Module 6 Practical Action

Now, before we talk about any sort of practical actions, one of the things that I would like you to do, if this is something that’s not already happening in your life, is to really think about starting to create a rhythm throughout your day. Create a rhythm and consistency in certain actions. A lot of the clients that I see are living day to day in a very haphazard way — let’s face it, chaos. They’re just running around. Every day is different. They’re inconsistent in when they wake up, when they go to bed, when they eat. Sometimes they skip breakfast, sometimes they have it. Sometimes they skip lunch. They’re inconsistent in exercise timing too. This inconsistency doesn’t send the message of safety to the body. The body likes rhythm. It likes a bit of predictability. It doesn’t have to be robotic or strict, but rhythm gives the body a sense of security. Otherwise, it’s like — is it feast or famine today? Are we eating, or not? Are we exercising now? Are we sleeping now? Creating rhythm and consistency in your day is foundational. If you’re not doing this regularly, disregard all the practical actions we’ll talk about in a second and focus on this first. Practice consistency and rhythm in the time you wake up and the time you go to bed. Have consistency in your eating schedule — eat around the same time every day. It doesn’t need to be to the minute, but roughly similar. Practice rhythm in your light exposure and your exercise too. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing — it’s about consistent, imperfect action. If one night you stay up late or one morning you sleep in, that’s fine. Overall, your days should have a similar rhythm. Holidays or special occasions won’t throw you off completely. This consistency sends the body a message of safety and brings hormones like leptin back into balance. Leptin — that light-sensitive hormone we discussed — impacts satiety and ovarian function. Rhythm helps regulate it and restore hormonal harmony. So if you do nothing else in this module, start here: bring rhythm into your day. It doesn’t have to be a strict schedule — it’s about flow and steadiness. Once that’s in place, we can look at practical actions. Practical Action Pick one area we discussed and commit to a small shift for the next week or two. Think about what resonated most with you: Boundaries – If you’re feeling overwhelmed or angry, this might be your signal. Ask: Where can I set a boundary — at home or work — so I can protect some solitude or energy for myself? Light exposure – If you realized you’re indoors all the time or glued to your phone, try improving your light environment. Commit to waking up and going outside at sunrise, or if that’s too early, simply step outside first thing in the morning before using your phone. You can even align yourself with the circadian clock — get outside at sunrise, UVA rise, UVB rise, and sunset when possible. Use an app if you’d like to track this. Dim the lights in the evening and mimic the natural light cycle without overcomplicating it. Sleep – If you’re struggling with sleep, look at your habits. Is your phone in the room? Are you scrolling before bed? Start by getting the phone out of the bedroom and going to sleep closer to 10 p.m. Movement – Are you moving enough during the day, not just exercising? Aim for more non-exercise movement. Track your steps if that helps — start where you are and slowly add more. You don’t have to hit 10,000 steps overnight. Add 500 each day or week and see how you feel. Exercise – If you’re doing lots of high-intensity workouts but not seeing results or feeling depleted, consider swapping some sessions for restorative ones like yoga or Pilates. Or, if your stress is managed but you want to change your body composition, start a strength training journey. If you’re new to strength training, reach out to a trainer to learn proper form for compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, and presses. These are transformative for body composition and confidence. Don’t be intimidated by the weights section at the gym — everyone’s focused on their own workout. More and more women are embracing strength training; it’s incredibly empowering. So, to summarize the practical actions: Align with your circadian light cycle. Set and hold boundaries. Prioritize quality sleep. Replace some high-intensity workouts with restorative movement. Aim for consistent daily movement. Pick just one area. Make it realistic. Be consistent with it for a week or two, observe how you feel, and then build from there. Now the next module we’ll be looking at is Clearing the Clutter. Thank you so much for watching this — I’ll see you in the next module.