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Ep. 3: Let the Beat Drop, Find Your Rhythm
25 Plays8 months ago
In today's episode, Coach Autumn explains how marching to the beat of your own drum can be beneficial when it comes to adding shalom into your life.
She stresses the importance of aligning our desires for wholeness with deliberate choices in our daily lives, honing in on the concept of intentional sustainable rhythms (ISR). Through personal examples, Coach Autumn shows how being intentional about our choices, nurturing sustainable habits, and recognizing the importance of rhythm in our routines, we can foster a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.
Intro and Outro Music Credit: Savage by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, License type: CC BY
Please visit: www.autumnswain.com
Contact: autumn@thealignedleader.org
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Transcript
Introduction to Dr. Autumn and Align Living Podcast
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello there. I'm Dr. Autumn, leadership consultant, wellness coach, author, and I'm incredibly grateful to be your host of the Align Living Podcast. I'm here to equip you with the tools, inspiration, and practical tips necessary to lead a life of wholeness and pursue greater Shalom in your life and that of your families, teams, and communities.
Transitioning to Abundant Well-being
00:00:34
Speaker
My mission is to empower you to lead from a place of holistic wellbeing. It's time to say peace out to the fatigue, fog, and frustration of living in a place that lacks abundant wellbeing. Join me as we embark on a comprehensive exploration of spiritual, physical,
00:00:56
Speaker
mental, emotional, social, and economic well-being all within the comforting embrace of one podcast.
00:01:11
Speaker
Hey good people, Dr. Autumn here and welcome back to the Align Living podcast. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to chat with you today about my approach to helping you be able to follow through on your goals.
00:01:28
Speaker
Last episode I mentioned something called intentional sustainable rhythms and today I want to break this down for you because what I know from my experience with health coaching and working with leaders is that there is this gap sometimes between our desire
00:01:48
Speaker
and where our reality is, where we want to be, and where we currently are, okay? And so I want to start by asking you a question. Why does it sometimes feel so challenging to do what you want to do, or do the things you need to do to get where you want to be, right?
Biblical Teachings on Well-being
00:02:05
Speaker
If you're listening to this podcast, some part of you is drawn to this pursuit of wholeness. You would love to have a greater sense of shalom in your life, but how do we get there, right? Okay, so interestingly, Paul, the Apostle Paul in Romans 7 says, I do not understand what I do.
00:02:28
Speaker
For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do." Okay, that's a very strong statement there, but I think it's relatable. Now, theologically, there are definitely pieces of Romans 7 that I'm not going to get into, but I do believe this statement really relates to the reality that God desires in us
00:02:55
Speaker
Greater Shalom, okay, in us and others in our communities.
Holistic Health and Decision Making
00:02:59
Speaker
But it's not a simple or easy journey, right? Because we're human. God makes it super clear that the whole of us matter, all of us, our bodies, our souls, our emotions, our mind. So if all of that's important, if he wants health and wholeness for our whole being, then we need to make the right choices to support that. But as Paul says here, that's not always so easy to do. So let me help you.
00:03:24
Speaker
Now, we know shalom is such an important vision and central to the gospel for us individually and communally. So then why do we struggle to make even sometimes the most simple choices that would move us in the direction of wholeness? Okay, we're going to dive into this. Now, just a quick note, Colossians 3, 23 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible, and it was my focus scripture throughout my research.
00:03:54
Speaker
And it simply says in summary, do all things as for the Lord. Now, I tell you that because I want that to remain an encouragement and a reminder to you that when you're trying to make these decisions and choices that we will work through now, today, in future episodes. But remember this even when trying to make the smallest decisions.
00:04:16
Speaker
Do all things as for the Lord. Okay, sometimes we just need these regular reminders for real, like regularly, even sometimes several times a day, at least for me, some days I certainly do.
New Year's Resolutions and ISR
00:04:29
Speaker
Now today, I wanna get you started on some strategies that will hopefully help in this decision making process to favor your wellbeing, your shalom. Now let me start by defining an important reality.
00:04:44
Speaker
According to US News and World Report, about 80% of New Year's resolutions fail, and most of them fail by February. That's the second month of the year, y'all. That's wild to me. And then another statistic actually says that only 9% of people follow through on their goals that they set forth to accomplish. Now, something even quite
00:05:13
Speaker
more, even more fascinating to me is that because of this reality, there is actually an official quitters day. It's the second Friday of January, of January. And this is when people are most likely to throw in the towel on their resolutions. Okay. That is wild.
00:05:35
Speaker
Folks, what this tells me when I read this and I think about it is that there is desire for something more, but the issue is with the execution. It's with the follow through, okay? And ISR, when I say that, I just mean intentional sustainable rhythms, that will address
00:05:54
Speaker
are issues with follow-through, at least in some significant way, okay? So before we jump into that, I want to take a look at the top New Year's resolutions and see if you can notice something.
Alignment in Well-being Areas
00:06:08
Speaker
Save more, exercise more, eat healthier, spend more time with family and friends,
00:06:17
Speaker
lose weight and reduce spending on living expenses, okay? Now, there were some other sources that listed some of the top news resolutions as improved sleep, more mindful of how you use your time, losing weight, improving fitness, volunteering, being more grateful, meditating,
00:06:39
Speaker
building a budget, better mental health, reading more, being happier, being healthier, okay? That is, I don't know if you noticed something, but something jumped out at me as soon as I was looking through these lists. Now, recall the six areas of alignment that we talked about in past episodes, right? Our spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social, and economic wellbeing. How many of those resolutions that I just named are related to those six areas?
00:07:10
Speaker
all of them, literally all of them. So the pursuit of alignment will address a majority of the desires of people in some way. That's pretty incredible. No wonder why I'm so passionate and convicted about whatever built with aligned living as it relates to helping people.
00:07:33
Speaker
So, okay, we want to embrace the idea of intentional sustainable rhythms. What the heck is that? Let me break this down, because this will be really foundational to future episodes when we talk about specific things that you could do as it relates to overall wellness and our pursuit of shalom.
00:07:50
Speaker
But why is this so important in the first place? Like why do we need such tools if the desire is there, right? We already learned that sometimes desire isn't enough because execution is an issue. But let me just show you how real this is, okay?
00:08:10
Speaker
I was at a national conference of community development leaders, and these are incredible folks who are really passionate about helping people and making a difference. I love these people. I love this conference. The theme every year changes, but this year I'm talking about happened to be well-being as a theme, which I was all excited about. It's my jam.
00:08:33
Speaker
Opening night, the keynote speakers admittedly declared, we are not well. And they weren't just talking about themselves. They were talking about community development leaders as a whole. I mean, and we're talking about folks in corporate, in nonprofits, pastors, you know, leaders in all kinds of spaces, like we are not well, right? This was a collective consensus among folks attending this conference.
00:08:59
Speaker
Now, here's the thing. Conferences are amazing, right? They can leave you inspired. You could build connections through networking and even deeper convictions around important things.
00:09:10
Speaker
But you leave this space, you leave the conference, you might be inspired, but what about the implementation of what you're walking away with? Okay, this is, I think, where the breakdown happens. And this is why I wanted to come up with something super, super practical when I was thinking about my aligned living membership option that you could find on my website, autumnswain.com.
00:09:34
Speaker
But I wanted something really practical that people could use to help with the implementation of their goals, what they're wanting to grow in. Sometimes I also think that in addition to support,
00:09:55
Speaker
We also need to shift our paradigm or the narrative that we're believing in the way of what a line living actually is. Sometimes we separate these areas, not realizing how intimately connected they are. I'll talk much about this in a future episode, but I just want to give you a specific example. I was waiting in the lobby.
00:10:16
Speaker
for something at the conference. And there was this huge coffee line. And I'm like, we're literally talking about wellbeing. And I hear people talk about like, oh my goodness, like I am so tired. I can't even focus until I get my coffee.
00:10:33
Speaker
We don't want to be in that place. We don't want to rely on band-aid approaches to being able to function and get through our day when the desire is shalom or wholeness. Flourishing doesn't mean needing a caffeine fix to manage to function at a space like a conference. That's not flourishing. That's not shalom.
00:11:02
Speaker
And so we know that we need to be well, but we need to start implementing practices that will actually support your holistic shalom. So with that being said, I want to give you a starting point, okay?
00:11:20
Speaker
So my gift to you as a listener is ISR, okay? And our starting point is acknowledging our current reality. It's being honest, right? I talked about that so much last episode. No, two episodes ago, I think. So being honest, our reality is that the demands of work and family and community and all these obligations and responsibilities we have, it's taking its toll.
00:11:50
Speaker
We must know that people are burning out and feeling fatigued and lacking inspiration, feeling overwhelmed and tired and stuck. And this is often because of a lack of support, a lack of healthy rhythms, lack of tools in one's life to have abundant well-being.
00:12:08
Speaker
okay now if you want to feel renewed and energized and inspired and focused and be more disciplined and feel like you're flourishing and feel like you're living on purpose then if that's what you want to feel
00:12:23
Speaker
but your reality is something different, you have to intentionally address this gap, okay?
Rhythms vs Balance
00:12:28
Speaker
And that is the pursuit of aligned living, right? This foundation of alignment will bridge that gap. But the how is the question, right? We already acknowledge that execution is an issue. So let me break down intentional sustainable rhythms for you. We will talk about what this is, but I want to start with what it is not, okay?
00:12:51
Speaker
What rhythms is not is balance. I know some of you listening have been waiting to find this perfect balance in your life before starting this journey. I know some of you have been there because I've had so many people tell this to me.
00:13:07
Speaker
right? It becomes a primary excuse. Like, I'm waiting for that balance. It's right around the corner. Well, let's talk about this because finding balance in your life, if you're waiting for that to be able to integrate any change, then you will be waiting a very, very long time. I am telling you that you know this. Life happens and is always happening. So that perfect balance will never come.
00:13:34
Speaker
It's a pursuit that is always followed by frustration. Okay? Rhythms is a much different mindset. And this is what we're going to dive into for the rest of this episode. Now, Bruce Miller.
00:13:46
Speaker
wrote a book called Your Life in Rhythm. And I love the subtitle, less stress, more peace, less frustration, more fulfillment, less discouragement, and more hope, all by switching our mindset from balance to rhythm. Okay. Let me break this down a little bit more. His argument, and I agree, is that we shouldn't pursue balance because it's an inevitable fail. We should actually strive to create these healthy rhythms in our life, prioritizing the pursuit of shalom.
00:14:14
Speaker
in all areas of our lives, right? And think about it. When I first was introduced to this concept, I intuitively was already using the word rhythm.
00:14:24
Speaker
But shedding light on just how relevant it is to the rest of our lives, like really just drove it deep, more home for me, okay? So day versus night, right? Our 24 hours already happens in a rhythm. 365 days of the year happens in rhythms because we have different seasons, right? Two to four seasons depending on where you live. Workflow realities, right? Like when you're pressing for a deadline or working on a project, it might look a little bit different than other times in your work.
00:14:51
Speaker
life, reality, family life. What about that, man? Especially if you have kids, you know there's a big difference between having a newborn versus toddlers versus teenagers. They all bring different things to that season. And so by helping you establish this mindset of finding a rhythm for your life in whatever season you're in, it allows you to be able to adjust or pivot that rhythm as needed, but to be able to stay in alignment. You see what I'm saying? Okay, so that's what it's not.
00:15:21
Speaker
What is it then? All right, so the intentional part. It's super targeted. And to give you a starting point, just look at any of those six areas of alignment. And while you cannot neglect any of them, just start with one area and get super specific. And if you're not sure where to start, just maybe consider what you feel you need the most right now. That intentional piece is so important because if you set out to do something without a plan,
00:15:49
Speaker
you're very likely not going to follow through. Okay? That's just real. Now the sustainable piece, all that means in this context is continuous. You start with something you know you'll be able to keep doing. Now don't be easy on yourself. Challenge yourself. You don't want to stay comfortable, but you also want to be realistic because wherever you start, you could keep building upon that starting point, right? Because the reality is consistency is everything in this process. It really is.
00:16:18
Speaker
Now the last part, rhythms. This is what we are going to dive really deep, and I'm going to give you a couple personal examples because this is everything. Rhythms is being pivotable. It's being flexible when you have to pivot your plan, okay? That's why this rhythm is a practice, but it's also a mindset more than anything.
00:16:40
Speaker
because what you're doing is you're avoiding all or nothing. And how many of us have been guilty of that at some point? Like you set out with a specific goal and then something changes and you can't do exactly what you had planned. So you're just like, forget it all, right? You want to avoid that at all costs because you want to keep pursuing alignment. You want to embrace these habits, but be okay with changing how that implementation looks.
Implementing ISR in Daily Life
00:17:03
Speaker
Okay. That is what rhythm is all about. Now it seems pretty clear, but in,
00:17:10
Speaker
practice, you know, when I've talked about this in other contexts and spaces, people have some questions on like, how exactly this looks like in your day to life. So I want to take you through it a bit more. So making, first of all, making ISR a mindset just means letting it inform your choices. Okay, before I dive into a couple examples, I just want to challenge you with this. Okay, if your desire is pursuing wholeness,
00:17:34
Speaker
And we wanna break it down into baby steps. You're taking one step forward. Well, that step forward, what step you take is a choice. So consider, next time you set out to do something related to this goal is, is your choice intentional? Are you aiming at the right target and doing it on purpose? Are your choices sustainable? Or can you maintain them consistently, okay? And then lastly, your choices supporting these healthy rhythms. Like pause for a second, asking yourself,
00:18:03
Speaker
about that choice. Meaning, can you pivot as needed and then stay on track with the choices that you're making around these healthy rhythms? So with that being said, I want to break this down a bit more. I will tell you, I would love to take the time to take every example, every goal that you have and walk through ISR with you. But obviously, due to lack of time and so on and so forth, I'm just going to pick one that I feel
00:18:34
Speaker
Almost everyone I talk to wants to improve it, and that's eating better. Okay, nutritionally, how we feel our body impacts almost everything. So it's probably why this is such an important goal for people. Now, also, the other reason I like, you know, this is an example to break down is because some
00:18:57
Speaker
Some aspects of nutrition don't take any more time, okay? When you're choosing what to eat, you have to take the time to eat anyways, so you can make a better choice and not have to worry about time, okay? You know, maybe, you know, some people would say, okay, cooking,
00:19:15
Speaker
takes time. Well, there's a lot of really quick, easy things that you could prepare, right? I actually don't like to cook. I don't like to be in the kitchen. I love to eat healthy. I love to eat tasty food. And I love to be able to do it quickly. Okay, that's my three amigos for cooking. And I'm actually going to talk about that in a future episode. But it's totally possible. So basically, some things don't take more time. It's just a mindset, right? Making the right choice.
00:19:38
Speaker
but there are some things that do take more time and that's why I did an entire episode last episode if you didn't listen to it please listen to it it's about margin so if you want to eat better part of the intention is to leave some margin maybe to plan to have the right food in your house to eat okay i mentioned this last episode i'm gonna say it again because it's worth repeating that everyone could find margins we all have the same 24 hours in a day and the ability to prioritize
00:20:09
Speaker
everything will never always get done, all right? So if you have this list of things to do and you haven't checked them all off, sometimes you just gotta pause and do things to prioritize margin and prioritize your shalom, okay? Everything will never always get done. I love that.
00:20:27
Speaker
Now, okay, eating better. Let me take you through this process. Your intention, you have to know what, when, and how, and you have to anticipate the barriers. I'm not going to go into that now. I'm actually going to devote an entire episode when it comes to nutrition on what to eat, when to eat, how to eat, addressing common barriers. Okay. Because this is really dense, but I want to give you like a solid overview on what this looks like. But again, if you're going to eat better, you have to have an intention. You have to know what you're doing.
00:20:58
Speaker
And on top of that, actually, that's why I'm creating this whole online living course and continuing to add to it and go deeper is because I want to equip people with a one-stop shop where they can get clarity on all the confusion out there as it relates to what are the right things to do. I want to feel better. It's just really the download with my expertise and experiences on nutrition. So that's to come for sure.
00:21:26
Speaker
And then tension sustainability around eating healthy, right? Can you implement it day after day? And again, we're pivoting, so it doesn't mean you're doing the same thing day after day. It's just you're being intentional about your nutritional choices. Okay, this is where I really want to go deep with y'all, okay? Rhythm. This is where I get the most questions. This is why I want to break this down using this eating healthy example.
Handling Change with Flexibility
00:21:49
Speaker
All right, so I have three tips. I have three tips for you to think through in this process, okay? The first tip as it relates to rhythms and understanding them is anticipating change and handling it well.
00:22:04
Speaker
something is going to change and then now what okay so you want to be telling yourself i am flexible even think of it as an adventure and trust me you've got this when you have that mindset right like if you're anticipating change
00:22:19
Speaker
You can flow with it, right? And the second thing with rhythm is pivoting, okay? This is the whole concept. Let me just go a little bit deeper. And I love, love, love a good analogy. I'm gonna be using all sorts of analogies throughout this podcast because I just think they're fun and they sit well with us, okay? The pivoting part is how is handling the change well.
00:22:41
Speaker
I grew up playing basketball. I love basketball. I think there's a lot of life lessons to be learned from team sports, and I happen to just be biased to this particular sport, okay?
00:22:54
Speaker
Now, in basketball, there's something called a triple threat. And in a triple threat position, you have a pivot foot. You can move on that pivot foot. And you typically can do three main things when you're in triple threat. That's what makes it so powerful and so significant. Let's say I'm in triple threat and I want to pass the ball. That's my first choice. But that opportunity passed. Whoever's going to pass it to, now they're being covered, I can't pass.
00:23:22
Speaker
Now I could pivot. I could pivot and I can go to shoot the ball, right? Let's say that was my second choice. That's what I want to do. But the shot isn't there anymore. All right. I still have a third option. I still have my pivot foot. I can shift my body position and I could go into a dribble. I can make a move.
00:23:41
Speaker
And so the significance of this triple threat is you don't have an excuse, right? You have three options and you have a pivot foot. So you're in a position to move around until you have an option of what to do that will be productive and support your goals and your team's goals. Okay. There is something good to be done in that moment. That's key. Now in the kitchen.
00:24:04
Speaker
you have your triple threat, okay? This is how I live my life when it comes to health and wellness. I have my intended meal. This is what I plan to make for me and my kids.
00:24:17
Speaker
That fails. For some reason, something happened. My intended meal fails. I can't do that. On to option B. I pivot into my next option. I have a quick backup option always at home. So for example, I have salmon in the freezer. Wild caught salmon, mind you, because where food comes from matters significantly. I'm going to talk about that when I talk about my nutrition, my episode on nutrition. But I have salmon in the freezer that can be prepared from frozen. Okay.
00:24:46
Speaker
And then additionally, whatever veggies I'm in the fridge, I could stir-fry a roast or I could plop the salmon on a salad, right? So now I have this lean, clean protein with healthy fats in it plus my veggies. And so quick meal, that's my option too, right?
00:25:05
Speaker
oh my goodness something came up i can't do that either i have a third option i can go out to eat okay my last and final resort but when you go out to eat you can choose a healthier option right you don't have to go to a place we're going to be succumbed to a burger and fries right you can
00:25:22
Speaker
go to a place where you can get a Buddha bowl or like a healthy salad or just a better option. So you have this triple threat always. It's just having that mindset that if plan A doesn't
00:25:39
Speaker
fly, choose plan B and have a plan C alternative. Like, don't give up. It's too important, okay? Again, you have to, you have something good in the moment. That is pivoting, all right? Now, some personal examples. These literally just happened to me, like both of them the last couple of days.
00:26:01
Speaker
My kids both play basketball. Practice schedule change. Like I had this beautiful rhythm. When they got off the bus, I had just the right time to give them dinner and so on and so forth. Okay, well that's not going to work anymore. So I have to cook a little bit earlier, pack the food in a container, take it with they could eat in the car. All right. I pivoted.
00:26:22
Speaker
Then I have to pack healthy snacks because after a long practice on the ride home, I want them to get to bed on time. I don't want them to sacrifice an hour of sleep. So we have to get home and then make dinner and then feed them and get them to bed. So they ate already post practice. I have healthy snacks ready to go for the ride home. All right. So that's how I pivot it to support their health and wellness. Now, another example.
00:26:43
Speaker
dang it like i forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer despite the massive post-it note i wrote out the day before put it on my computer still forgot all right chicken stir fries out of the pitcher but a vegetarian stir fry is not okay so i'm gonna make stir fry without chicken i have the brown rice i have the veggies
00:27:03
Speaker
protein. I always have beans on hand. You could throw cashews on it, or you could put hummus on top. I always also have hemp heart seeds on hand because hemp seeds are an amazing protein source, believe it or not. So there, I've just adjusted, pivoted, and have a complete meal of steel nonetheless, all right?
00:27:22
Speaker
That's one and two for rhythms. Three, third point and final point. Rhythms are void of excuses. You got to kick those to the curb. I will tell you I've heard the most interesting excuses. And mind you, as a coach, it's a judgment free zone. I love to help people. I want them to flourish, right?
00:27:44
Speaker
So I will call out excuses because we must do this. I do it in my own life to myself all the time. There are so many excuses I would love to touch on when it comes to eating healthy. Trust me, I've heard them all. Now, I want to talk about something specific though, that is probably relevant to most of you, I would think. Through my health coaching, I always, always ask people, how much water are you drinking? All right.
00:28:13
Speaker
What if, Coach Autumn, I don't like the taste of water? What if, Coach Autumn, I forget? Or my day just got so busy? Or one I hear all the time, it cracks me up is, I don't want to have to go to the bathroom. All right? Now, to live a life of Shalom, to find these rhythms, you have to get rid of excuses. So we're not going to say what if anymore. We're going to say, what do I do?
00:28:42
Speaker
Okay, we're saying, what do I do? And then you find an answer, you find a solution. So what do I do about this to make a change? What do I do to get around this barrier? What do I do to make the healthier choice? What do I do to make it happen? All right, so with this water example, instead of saying what if, what do I do? Okay, you need to get a water bottle, particularly one you like. I love my water bottle.
00:29:11
Speaker
It's reusable. That's important. And then find a good water source, right? Like a really good filter. And then keep it next to you wherever you are. Because if it's out of sight, it's out of mind, right? And then I would even encourage you to track your intake so you really know how much water you're getting, right? I always have a 32 ounce water bottle. So as I drink through it throughout the day, I know like I'm adding up 3264.
00:29:30
Speaker
so on and so forth, you know, my own is water. And so that is a plan with intention, okay? That's not just saying something, that is a plan with intention. Now you have a rhythm for staying hydrated, which is crazy, crazy important, like wildly important for your overall wellness. All right, so out of all areas of health, let me tell you where I'm most likely to make my excuses that I have had to overcome, okay?
Personal Experiences and Mindset Shift
00:30:00
Speaker
We are going to wrap up here. I just really want to drive home this idea of rhythms with another really personal example. All right. So for me, eating healthy, I don't have excuses around because
00:30:18
Speaker
Yeah, I have to cook and feed my family anyways, so just make healthier choices. But exercising takes so much extra time, and I have my strong preferences around exercising, right? So as my journey has shifted, I've had to, you know, constantly pivot and continue to exercise because it's important for me, but it's looked very different depending on what season of life I'm in, okay? So let me just give you an example.
00:30:43
Speaker
Pre-kids, young adult, I could do whatever I wanted, right? As it relates, whatever exercise preference I had, I'd make it happen.
00:30:52
Speaker
But then I had small kids, all right? In order for me to work out, I had to find a gym with childcare. All right, did that, because this was before they were school age. I had been a personal trainer for many, many years, so I got to the point where I was really tired of my own workouts. I moved to a new place. I wanted to meet new people. I embraced group fitness, all right? So I fell in love with group fitness. Pandemic happened, way less classes. I couldn't take a 9.30 class in the morning or a 5 p.m. class.
00:31:19
Speaker
I needed to get it in earlier, so I joined a boutique gym. You know, these boutique gyms, they're all over the place, but they have tons of group fitness class options all throughout the day. That's their huge perks. Why people pay more money for them. However, uh, if you listened to my last, last episode, I just went through a huge stressful life transition.
00:31:38
Speaker
And I could have made so many excuses, so many. It was a very stressful time. I needed to dig deep because I knew I couldn't stop investing in my own wellness. My self-care was so essential at this point. And so many times we navigate with rhythms just one change at a time, but I had everything change at one time, okay? So instead of saying, what if, I said, what do I do now? All right? No gym membership for me.
00:32:09
Speaker
but I did find a great app that I could do at home. I don't prefer working out at home, it was my option. I got some weights, I bought some used weights, and I have them in my home.
00:32:20
Speaker
And the other thing I really started focusing on was getting 10,000 steps in per day. So even if I can't work out that day, I move. I'm finding time to move throughout my day. I certainly can't go to a 60-minute yoga class anymore, but I could fit in like a 15 to 30-minute class at home a few days a week, all right? You see how I pivoted? And it was all a mindset thing, right? Like physically, I didn't have the limitations. It was in my mind.
00:32:47
Speaker
to make it work in the time that I had. And so this is just an example of ISR in action in my life. I cannot wait to talk to you about these other areas comprising well-being. I know today was a lot about physical health, but spiritual formation, emotional health, mental health, social and economic well-being, they're all really important.
00:33:09
Speaker
So I just want to encourage you to take ISR and apply it to every area of your wellness, okay? Not just what you eat, not just exercise. I will tell you my rhythms for my prayer time and meditating on God's truce and, you know, my plan for reading. All these things have shifted so many times, depending on my seasonal life. And I will tell you,
00:33:28
Speaker
When my plan takes a hit, I pivot and don't quit. So I want to encourage you that when your plan takes a hit to pivot, don't quit, okay? Now for Coach Autumn's practice of the day.
00:33:43
Speaker
Because practice what does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. So today's tip is to take a goal that you want to work on. Could be a passenger's resolution you failed on. Who knows? Take it through ISR, okay, for your context. Identify what ifs that come out of your mouth, those excuses, and change them to what do I do now.
00:34:04
Speaker
And if you're not sure where to start, I actually love encouraging people to do the 10,000 steps a day. Like what is the deal with 10,000 steps? Well, let me tell you, while I love a good 30 minute intense HIIT exercise, it's high intensity interval training.
00:34:19
Speaker
Being active throughout the day is actually probably one of the healthiest things we could do for ourselves actually, more so than a 30 minute workout and then just being sedentary. Sedentary is dangerous, okay? Being mobile throughout your day is so important. The other reason I love this is because 10,000 steps is a lofty goal and you have to be really intentional about it because you have weather changes and schedule changes and all of these things. So it really forces you to have a really tenacious mindset around hitting this goal no matter what.
00:34:46
Speaker
And the other reason I love this goal is because there is so much you do in those 10,000 steps that will add value to you in other ways. Your spiritual health, you could pray and listen to worship music. Your mental health, you could just be out in nature and take deep breaths. You could, you know, take the time to really process something that you haven't given yourself time to think about, okay? These are all just,
00:35:15
Speaker
valuable ways to use this time. So that's a good place to start. All right. So get ready, my friends, because change will always, always, always keep coming. And when it does, you will be prepared because you will pivot, not quit.
Invitation to Engage and Resources
00:35:33
Speaker
Okay, listeners, I want to hear from you. I want to hear what are some of your greatest barriers in your pursuit of wholeness. Barriers are totally legit, but they're just obstacles. We can work through them. We can work around them. We don't want them to turn to excuses.
00:35:50
Speaker
So as your coach, I want to help you work through them. So I'm really curious to what things that you guys have been thinking through. What are some of your greatest barriers? Let me hear them. So you can go to autumnswain.com and message me through the contact form and just let me know. I really truly can't wait to hear from you.
00:36:11
Speaker
Thank you for tuning in to the Aligned Living Podcast. I'm Dr. Autumn, your guide on this journey to wholeness or shalom. Ready to embark on this journey of self-discovery and transformation? Head over to autumnswain.com to learn more and dive deeper into the world of aligned living. Until next time, stay aligned.