Are you already saying to yourself, “There’s no point trying over summer. No point sticking to the diet. No point saying I’ll go to the gym. No point saying I’ll win new clients. I might as well just have the summer off and enjoy it, then know I GRAFT come September.”

Are you already slowing down, tuning out, dropping healthy habits and routines?

Well today the intention of my blog is to help you if you don’t want the PAIN of having to START ALL OVER AGAIN come September when it comes to the progress you have made so far this year.

Even if it’s just maintenance, and there’s not as much progress, at least you won’t be ‘starting all over again’ when the kids go back to school.

If you’re up for making this summer the time when you relax and restore BUT stay ON TRACK for once, then I’m here to support you.

Summer of Stagnation

Whether you are the owner of a business, a solopreneur, on a mission to lose weight and get fit, or working on another project that is important to you; you are very aware that the world is getting ready to go on vacation.

It’s that time of year when everyone is preparing for some well-deserved (and often much needed) time off, including YOU! But what do we do when we need to keep our business ticking along, or want to keep tracking when it comes to the gains we’ve made in our physical health, weight loss for example?

The Important Balance of Rest, Restoration & Progress

Firstly let me begin by saying that I will always be the biggest advocate for you taking time out to restore your mind, body and spirit. IT IS ESSENTIAL.

There’s something about summer that feels like it’s a time to reap. We’ve worked hard all year and now it’s time to NOT.

It’s essential we give ourselves the time, space and slow pace to reflect on the year so far, and create some beautiful memories with our families and friends that we’ll always treasure.

It’s quite frankly essential we get proper REST.

The Downside of the Long Summer Holidays

However, many of us just flick the ‘off’ switch the moment the school gates close.

The motivation and inspiration that’s kept us working towards that bikini body since New Year’s Day now eludes us because “f*** it, we’re now in summer, so if I’m not in my bikini, there’s nothing to be done now” or “yes I made it in to that bikini, so now I can eat and drink and be merry every single day! Bring on the BBQs!”

We’ve all done it – the all or nothing approach to life and goals.

Did you know that August and October tend to be the most unproductive months for people?

Why – well August is obvious.

But October is interesting. In October I think people have struggled through September after the ‘whole summer off’ to get back to their positive habit, and levels of motivation and productivity. So by October, they are still stuck with the memories of that wonderful lazy summer (and bbqs); but faced with the outcome of that (gaining a stone, losing clients or momentum with their business) and therefore feeling like “Oh what’s the point – I just can’t make progress!” FORGETTING ALL THE PROGRESS they had made up until July….and all the progress they UNDID in August.

The problem comes when we swap all the good habits and routines that have been helping us and replace them with things that feel good in the moment, but hurt long-term; for example

• Too much alcohol
• Excess fatty and sugary food on the daily
• Skipping any movement and opting for lazing for 6 solid weeks
• Not enough sleep
• Over-doing the diary – too many commitments in order to ‘feel like you are doing something’ and ignoring rest
• Getting little movement in your day
• Not staying on top of work coming in
• Falling off the radar completely with our audience on social media.

So is the key here to find more of a balance? The rest is needed, for sure. But how do we maintain our gains?

How to Keep Momentum Going Over Such a Long Break?

You know only too well, the kids are off, you still have to allocate time to work (unless your job allows you to take the summer off). Even without a job, being the children’s entertainer for six weeks is a challenge for anyone.

So how we keep the momentum going AND have a well needed break?

Reframe Your Ideas around The Summer

If you haven’t read or listened to the podcast on Episode 24: DESIGN YOUR SUMMER where you can listen on Apple or Spotify then head there first. It’s vital to get clarity about how you want to feel when summer is over.

The trick with juggling is determining which balls are made of rubber, and which are made of glass.

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Having clear ideas and direction on what is important to you, and how you want to feel AT THE END of summer, helps you to prioritise, plan and prepare for the summer you WANT, not a summer you need to ‘handle’ or ‘deal with’ or simply just ‘accept’ because you are telling yourself that you can’t have a good time AND continue to progress on the things that are important to you.

You need to work on changing this all or nothing belief that it’s ‘relaxation and fun OR hard work on goals’. Any long term goals you are working on require consistent action – you know that! So to keep tracking along well, you need to find a way to make positive daily actions and habits part of a lifestyle you enjoy and are dedicated to.

You need to identify with the habits and actions as part of WHO YOU ARE BECOMING. You don’t just give up on who are becoming because the sun’s out – right?

Think Ahead

Close your eyes and imagine how you want to feel at the end of the summer break.

Restored, healthy, like you’ve had fun, rested, alive, refreshed, nourished, like you’ve had adventures, connected…. These are just some ideas.

Now imagine September feeling like you’ve had a great time BUT…. you’ve put those pounds back on and more! You’ve lost clients to someone else. You were running 5K and now you can’t run to the end of the road.

That feels rubbish, despite the amazing things you’ve done over the summer.

WHY? Because it is important to you. It never stopped being important to you. You just stopped prioritising it.

Have that picture in your mind of having to ‘start over from scratch’ or a worse place ahead of going in to your summer.

Accept that there will be days were you might have a slump, schedule lots of fun activities and days off where you have NO PRESSURE to do ANYTHING AT ALL; and opposingly schedule in some times to work on what’s important.

Choose ONE Thing

So for example say you want to keep on target with your fat loss BUT you don’t want to be hitting the gym 5 times per week, and sticking to your very structured diet with a treat meal on a Friday. Just thinking about that is enough to exhaust anyone mentally before the summer.

Instead think about one positive habit you can maintain the easiest over the summer.

For example, you will always have a healthy nutritionally dense breakfast and lunch, but loosen the reigns at dinner time.

OR you will continue to track your calories each day.

Or you will hit your 10000 steps a day, even on holiday, 4 times a week.

You can bring your actions down a bit so you are still progressing and keeping on top of positive practises but in a way where you take some pressure off.

Just have a daily practise that is non-negotiable, so your brain maintains that feeling of remaining consistent. You are lowering expectations of yourself, NOT switching off and accepting that come September you’ll have to start all over again.

Do the easiest, shortest tasks first

Tap in that ‘Eat the Frog’ energy in the morning when motivation and will power are topped up (providing you haven’t had a skinfull of sangria the night before with a hangover kicking in).

Go for that walk, prepare a fresh healthy breakfast, make the call, write the chapter of your book, do your emails and then you know you can relax for the remainder of the day.

I highly recommend listening to my podcast on Owning Your Morning if you want some top tips on how to do this.

Manage Your Input

If you like to read, READ books that make you feel GOOD.

If you like podcasts, LISTEN to the ones that make you feel motivated and alive

Eat nutritious foods – even if that is along with some treats. Get some colour in there.

Drink lots of water – even if it is with a side of mojito.

Cram the good stuff in there and you’d be surprised at how full you’ll feel.

Understand there’s more than one way to take a break

There isn’t just one way to take a break. There are short term breaks you can take whilst continuing to work, and fully switching off and resting (like on a vacation)

BOTH are important when it comes to making progress towards the person you want to become.

Having your foot on the gas full throttle simply isn’t sustainable, so when people tend to ‘take their foot off the gas’; they stop.

The key is to create a life that is punctuated by small breaks, and then longer restoration periods. So for example if you are travelling abroad, leave your laptop at home if you can, put your out of office on and SWITCH OFF.

However in between that, try and retain some structure, but just lower the expectations and pressure on yourself.

Refuel before you burn out

In the past I have burned out DURING the summer holidays, finding the juggling and merging of home and work exhausting for 6 weeks.

So it’s essential for me to work on the foundations that keep me feeling mentally and physically energised as well as planning that time to rest (which for me, is usually when we go away).

For me, actually having some discipline, planning time alone to go to the gym or for a walk with the dog, staying on track with nutrition as often as I can without being ‘strict’ on myself, creates structure and stability whilst giving me the freedom to full switch off and relax on other days.

Plan In “Do Nothing Time”

And I mean nothing.

Understand that rest is actually productive. It recharges your energy levels.

I can’t stress how important and helpful this is. When you allow yourself time to do nothing, you give your brain a chance to process experiences, consolidate memories, and reinforce learning. Being in a resting state is a powerful tool for regulating your brain, emotions and maintaining the ability to focus. Rest will also help you make better decisions and be more productive.

Watching the waves lap at the shore, staring at the sky, wandering around your beautiful garden, lying on the bed…. Essential to plan to in this year.

If an hour seems impossible, try setting a timer for 5 minutes and build from there. You may be itching to move and ‘get going’ again, but this is a skill worth doing. Try it with your children too!!

If all else fails, to keep you on track tune in to The Best Self Podcast every Monday (yes, even during the holidays) and let me be your weekly motivator through the summer and beyond! Available to download on Apple or Spotify:- the perfect bitesize motivational podcasts to keep you working towards your Best Self this summer.