show up in your best capacity for other people. That's who you are. I know who you are because I talk to my community every day. And I'm telling you that you will never be able to serve the people that you love, whether it's your family, it's your coworkers, it's the friends or groups that you're involved in ... You're never going to be able to serve them in your best capacity if you don't learn to first prioritize yourself, if you don't learn to first take control of your day before the day takes control of you.
Number six, drink more water. I know that this is a simple tip. Drinking more water is a direct result of giving you more energy. When you hit that afternoon slump and get some major brain fog, and when you feel like you need that third cup of coffee, oftentimes, it's actually dehydration. Have you ever sat and asked yourself before picking up that third energy drink or that third cup of coffee, "Hmm. Maybe it's actually water that my body needs. Maybe it's not food." Oftentimes we mistake things for we need more energy, we need more caffeine, or we need more food, when in reality, our body's just saying, "We need more water."
The power of water is greatly underrated, but if you actively stay hydrated throughout your day, you'll find yourself with much more energy, and you'll also find that you're less interested in munching on snacks throughout your entire day as well. Instead of going for more coffee next time, go for more water. If you're curious about how much water you should be drinking, here's a simple water calculation to gauge where you're currently at. Take your weight, estimated, it doesn't have to be exact, times 0.67, and that should be the amount of ounces in water, baseline, that your body needs. It's also recommended for every 30 minutes of additional activity you have an additional 10 to 12 ounces of water on top of that.
I know it's going to sound like a lot at first, and your body's going to take a week or two to get adjusted to it. But I am telling you, speaking from experience, the fact that I have now become much more aware of hydration and actively hydrating my body for the last, greater, I would say three to four years, my body now relies on that water, and I have so much more energy simply because I'm giving my body what it actually needs, not what I think it needs. Be more in tune with your body. Make sure that you're drinking enough water. It will make a difference.
Number seven. On the weekend, ask yourself, "How will this make me feel on Monday?' Our weekends roll into our weeks, and our weeks roll into our weekends, and the cycle just continues for the rest of our lives. What we do on the weekends will affect how we do during the week. If we truly want to have an energized week, setting ourselves up for success begins on our weekend. Are you giving yourself enough time to chill throughout the weekend? Are you giving yourself enough sleep? Are you giving yourself the food that you need? Are you giving yourself the movement that you need? If you eat out every single meal every weekend, is that going to actually make you feel energized on Monday? If you push yourself too hard on the weekend, is that going to make you feel energized on Monday? Or on the flip side, if you're a couch potato all weekend, is that going to make you feel energized and ready to conquer the week on Monday?
Maybe the answer is yes. Maybe the answer is no. Whatever the answer is, you need to be honest with yourself and realize that the choices that you are making on the weekend, you will directly feel during the week.
Okay, so there you have it. My seven tips to setting yourself up for an energized week. Let me quickly recap. Number one, stock up on energizing food. Number two, food prep, not meal prep. Number three, look at your schedule, and see where you can ask for help. Number four, set appointments with yourself. Number five, wake up an hour earlier. Remember that progression, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and eventually, working up to that hour. Number six, drinking more water. And number seven, on the weekend, asking yourself, "How will this make me feel on Monday?"
If you're looking to set yourself up for success heading into a new season, the summer, as we are literally going to be basking in the sun, heading out on weekend trips or vacations, I want to personally invite you to consider joining my Honor Your Body Challenge. In this case, if you are new around here and you are wondering what this challenge is, I only do these challenges a few times a year, and I actually never promise future challenges. However, we do have a challenge coming up. This four-week challenge is designed to help you commit to honoring your body through movement, mindset, and macros. It is a fabulous way to kickstart your results and create the momentum you need going into the summer so that you can feel consistent, healthy, and strong.
The signups are now open as of May 3rd, and the challenge officially starts on Monday, May 17th. I would love to have you join me with hundreds of other women from across the world. To learn more, you can either click the link in the show notes, or you can directly go to www.HonorYourBodyChallenge.com. Again, that's www.HonorYourBodyChallenge.com. I would love to have you join us. And also, if you loved this episode, I know you will love episode 101, three things to stop doing to live a happier life.
Our ultimate goal in life is to feel happy and fulfilled, but sometimes we go about finding happiness in the wrong way, or we do things that cause us to work against ourselves when trying to be the happier person or to live that more fulfilled life. That's why, in this episode, I share three things that you need to stop doing if you want to live a more happier and fulfilled life. I will go ahead and link that and the Honor Your Body Challenge link in the show notes so you can easily go check it out. I encourage you to do so.
If you have somebody in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode or if you have a community of people on your social media that you feel like, man, this episode would really resonate with them, I just ask that you share it out. You can screenshot this. Post it up on your story. Tag me. I would love to see a little selfie. I love putting faces and names of listeners of this podcast. I appreciate you guys so, so much. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right, sister. That's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the 'gram, be sure to do so. JulieALedbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle. For that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface, so go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.