Reclaim: My Word Of The Year

I was alone in the car, thinking deep thoughts with 90’s R&B on in the background as I drove to pick up Brooks from his acting class. The holidays were over, the latest round of Lift To Get Lean launched, I was starting to feel like myself again. I finally felt like I could slow down and breathe for a moment. 

I had more time. I wasn’t rushing. I felt more at peace. 

For the last several weeks, my head had been laser-focused on what needed to get done. So much so I was left with little time to think about the year ahead, set intentions, and go into things with the right mindset. I have little sticky notes with ideas of what my intention, my word of the year, could have been. One of them reads “inspire” because I would love nothing more than to feel inspired again. Another just says “space” because I really crave the space to think and create. 

Even with all of the sticky notes and to-dos and promises that I would sit down to come up with my word of the year, it wasn’t until I was alone in the car with R&B floating in the background that it came to me: 

Reclaim.

I need to reclaim my time, my schedule, my priorities. No one is going to give them to me. If I want them, I need to reclaim them from wherever they went. 

I can’t be alone in this.

For the past several months, you and me and everyone we know said, “I just need to get through this week.” Then we had to get through the next week and the one after that. The next thing we knew, 2021 was over and we were all knee-deep in holiday planning, travel headaches, and dealing with family visitors. 

I’ll be honest; I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I ended the year on a high note, but I could tell I was running hot. I could tell that I sacrificed a bit more than I intended to get through it all. Every morning I woke up with a buzz of anxiety pulsing through my body. I would skip my morning routine and dive right into work to calm my nerves. “Just for this week;-),” I would tell myself, but it never worked the way I thought it would. Usually, I would just feel more anxious as the day slipped away from me.

I felt like I was losing control. It was up to me to make the change and RECLAIM my time. 

For reasons beyond our control, every one of us has given up so much over the past two years. Time, experiences, memories, loved ones - we cannot go back and change these things. However, we can reclaim what we still have and set new boundaries moving forward. 

Friends, believe me when I tell you that boundaries are not my strong suit. They say: “burnout is the result of poor boundaries.” Without boundaries our most valuable resources - time and energy - are sapped away from us. When you cannot give yourself the time and energy you need, it’s impossible to show up as your best self for what is most important to you. Instead, you are reactive, responsive, and resentful.

Or, in other words: burnt out.

If you are so tired at the end of your day that you can’t even wash your own face…

If you are handling someone else’s problems first thing in the morning…

If those books on your nightstand aren’t getting read. If you can’t remember the last time you felt that good feeling…

..you are probably facing burnout. It’s time to reclaim what’s important to you.

In my programs, I preach all about the sustainability of nutrition and fitness, but it may as well apply to everything else in your life. When something isn’t done sustainably, it’s only a matter of time before you reach the bottom of the well and start running on empty.

What can you do to live your life so your energy is more sustainable? 

How can you reclaim your time and control over your day?

What can you do for yourself, today, right now?