A LOT with Audra

Ep23
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Audra Dinell: [00:00:00] Hey, I'm so glad you're back this week. I am recording episode 23, doable Summer Care after having released 20 episodes, and it has been such a fun learning effort and I have done podcasting all different ways so far in terms of how I've prepped, how I've shown up, and it's just been really fun to experiment.

So I am really looking forward to kind of hitting this halfway mark of [00:01:00] the year and implementing some learnings that I have now that I have a little bit under my belt. So all of that to say thank you so much for being here, for listening in on episode 23. I am just getting started over here and it has been absolutely amazing to receive your feedback, whether that be you shooting me social media dms, or emails, or to the listeners I see in person.

It just really fills my cup to hear that people are listening, so thank you. Thank you. Okay, so today we're talking all about doable summer self-care, and as I'm recording this, my kids have just a few days left in the school year. I have our summer plan all set out. Last night I printed out like a calendar, starting with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day, and marked off the big things we have [00:02:00] going on.

The weeks they'll be in camp, the weeks we're traveling, et cetera. I have come up with their daily checklists, which I'll. I have printed out as a weekly document and I am just feeling excited and really, really ready for summer. I have a list of ideas of things we want to do together on my phone. I've asked both of my kids, you know, what do you wanna do this summer?

I've asked, who do you want to For my youngest one. Have a play date with for my oldest. Who do you wanna hang with this summer? We have our summer pool membership all secured and even have a reservation for my oldest's ninth birthday, which is happening in August. So I just feel so excited and prepared for summer.

As you're listening to this, we have already kicked off summer, but here's why I am talking about summer self-care in doable ways this year, because I realized I have so much [00:03:00] planned for my family this summer. I've got my work all tidied up. I know what needs to be done and the time I have to do it, but I realized I was missing one major thing and that thing was.

How am I gonna take care of me this summer? You see, I don't know if you're anything like me, but when life gets busy, taking care of myself is the first thing to fall off my plate. And it's not just when life gets busy, it's also when routines get interrupted. So I've forever loved going to Boutique Gems Orange Theory, pure Bar Pilates.

However, my routine always gets interrupted when my kids are on Christmas break or spring break hits, or you know, the three month long summer break. So this year I really want to be intentional about how I am going to take care of myself this summer. I want to just like throw away that black and white mindset [00:04:00] of how I do self care or how I care for myself during.

Routine times, and then when it's not routine, everything's out the window. That's like that black and white mindset that comes in in my life. I don't know if that ever happens to you, but for me it's like, okay, once we're in a flow, once we're on a routine, here's what I do. However, I'm really working on like how do I care for myself?

During the ebbs and flows of life because that is the consistent in life. It will always ebb and flow. So I hope to bring you today some easy, actionable ways we can take care of ourself for this summer. And if you're a person who summer is just another season to you, your life is the same. It is routine.

Totally cool. Use this for when you have a busy travel season or a full work season, or maybe you're moving you, maybe you're becoming a caregiver to your parents. Use [00:05:00] these tips to spark some ideas for yourself on like, okay, maybe it's not all or nothing. Maybe I can care for myself well, in a season that doesn't look like others.

I have a friend and partner in the thread. She is a speaker for us. Her name is Lashanda Porter and she owns LG Consulting. We will link her in the show notes and she said this beautiful twist on the saying that I had heard for years. She said. Well, you've all heard the saying, we can't pour from an empty cup, right?

So we have to fill our cup. And she took it one step further. She was like, no, no, no, no. Your cup has to be so full that you actually pour into your work. You pour into others, you pour into your family and your community from your overflow. And my mind was blown. I was like, this visual is it? I love this so much because

we cannot be at our [00:06:00] best, our most patient, our most intentional. We cannot be at our most creative, our most focused, our most productive when we are even pouring, you know, from a half cup. We don't want to be dry at the end of the day. We want to have poured so much into ourselves that all the goodness overflows into our families and our work and our communities.

So that is the why behind this episode. We don't want to be dry. That's not when we're our best. I know if you're listening to this podcast, you're a person who wants to show up as your best for that day, the best you can. And so really we have to get real about taking care of ourselves. And so here's how I'm gonna do it this summer.

Okay? Tip number one, I am a stickler on sleep. Anyone who's known me for any amount of time knows that this is true. My body needs seven and a half hours of sleep a night. [00:07:00] And the funny thing is, I used to have this app where it told me, and I can't remember exactly why that. Maybe like our REM sleep cycles are 90 minutes long, and so you either need seven and a half hours of sleep or nine hours of sleep.

And about 10 years ago I was like fully, fully bought into this concept and so I started experimenting and over time just learned whether, whether or not that app was actually. True or helpful. It did help me learn what kind of sleep my body needs, and I know that my body needs seven and a half hours of sleep a night.

So every night my lights are out you know, before 10 o'clock. I also know that some studies, I'm very scientific here, as you can tell. Some studies have said that it takes the average person about 14 minutes to fall asleep. I'm a quick to fall asleep person most nights, so I try and have my lights. I'm in bed by nine 30, reading, journaling, [00:08:00] talking to my husband, lights out by 9 45 because I like to fall asleep by 10, and then my alarm goes off.

Most mornings at 5:30 AM and that's when I'm gonna share my second tip of how I'm gonna be caring for myself this summer, and that is to continue having my alone time in the morning. So you do not have to follow my sleep regimen. The point is. On tip number one, figure out how much sleep your body needs a night, and do not sacrifice on that.

Don't sacrifice on that, on travel, during full seasons, during moves, when you're a caregiver, obviously if you have a newborn, it is what it is. That was the hardest thing for me in that season, was the lack of sleep and having to teach a human how to sleep. Like it just blew my mind that humans were not born knowing how to sleep, to be honest, blew my mind.

Figure out what your body needs and make sure you commit to that [00:09:00] every night. Now there are maybe a few nights a year I don't get that. Or of course there's those nights where, you know, I'm anxious and my body wakes me up. But that is one way I consistently season through season, no matter what is going on, care for myself.

I prioritize my sleep above all else. And one other little hack. I start to think about my next day, starting the night before. So today is Tuesday when I'm recording this. My Tuesday actually started at that 9 45 mark when my lights went out, and I prepared for sleep for the night because. That hack has helped me be consistent at getting to bed by the time I wanna be in bed, which is 10 o'clock, and helped me realize that what I'm doing now by going to bed, even if I wanna watch one more episode of Four Seasons.

By the way, have you seen that on Netflix? It is so good. [00:10:00] Eight episode series. Must watch. Just very, very good. Anyways, even if I want to watch one more episode, I know to set myself up for success for the next day. My day actually starts when I go to bed, and so I've been really consistent over the past decade at least, of that morning and evening.

Wake up, go to sleep time, figure out what your body needs, make it happen. I typically also do this on the weekends, although I will let myself slide back an hour. So sometimes on the weekends I'll go to bed at 11 and I'll wake up at six 30 or on Sundays. Sometimes I don't even set an alarm and just see if my body needs any extra sleep from rough sleep nights during the week.

Okay. For real on to tip number two, and that is keeping that morning routine for me in the summer. So in the morning I like to wake up and I like to do some sort of reading journaling, whether that be a fiction book [00:11:00] or a devotional or a nonfiction book that I'm working through. I like to just wake up and have that time to.

Pour into myself, and right now it feels really, really good to make a cup of coffee and sit in my chair and read. And if it's already light, I'll go out on the front porch and do it there. If the weather works. So that's my second tip. Have a super simple morning routine that is gonna like fill you up.

That's my plan for the summer. Keeping that going. Another thing that I have been doing is habit stacking. So this is tip number three for me. Movement. Like I said, I love to be a part of a boutique. Jim, I am a member of the YMCA here in my community as well. They do have childcare, and my oldest is old enough to be able to work out with me in certain spaces, and so I do have a lot of options with [00:12:00] boys, six and eight years old that I can stay active this summer.

What I have found though, is needing to be able to work out from my home, even though that's not my number one preference. And we don't have a basement gym or a garage gym or anything like that. I use my office. I have a yoga mat, I've got some bands. I've got a small set of weights and. I downloaded the Lindy Well Pilates app, and this is an app that I've used on and off for many, many years.

I have loved following Robin, the founder and her journey to the app. When I first started following Robin, she definitely didn't have an app, but this app is really awesome. It gives you a new Pilates workout anywhere from like five to 30 minutes. Five days a week, you can also go through the archives and find a certain type of exercise if you're in the mood for something specific.

So how I've been habit stacking now is I have walked my boys to school [00:13:00] and then typically I'll take my dog on a 30 minute walk. We have an 11 month old black lab puppy. So she needs lots of walking. And then I'll come home and do my Pilates workout, whatever the app has selected for the day. So this summer, I can't have it stack with school, but I can have it stack with the weeks that they're going to camp.

And I also can have it stack for the weeks that they're not going to camp, even though it'll look a little bit different. So I've decided my schedule for the summer, and I made a. Loose outline of. This is the time I'm gonna wake up. As you know, it's the same as during the school year. I'm gonna have this morning time, it's gonna be breakfast, I'm gonna get my morning workout in.

The boys are old enough that they can come with me easily, or they can choose to do something else while I am on my walk around the neighborhood. And then I'm gonna come back home and get some chores [00:14:00] done, get ready, and then out of the house by 10 is sort of like our morning routine when my kids are home.

Tip number three really is commit to some sort of movement that feels good to you and that is super, super accessible. Now, I hope to sneak in some orange three classes on the weekends. This summer, I can see us going and using our gym membership. My oldest will likely ask us to do that at some point, and so I have those options too.

But I also have just a very basic option of like, if all else fails, I can do this. Okay, tip number four. This is one that I've probably talked about a little bit on the podcast before, but I absolutely love to get myself ready every day. I am not a workout clothes gal most days. I'll be honest, there's at least one day a week probably, that I will rock my workout clothes for one reason or another, but to care for myself really, really well.[00:15:00]

I know how I feel best and I feel best when I look the way I wanna look for the day. That doesn't always mean something fancy, actually, that rarely does. I am currently describing my style. This is so vulnerable to share. But I've also had a lot of fun with it. So I'm currently describing my style as Madewell mom meets coastal preppy grandma.

And so just finding something that. I want to wear that day and actually taking the time to style myself, not just throwing something on, but you know, adding a little cardigan or some layers or some jewelry or some cute shoes. I'm really into those cute crocheted shoes right now. And so, I envision those coming out a lot this summer, but even when I'm home with my kids, I want to just get myself ready for the day.

That's a way that, for me, knowing that aesthetics is something that I value very much. I [00:16:00] want to feel like myself, so I am gonna take the time to do that. Okay, tip number five, healthy breakfast and lunch options. So my husband mostly takes care of dinner. But it's up to me to make sure that I put something healthy and high protein and as natural as possible from the earth into my body.

Morning and lunch. And I have my go-tos. Typically, my go-to is like Greek yogurt with honey and blueberries and granola for breakfast, of course, with the coffee. And for lunch. I typically like a big salad that is heavy on protein. Protein, can be chicken or deli, Turkey meat, or hard boiled eggs. So for me, just knowing that those are my two staples that I don't really have to think a ton about, that has been the case during the school year.

And I'm also gonna keep those for myself on summer break because that's just a way that I can keep my energy up and take care of myself and not have to make a decision because I already know [00:17:00] this is pretty much what I have for breakfast Now. My husband does make some awesome breakfast sometimes. And so I'll.

Get to be treated with that every now and then, but if not, I know how I can make a healthy breakfast. Oftentimes, I'll make some eggs too if I'm just like over Greek yogurt for the week. But this summer I'm committing to healthy breakfast and lunches just like I do during the school year. Not switching it up.

It's already light enough and feels summery. I could even make the salads like more summery by adding in some fruit. Okay, tip number six on how we can care for ourself well in busy seasons is stick to our nightly skincare routine. I am pretty low maintenance, I think on most things, like when it comes to those meals that I just talked about.

I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not a health expert or guru, but those meals make me feel full. They give me energy and I just really, I like the way I feel. I also like the way I [00:18:00] feel when I take care of my skin every single night. So it's just a non-negotiable for me. I work with an aesthetician in my local area and we put together a morning and a nighttime routine for me.

I will be seeing her soon at the beginning of summer, so any swaps I need to make, I'll decide with her at that time. But I stick to it every night. It doesn't matter how tired I am, it doesn't matter where I am. I have probably not, not done my skincare routine. I mean, maybe like one night a year, maybe.

Maybe. And I feel horrible the next day. I just don't like the way I feel. I'm gonna take care of myself this summer, is just sticking with those basics that I know make me feel good. And it's like I'm telling you what makes me feel good. I don't know what's gonna make you feel good. I'd love if some of these ideas work for you and you take them, but if not, like mind your [00:19:00] life.

Excavate what has worked for you in the past and just try and get consistent with that. And as a person who truly struggles with consistency in many areas, looking at this list to me was like, oh yeah, there are plenty of areas in my life where I am very consistent and have been for years and years and years, and that's the way I take care of myself.

So I just am going to commit to keeping it up over the summer and hope that by sharing it with you, it encourages you to create self-care that works for you this summer too. Okay, next tip. What are we on tip number seven? Tip number seven is weekly dates. So this is something I've also probably talked about on the podcast, but my husband and I have been doing weekly dates this year, and it's just been so life-giving.

At the beginning of the year, I will admit they were fancier, bigger, better. It was winter, so it kind of felt like [00:20:00] that was the thing to do, you know, it was like cooking class at, or a Cirque de Solei show or dinner at a Michelin, not Michelin star, but it was some sort of Michelin like in the running, or maybe Michelin is wrong.

Michelin is totally wrong. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, let's just say that. So we would do these more elaborate dates, and they were so fun. Now that the weather though is nicer, I find that our dates are becoming more casual. Sometimes it'll just be like a walk to the coffee shop. Or last weekend, my parents had the kids and we had just had a slammed weekend with

all the school and kid activities and we were like, do you just wanna walk the dog to our local pizza shop and sit on the patio and have a slice of pizza and a beer and walk home and watch a movie? And yes, that's what we did. But regardless of what you do if you are in a relationship, [00:21:00] having these weekly date nights has been something so fun to look forward to of just like a time that we know we'll have that we can

connect and do something we both enjoy and get out of the hustle and bustle and the routine and the weight of the logistics of life. Just have fun again. We've also planned a couple of solo getaways for the summer. One is a short stint, just one night, and one is a couple of nights. And so while I don't currently have any huge travel plans this summer, we are gonna do a couple solo getaways as a little bonus.

Okay. Tip number eight. I really like to take care of myself by doing a monthly Manny Petty. So I have my favorite local salon that's in my neighborhood that I love to go to. I've started to do shellac, or I don't know, it's not gel. I don't know what they call, I. Non [00:22:00] shellac branded, but I've started to do that every month.

A Mani Petty, and then I only need one a month, and I'll go in and get the polish changed on my fingers every two weeks. So that's sort of like the rhythm that I've created for myself. And it feels great. I'm totally gonna keep it up in the summer because in the summer, you know, it's like we're wearing sandals and it's definitely the time for mani pedis and having that, chillac is just helpful to, to get a little bit of longevity. You can tell I am such a like simple beauty person. Like nothing I do is extensive and that's just kind of the way I like it. I feel like when things take more of my time and energy, then I. Want them to. I just, I don't sustain them. I had extensions for a while, for a couple of years actually, and I loved them and it was postpartum and so I really was struggling with like the hair loss and the thinning [00:23:00] of my hair.

And loved having extensions, but I love even more not having extensions and having like healthy hair. So anyways, that is just random side note that I'm a super simple. Beauty person, I think. And taking care of myself by having my nails done, it just feels good to me. And so that's what I'm gonna keep up over the summer.

Okay, two more tips and then we're gonna wrap this episode up. Tip number nine that I wanna share with you is all about boundaries. So I'm totally a person who over commits. I'm totally a person who sees all the things I want to do and feels like they all need to be done right now. So a way I'm putting boundaries in my life to care for myself well this summer is by having just like one activity that my family is going to do a day.

Now, will we maybe do more activities than one? Yeah, sure. Maybe. But the point is like if we have a [00:24:00] play date scheduled, like that is the activity we're doing that day. I'm not going to pack our mornings and our afternoons. I am going to commit to like, all right, we've got a play date, and whatever else we.

Do is something that we all choose to do sort of spontaneously. Like I said, we have a pool membership, so I definitely see us being at the pool a ton this summer in the evenings if we haven't gone that day, but we're just gonna do one activity day, that's what we're gonna commit to. I'm also choosing not to juggle work and kids this summer.

So in the past summers I have often like taken a call when they've had their screen time or like fit things in here and there, and this year I'm trying something totally different. I'm blocking off my weeks where they are in camp, and those are my work weeks. I'm actually saying no to any summer meetings that aren't directly with my team or directly connected to initiative that I'm working on this

summer, [00:25:00] and so I am not planning on juggling. I'm also, as far as a boundary, gonna pick three things, like during my work days, I'm gonna have three things that I want to accomplish, and that's got to be it. I am a person, I don't know if you're like this, but I can put like 20 things on my to-do list for a day, and then maybe I'll get like five of them done.

But I'll feel so unaccomplished because I have all of these things left to do. Nope, not this summer. I'm putting a boundary on myself and I will say this is a practice I have been working on for a while and some days are better than others, but three things I know the three things I need to do on this workday, and that's what's gonna get done.

Okay, here is my last tip for the summer, and that is I am gonna care for myself by taking the pressure off to do anything perfectly or be perfectly ready for [00:26:00] anything. We are kicking off our summer vacation by taking a trip to the lake with my family. And you know, there's grocery shopping that had to be done and bags to pack and itineraries to consider and X, Y, Z and I can get so into the planning of things.

I love planning things, planning summer. I loved planning summer and looking out at. At our calendar for the summer, but I can also get to like the very edge of when it's gonna start and be like, oh my gosh, I've gotta scramble. I forgot to do X, Y, and Z, and I'm just like taking that pressure off. We're going to the lake on Friday and it's gonna be great.

All the planning and prep I've done so far is enough. Summer starts on Thursday at four 10. All the planning and prep I have done may not be perfect, but I'm going to let it be enough this summer. Okay. Those are my 10 tips on how we can do doable summer [00:27:00] self-care, or again, self-care for any season that's off routine or that's full busy for you.

I hope you take what works for you, throw out the rest. If something has inspired you, comment on the post, leave a review. I would love to hear how you are planning to care for yourself this summer. All right. Until next time. Thank you so much for tuning in and I will talk to you next week.