Whether it's wine or a pile of candy, most of us have our evening vice that helps us get through the exhausting, horrifying, magical, wonderful, long days of momming.
We've either been spending all day speaking with our voices an octave higher and searching for ways to teach and get silly with (and get a little space from) the little weirdos we're raising or we've been working and crushing our work goals with our bad-ass selves and come home to a sweet but chaotic evening of routines and emotions running on HIGH!
And once those kiddos get in their last tinkle and their final "1-more-minute" of cuddles, and their eyes flutter shut, we desperately seek a little winding down.
Or maybe it's how we get through the chaos! A little bump of chocolate or a sip of wine as the kids float seamlessly between adorable, angsty and acrobatic, helps us keep our cool and provides the fumes to keep our motors running just a little bit longer.
And, mama, we deserve it!
If you're feeling like you've got a good balance, you do you! Have that wine, grab some [organic ;)] candy, and take care of you!
But what if it's not feeling good? At first it was a nice treat you looked forward to, but lately you wake up feeling bummed about all that sugar (physically and/or emotionally), worried about your willpower (and your waistline), and wishing you could stick to "just the weekends and nights out."
But what are we moms if not the all or nothing sort!
It's all the wine or none of the wine. We can do that. But what about some of the wine?
As we work to get Savage and move away from the all or nothing mindset that gets in the way of living a sustainably healthy lifestyle, don't forget there are a lot of these smaller hurtles we still have to navigate (like our nightly drink or mindless candy-ing).
And whether it's the stress relief, the extra energy it provides, or the buzz we get, our nightly vice is something we are relying on and, as we SAVAGES know, that does not put us in the driver's seat of our healthy choices.
So, how do we reign it in without telling ourselves something we love is off limits?
Luckily I work on this one a lot so I have a lot of tips for all sorts of sugar and booze loving mamas -- no matter the origin of your sugar infused craving.
Keeping it simple, here are my best tips for reshaping our sugary, boozy habits in the PM:
1. Put it off
If stress is what's calling to that buttery, oaky, beauty in your fridge, try to wait it out! Hear me out on this one. When you get home and the screeches are popping off and you find your wine glass full (or candy bar open) without even realizing you'd grabbed it, put it down. You can do that. Break the habit and put it down.
Don't try to tell yourself you can't have it (Because if you're anything like me, that's when my sassy inner voice responds with, "I am a grown-ass woman and I can do whatever I want with this wine," and I put on my scuba mask and dive in).
Instead tell yourself to wait until after the kids go to bed. After all, that is when you can really sit and enjoy it - and let's face it, you'll pour yourself another one then anyway, so this way, you'll at least be cutting back.
Often you'll find that once the kids are in bed, you actually don't even feel that pull to the mini bar (see what I did there? That can be candy or wine - Har har!) and you can easily listen to and give weight to that voice in your head that is serious about wanting to cut back.
2. Find a replacement
This one's for those of us that are purely habit driven. Or those of us thinking that a glass of wine to sip on while we cook dinner will be WAY less calories than all those delicious kid-food leftovers or whatever handfuls of whatever we keep wanting to grab out of the pantry...
But you have options! Again, instead of telling yourself NO booze (or candy), tell yourself you'll try something else (healthier) first, then revisit the wine option. If anything, it cuts back, but more often I see (and experience) breaking the cycle also breaks that feeling of "need" and makes it easy to pass.
Here are my favorite options:
A vanilla roiboos tea is a great alternative as it's sweet and caffeine free. You can make a pot and just chug on that all evening and night long.
A real ginger-ale - lower in sugar than the Canada Dry, super gingery to help with that appetite, and kinda tricks you into feeling like you've got a cocktail in hand!
Kombucha. These are also low in sugar, a bit bubbly, cold, refreshing and feels like a fun but healthy treat. Bonus, it's also great for the gut (unlike the sugar you're trying to avoid!)
3. Lower your stress
Meditation, journaling, eating enough nutrient dense foods during the day to not stress out your body, increasing your activity, or even seeing a therapist are all great ways to lower those cortisol levels (that pesky stress hormone that may manifest as the little devil on your shoulder).
Lack of sleep is also a big culprit of high cortisol levels. Being tired also makes us crave sugar (quick energy), and booze and too much sugar can also get in the way of healthy sleep cycles. So it's all a cycle that may need breaking. If you can't fix the quantity, fix the quality of sleep. But better yet, fix both!
I'll also include CBD oil here. I haven't taken a deep dive into the research, but I have also not been hiding under a rock for the last 3 years. CBD is being shown to have a huge positive effect on anxiety and it carries NONE of the high of it's THC counterpart in the Mary-Jane you may have puff puff passed in college. So much so that when I've tried it, I literally felt nothing. That's not to say the anxiety isn't relieved, but there's not a buzz or wave of euphoria to tell me my mood has been altered which makes it something I could feel comfortable trying out (feel free to reply here and ask me about specifics on this and adaptogenic herbs like Ashwangandha - a-la GOOP - if you're curious)
Decreasing the stress you're accumulating during the day, will leave you more even keeled and ready to listen to the more goal oriented voice inside your head. You'll be less cranky, less overwhelmed, and more ready to take on the tasks (and rascals!) at hand without any backup!
4. Change your routine
Maybe your whole evening routine needs a switch up. Trying taking a family walk after dinner, or adding a quick 5 or 10 minutes of stretching or strength work after the kids go down (hit me up if you want to try out a Savage home workout!).
Start dinner earlier or do bath time before food. Play a family board game or sit down and do some family journaling and chatting about your wins and struggles for the day.
Maybe all you need is a good overhaul to shake you out of your routine and give you some new focus.
Whatever the goal, and whatever the reason, moderation is possible and almost always the best way to create the sustainable change you are looking for.
Try out the above tips and let me know what works for you! Or if you have any tips of your own to add, I'd love to hear them!
If you have any questions or you want to check in on your own healthy living goals, set up a FREE discovery call and let's let this be your summer of SAVAGE!
Get after it, mamas! Let's hit this summer hard with our Savage selves! Save the drinks and desserts for the summer parties so you can have your fun and get your goals, too!
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You are strong, gorgeous, and ready to shine!
Love,
Shannon
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