0:00Episode 3963, fuel, like a champion. Moms, it's time to rediscover, rejuvenate, and renew whom you are in mind, body, and spirit. Welcome to Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie, the show that help you do just that. Here's your host, Certified Life Coach, Personal Trainer, and Nutritionist, Christian Wardo. Happy every day, I hope you're having a fabulous time. This weekend, staying warm, I hope. I don't know, we're still getting out of the frozen tender, our schools are so close, it's kind of crazy in our area, but you know what, we take a deep breath and we say, okay, we've got to find this God of Winx and we can do it. But today, it's all about healthy living. Come on, fuel, like a champion. For those of you who are brand new to Create Your Now, welcome to the So Got Up A Family. I'm so delighted of your presence. If you already even had the opportunity, you want to head on over to CreateYourNow.com, where you can learn more and sign up for the Kids' Newsletter. To keep it simple strategy, everyday solutions, to live, love, and impact.

1:03Okay, are you ready for this? I mean, you just kind of have to take a deep breath. Because you know what, this episode is brought to you by AIM, Inspiring Connection, and Community. All right, you know, we just have to throw things in every once in a while and throw us off because that's what life does to us. It's like, we try to walk within we trip. We try to run and then we fall, right? And it's like, gosh darn it, why can't I just get into a rhythm? Why can't I just get into a routine? Why can't life be easy? Why do I have to gain 12 pounds and only lose five and then gain two pounds and then lose 20 and then gain 50 pounds and then lose 20? You know, you're just kind of on that roller coaster. And then you factor in life and things happening and stuff you can't control and you're like, I just don't get it. Then you have stuff that's happening in your city and you wonder, gosh, you know, what will tomorrow look like? But then you take a deep breath and you're like, okay, I can get past this.

2:05But how do I take care of myself? How are you taking care of yourself? Have you ever really stopped to think about it and got off that bandwagon of, oh, I got to have that New Year's resolution. I'm going to lose 20 pounds this year. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it this time. No, instead I gained seven or whatever it is for you. Maybe you did lose a little bit, but maybe you did lose as much. Maybe you're still in that and that's why you've got another New Year's resolution. And now you're in your February and you're like, huh, next thing you know, it's going to be March. Next thing you know, it's supposed to be bikini season and I don't even want to wear a swimsuit. I don't care about a bikini. I don't even want to be seen in shorts. So I want to give you hope today. Because I think sometimes we come here and we're like, gosh, life is a little bit crazy if you can see my schedule. If you just understood where I was going, maybe you've got to run to that big box store because you've been kind of stuck in the frozen tendra. You really don't want to go, but you know you've got to because you've got to get a few of

3:06just those essentials. You don't need to clear out everything. You want to leave stuff for other people, but you got to have a few of the essentials. What about the essentials for our own body? Think about what's happening this weekend. Come on, I know you know it. That's what you got to go to the big box store too. You got to get those big bags, right? So you can have the chips and salsa. No, delicious. So let me ask you this question. Do you want to play like a champion? If the answer is yes, then you got to start treating your mind and body like they actually matter. Stop talking about it. Stop just saying, oh, I've got to get on this bandwagon of the New Year's resolutions. And I'm just going to join in because everybody else is. It's like I want to be in the chorus, but I don't want to be the soloist. But if you're honest with yourself, talent and hustle can only carry you so far when your fuel tank is running on empty. Your brain is fogged or your body is begging for rest.

4:08The power of peak performance is not just for the field. So you got to fuel like a champion. I mean, honestly, that's what the elite football players are doing, right? At the Super Bowl, did you happen to watch the Pro Bowl yesterday? Interesting. Quite the score. I wasn't really sure who would get it. AFC or NFC, NFC ended up winning. I think it was like 60 to 52-ish or something like that. Don't quote me on the actual score. But NFC, I know one. And it was interesting because it's flag football. And I'm like, it's just so strange. The Mama Sports Center here is going to kind of beep in and say, why? What happened to the traditional football? I could tell you the traditional pro football isn't happening because they're afraid that their million dollar players are going to get hurt because they're not playing football the way they should. They play to injure. But that's for another episode. You can tell I thought that one through a few times. But why? Now, some would argue too.

5:09Well, no, they're just preparing for the 20-28 flag football season. Coming to the what? The Olympics. So they're like, we're kind of gearing up for that. Okay. Now, I will say this. I enjoyed watching the women's flag football. That was awesome to see. That was fun. I enjoyed that. The men, they could have waited, didn't need them. But think about it. Think about the real Super Bowl that you want to watch. Not the Pro Bowl. It was just kind of for whatever. It didn't even need to happen in my opinion. It's just a waste of time, waste of media coverage, just a waste. Yeah, it's just kind of like boys on the field just kind of playing out in their backyard. Which if that's what they want to do, then why not do that? You know what I mean? But you see, if we want to have that peak performance in our life, to lead our families well, to be the mom that we were called to be, to be the grandma, to show up as the best auntie, to be the career and the leader in our workforce, and whatever you're doing,

6:10and whatever you're the expert of. You got to show up like a champion, which means you have to fuel like a champion. Because those elite football players that's going to be playing the game, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots, they don't just show up to practice. They obsess over how they eat, how they sleep, and how they recover. That's their secret weapon. But here's the thing. It's not all about the plays on the field. Yes, it helps you score points. I get that. But you have to be able to score for it to really matter. Right? If your body cannot do it, you're not going to win. So what if you took that same approach? And this isn't about turning your life upside down overnight. No, it's not. It's about making smart, deliberate choices that build a strong, healthy foundation. Because health isn't a bonus, and it's not just something you just get to have.

7:11It's the bedrock of everything you want to conquer, whether on the field, or in the office, or at home. All the more reason why, you must fuel like a champion. That is your kiss to keep a simple strategy. Fuel like a champion. Now, first off, though, before we go into all of that, I want you to think about what you're currently doing. Are you trying to win the game of life with minimal energy? Little rest. And lots of sugar? Okay, just think about what I just said there. Because I bet you said yes to one of those three. You got minimal energy, little rest, and lots of sugar. Is any of that showing up in your life? If not great. But if we're honest, I think it comes into play. Or are you being strategic in the manner in which you care for your mind and body? Now, I get it. There are some grand events happening this week.

8:12We've already talked about one, right? It says, Super Bowl. Let's do it. I can't wait. I'm having a party with my grandbabies. It's going to be a blast. And the family and all of that, it's going to be fun. But it's also the start of the Olympics. Are you going to watch? You should. Who doesn't want to celebrate with good food and drinks? But we can do so in a manner that won't tear apart your insides or your outsides, right? I mean, come on. So give yourself permission, though, to celebrate with kindness. And I think that's the key here when we look about what we're doing to our bodies. We can go off the rail a little bit, but do it with kindness. Give your body a break. Like, if you're going to drink, like seriously, alcohol drink, not just like tea or your sodas or things like that, I'm talking about alcohol. If you're going to drink, I'm going to make a suggestion. It's up to you. I'm not telling you how to drink, but I'm suggesting. If you have an alcoholic drink, then in between those have a full glass of water,

9:17then have another alcoholic drink. Now, I'm going to say this. Be safe. Don't sit there and be stupid and drive if you can't, especially if you've got this crazy weather. Right now, as I look out on my streets like I wouldn't want anybody driving out there, let alone drinking and driving out there, okay? So think about it. Be real with where you are in the manner that you are loving your body. Okay, so if you're not loving it well and you've had a little too many, then be wise with your decisions and make those decisions before. Now, I'm not your mother. I get that, but we all need these reminders because we get caught up. You know, what happens when your kiddos get a little bit older? Oh, you don't have to be as responsible. You have to be responsible, but maybe not as much. So maybe you're like, oh, well, two drinks and then maybe just a half a glass of water. And then three more drinks. That's not going to do anything bad to me. I could handle it. I'm a big girl. I got this.

10:18And then you're like, oh, I do not got this. I'm not feeling real well. Now, this can happen with food too. Right? In our family, we call it the food baby. You eat too much. You feel like, oh, I'm about ready to be sick. Too much pizza, too much chips and salsa, too much whatever it is. Wings. I just, whatever it is. Maybe you're cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. That's great. I'm not grilling outside. Thanks supposed to be a little bit warmer, but not that much warmer. But if we eat too much, that can also do damage to our insides. So this week. And maybe move it into next week. But think about where you are. And really where you want your body and mind to go. Okay, over the next week, then the next week, then the next week. Take it one week at a time. So if this week you're saying, okay, well, I'm already committed to the party and I'm already not eating well.

11:19Okay, but still celebrate with kindness. Okay, I just want to throw that out there. Celebrate with kindness. Maybe we should do an episode on that tomorrow. Celebrate with kindness. But seriously, and then I want you to think about, okay, how can I shift what I'm doing to give myself the strength and the focus and the resilience that I know my body needs? Okay, if I can give you just a peek-a-boo into my life here for a moment, I am traveling a lot this year. And I think I mentioned that earlier, a couple episodes or so ago. And it's going to be a travel. Like every three or so days, I'm traveling. And there's nothing wrong with that. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy it. I know what I'm doing. It's a season that I'm in. But in that, I know I'm going to have to celebrate with kindness, treat myself with kindness. Make sure I'm getting good protein, making sure I'm having good food, not just always eating on the road. So literally, I'm going to the store later today and I'm packing exactly what I need.

12:25Why? So I can take it with me. When I get to the destination, whichever destination I'm coming or going from, because I'm always coming and going, I'll have exactly what I need. I take my mixer with me. No, they're not a sponsor, but they really should be my Vitamix. I love Vitamix. If you want to know what a great mixer is, up, hands down, go get a Vitamix. I don't even have a code to give you. Honestly, an affiliate code. I don't, but I should because I love my Vitamix. Like, that is my go-to. It makes shakes like none other, soup like none other. I mean, it is, it's a beast, literally. We could be here for hours. I could tell you all that I do with my Vitamix. But I literally pack it with me. I kid you not. If I have to stay in a hotel for a conference, that Vitamix comes with me. Even my grandbabies know, Grandma's gonna fix shakes. Yay! Why? Because I bring my Vitamix, okay? So prepare what you need. And so that's what I'm doing. I'm already setting myself up for success.

13:25Even though I know my travels are going to be constant, I'm going to make sure I have what I need. So then I don't feel bad later. Because I've got a lot to pack in to these next couple months. We're doing a lot here at Creature Now. And I've got to stay on top of things. And quite frankly, I was having a conversation with my mom and then one of my good girlfriends. And it was interesting because I was like, oh, I need to look at this, this, this, and this. And I know this sounds like a lot. But I believe I can do it within this period of time between now and May. And I'm sure they're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, you can. But you remember how much you're traveling. You remember what you're doing. You remember all this other stuff you have too. Like, yeah, I know. But I also know that I can do it if I treat my mind and body well. So what does it look like to feel like a champion? Come on, we can do this. Number one, you got to do a sleep audit. I know I've been doing mine.

14:26Start tracking your sleep for a few nights. Use an app if you want to. Maybe you have something on your wrist. You can do that too. Or go old fashioned. A journal. Whatever works. Write it down. I'm going to bed here at this time. I'm laying in bed at this time. And then the morning, don't do it in the middle of the night if you wake up. Oh, I fell asleep. Just remember the last time you looked at the clock and make note of that. You may not know exactly when you fell asleep. If you're not using a watch or something like that to tell you or a particular band or whatever. But that's okay. You can get generalizations if you wake up in the night. How often did you wake up? For me, I look at my, you know, my clock when I wake up. Why? That's just what I do. So when I actually am fully awake, I can make notes as to, okay, I woke up at 238. I woke up at 535 and I decided just to stay up or whatever it was. So commit though to getting at least seven hours of sleep a night at least. And then kind of judge, okay, do I need a little bit more sleep or a little less?

15:29Do that for at least a week and see how you feel. And then adjust accordingly. And don't settle for less, right? Optimal sleep is where recovery begins. It's when your muscles rebuild, where your brain clears out the mental cobwebs and your energy tanks refill. Think of it like this. Sleep is the car wash for your body. It's taking care of all the free radicals. Anything and everything you've come in contact is like, it's this ocean wash. It gets rid of it. It allows you to reset. And let me tell you, back in the olden days, I could go three, sometimes if I had two, four days without sleep. Yes, I am guilty as charged in college. Not because I was a part of your, because I was not. I just had a lot to do. And there would be days, not a lot of them, and I did three or four days. I kid you not. Now, it wouldn't be difficult for me to have only three to four hours of sleep a night.

16:30That was pretty much normal for me. And if it was a lot happening and performances or tests, I might only get two hours of sleep if I was lucky. I can't do that anymore now. Well, that's not true. I can, but I should not, because I don't do it well when I don't get my sleep. I really need my five and a half hours. That's my sweet spot. Maybe it's into six. But if I can get seven, I've just calmed rest, even if it's not sleep, but I'm just in my restful moment, that helps me too. So take a look at your sleep. What are your patterns right now? Start tracking it so you know how you need to change it. Number two, time for nutrition swap. Oh, yes it is. So identify one processed or sugary item that you grab daily and replace it with a nutrient dense alternative. What does that look like? You know, maybe it's a candy bar, so switch it out for a handful of nuts, or an apple or banana.

17:33Replace soda with infused water or herbal tea. What is it for you? Now, I know these might seem very small, but they add up fast over time. Your body and brain will reward you with more stamina. You'll have sharper focus and instead of your mood swings, it won't be a roller coaster like I'm all over the place. You won't crash at that two o'clock or three o'clock like, oh, I just got to have something and you grab the wrong thing, right? You feel like that weird thing that's going after the refrigerator. What is it? What is it that I need? Okay, I know it's kind of sound a weird didn't it. But truly, that's what happens. And we get into this mind and it's like, oh, and you just grab anything and we're always grabbing the wrong thing. Stop, don't grab the wrong, right? Set yourself up for success and say, you know what? I can grab something that's better for my body and make good choices. And then finally, number three, mindful moments. I love this. I really, really do. And the reason why is I have my own that I do every morning, actually in every night. So dedicate 10 minutes each morning.

18:34For me, sometimes depending upon when I wake up in the mornings, it can be a 30 to 45 minute process. I kid you not. I love it. I love it. And my evening, I do it, but it's really, I do it and I usually fall asleep. So it's a different process. It involves the same thing, which I'm going to tell you two of my secrets, my pillow that I use and then also my heating pad. Those are the two that are required for the morning and the evening. Doesn't matter the temperature outside. That's what I have. And so maybe for you, it's deep breathing, meditation, gentle stretching. Maybe it's reading, you know, maybe it's reading your Bible. Whatever it is for me, it's a little bit about everything. It just depends on what happened during the day. Because sometimes in the morning, I start usually with praise and I have my prayerful morning at that point. And it's just my focus and thinking about what's next. And I'm gearing up and it's like, okay, time to get up and I'm ready for the day and I hit the floor running. Like it's full speed ahead.

19:35But in the evening, I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, time to wind it down. Time to be a little calmer. Time to take in some deep breaths. And sometimes it is reading and other things, but I'm not sitting there scrolling. I'm trying to keep myself off of things. So this isn't about the Zen mastery, right? No. It's about clearing your nervous system so stress doesn't pile up and cloud your performance. Consistency here keeps you calm, centered, and ready to execute. All right, it's a regular talks about fearing guilt, right? If you live with integrity, then you don't have to worry about fearing guilt. And I'm putting words into his mouth by saying it this way. Then you can lay your head on the pillow and go to sleep. And you can truly rest. Because you don't fear and you don't have fearing, you don't have guilt because you're living with integrity. That's a great mindfulness trick. It's like, okay, it's not a trick. It's the way of living. And if you can live with integrity, then

20:36no, you can't control everything in life. But you can make decisions that, okay, I can't control it. But if I respond this way, okay, great. I can get some sleep. And then I'll be refreshed for tomorrow to attack it on another level. So even though life kind of throws us for different loops all the way around, we don't always have to be on that roller coaster in the manner that everybody else is doing. Think about how you're living. Think about your mindfulness throughout your day. Think about your attitude. Remember I talked about kindness? Yeah, celebrate with kindness. Same type of thing here. What are those mindful moments? Because let's be real. Ignoring this is just playing with fire. If you want peak performance, then show yourself the same respect the champions do. All right? So this week, as you look at things, start leaning into these steps. Track your progress. Push your limits. And watch what happens when you treat your mind and body

21:36like the true MVPs that they are. Because if we do that, oh my goodness, you're going to be a different person. Seriously, you're going to feel different about yourself. You're going to start looking different. And I'm not talking about the numbers on the scale. I mean, yeah, those are bonuses, right? If they go down and you need them to go down. But it's not just about that. There's more to the story and health than the number on the scale or the number on the hanger. There is. To look further, look deeper. And maybe it is. Maybe for you, it's integrity. Maybe you're hanging around the wrong people. Maybe you need to make some different choices in what you're doing. Maybe you're in a career change. Maybe you're looking at options of saying, you know what? I've really been doing this for a long time. But that's not where we're headed. Or wait, the kids are growing up. And now I get to make some choices. Maybe I'm going back to school. What does it look like for you?

22:39You see, you don't want to have anything about this fluffy stuff, right? It's not about the snow, definitely. But the fluffy stuff, like, oh, it just, it's got to look a certain way. No, don't try to, you know, cut it all short. Just real fuel for real results. What are you doing to your body? When you figure out what you want to do, then take that next step. One step at a time leads to miles of greatness. And when you do that step, that's when you're taking aim, right? Action at night's motivation. That keeps the momentum going. And you know that you're getting stronger. You're more focused. And guess what, you're undefeated. And not very many people can say, hey, come to my showroom, my scoreboard, my game of life, I'm undefeated. Because you're playing it the way your mind, body, and spirit needs it. Go in peace. Be present. Be incredible.

23:40Be you. I love you so very much. I cannot wait to see you on the other side. Blessing tags and lots and lots of love. We'll talk to you real soon. Have a glorious, blessed, healthy day. Bye-bye. Feeling inspired and ready to train for life and love your journey, visit createyournow.com for more incredible resources to help you along the way. We'll see you next time on Create Your Now Your Best Selfie. And remember, always be sure you consult your physician before beginning any health and fitness plan.