Nikki Cheak (00:01.016)
Welcome back to Real Food, Real Energy, Real Life. And in today's episode of four, episode four of our four part, Feel Good By Summer series. And if you've made it here, that says a lot because you're not just looking for tips, you want some momentum. And honestly, that's exactly what we've been building. So here's a quick recap. If you've missed it, episode one gave you a realistic plan for surviving May without spiraling.
Episode two showed you three foods that I would add to my diet, add, not cut out, if I wanted to slim down. And episode three unpacked what's really going on when you feel bloated, puffy, or honestly just gross, right? And hit, it's not just about the food that you eat, it's about your hormones. Okay, so if you've missed any of these and want you to hit pause, go back because these episodes build on each other. And honestly, I just, want you to have the full picture.
But today we're gonna pull back the curtain, okay? And I'm sharing how I'm adjusting my own summer routine and what you can steal to keep your energy up, keep your meals simple and your mindset grounded without burning out, okay? Because here's what most women and moms especially believe about summer. It's just a busy season. I'll get back on track when the kids go back to school, okay? And I don't want that for you because at the end of the day,
you don't have to fall off track in the first place. So let's get real for a second. What you want this summer is to feel lighter in your body, have energy that doesn't crash, to stop feeling like food and fitness and routine are constantly off. Okay. And just to honestly enjoy your summer without feeling like you're letting yourself go because there's so much less structure. There are so many more things that pop up and late nights, right?
And you want that structure without obsessing over it all the time because you want to feel fun. It's summer and you want that ease without giving up. So confidence doesn't come from chasing that goal, right? But feeling like yourself again. And that's what I want from you. Okay. So at the end of the day, this doesn't come from perfection. Okay. It comes from a plan that moves with you, not one that punishes you when life gets full.
Nikki Cheak (02:20.084)
And that's exactly what we use inside the six week reset. It's not rigid and it's not another plan that you're gonna quit by week two, okay? It's a structure that's gonna help you anchor into the right habits, like balancing your blood sugar, fueling with a purpose, training smart, and keeping your nervous system in check, especially when life gets busy, okay? It's not magic, it's just honestly stuff that works. So the truth is, is...
The only way to stay consistent and feel better this summer is to build a rhythm that's going to work with your body and not against it. Because if you don't, you're going to stay stuck in the cycle of trying really hard, burming out, blaming yourself, starting over. And I think we're both done with that cycle because if you've been anything like me, you've done that cycle over and over and over again. And sometimes you just never learned. Okay.
So here's what I've seen in coaching women and talking to my friends. And is that like those moms who are just like relaxed and they feel good during the summer, they're not doing everything. They're just doing the right things on repeat. Okay. They know how to bend without breaking. They have go-to meals, their movement that they're excited about, that they don't dread. And honestly, this mindset that's built around staying in the game.
not just winning in one week because we're here for the long haul. Okay. We want to set good role models for our children. We want to set those boundaries. We want to show them that being healthy is a good thing. And summer is a great time to do that because there is a little bit more flexibility, right? Even if you work outside the home, you still have that flexibility and that framework that's going to support your hormones and your metabolism, even, you know,
Sometimes, even with your best intention, if you don't have that framework, it's going to collapse. Okay? And I want you to know it is not a discipline problem. Okay? It is a system problem. Something that you don't necessarily have if you haven't been putting that into practice. So think about it this way. How are you supposed to really start feeling better if the plan that you're trying to follow is assuming that your life looks like a wellness influencer and
Nikki Cheak (04:42.134)
not a mom because honestly, doesn't look like that, right? Like you have a real life. It is fast paced. You are constantly like the one with all of the tabs open in your brain, going to sleep with thinking, you know, what do I have to do the next day? Waking up already running up through all the things and it deserves food that fuels you and habits that hold you strong, right? And a strategy that's making sense for you. So
I want to walk through how I'm keeping things anchored this summer and not stressing about making this like another job, but it being part of my life. Okay. The first thing is that I'm having repeat meals that are brain off. Like I just know that these are going to work for us and our family. So a lot of the times for breakfast, I'm rotating a few things, overnight oats, chia seed pudding, eggs, cottage cheese.
little like egg cups, okay? Those things, I'm just rotating on repeat. I'm not trying to come up with something fancy and new all the time because I know that if I have a little bit of things prepped, then I don't have to worry about it, okay? And always, you know, I have a scoop of protein in my coffee every single morning because I love coffee and I can't drink it with just straight black, okay? For lunch, I am always rotating in my favorite tuna salad.
With apples and edamame it is so good and the tuna alone in my can if I have a can it gives me 43 grams of protein I mean Hello easy right plus the edamame is giving me even more Sometimes I'll have leftover taco meat or a protein smoothie with all the things in it, right? I can have my healthy fats my carbs and my protein all in one in a smoothie if I'm running around and I'm super busy, okay?
Dinner is easy, usually. Okay, guys, this is where I think a lot of people get so hung up because we're constantly thinking about all the things that we have to do. And so I'm thinking burrito bowls. Like we rotate these in our house at least once a week. And it's kind of one of those things that everybody can kind of put their own stuff on their burrito bowl. So I usually make rice or quinoa. I'll have ground chicken or...
Nikki Cheak (07:02.08)
either ground chicken or shredded chicken or and ground beef. Okay, like I just and then avocados and tomatoes and I'll use some coleslaw for lettuce and I try I'll put pepper roasted peppers out. So all different things that my kids can grab and add and make their own burrito bowls and then I can make mine the way that I want it to make sure that I'm hitting my macros for the day. Okay. I always love the turkey quinoa pineapple bowl.
my gosh, so good, so easy, and it's really great and light and refreshing in the summer. But also keeping it super simple with just some grilled meats. So grilled chicken, grilled, you know, grilled beef, like steaks and stuff, grilled, maybe some grilled chicken sausage with some grilled veggies. Super simple, guys. It doesn't have to be crazy, but I have a system. It's not fancy, and it just relies on me rotating it through things that I know.
my kids are gonna eat, my family is gonna eat. That are whole food based, okay? Not just the quick convenient foods and not relying on driving through a drive-through all the time. Because it's consistent and it's satisfying and honestly I know that I'm gonna feel good because it's keeping my blood sugar stable and that means fewer crashes and fewer cravings and honestly fewer, you know, screw it moments, okay? So if you wanna steal my, you know,
seven days of my meals that I like. You don't need to plan it. You can just grab the seven day meal plan in the show notes. There are so many good ones in there that are going to just help you move forward, move through the day and not stress about what you're going to be eating. Okay. So the other thing that I'm kind of shifting and making sure that I'm doing every day, honestly, is movement. And it's got to flex with my life because my days are busy.
And I am typically running up to the high school three times in a span of a four hour period or yeah, four or five hour period to drop off my kids, pick up my kids, drop off my kids and pick up my kids. Okay. And because we're all in different camps and so I'm running back and forth. Okay. And I feel like I'm in the car all the time. And this it's always been that way. I've been working from home for 15 years and it's always been that way.
Nikki Cheak (09:23.574)
Right? Because I was dropping my kids off at camps when I worked in corporate for so long and I was always back and forth. Right? So I have to find movement that is going to fit what I am doing. And I want to make sure that in this season of the summer, especially that I know that movement doesn't have to be intense to be effective. I just have to stay consistent. So one of the things that I'm doing is one, I always go into my app every day.
At least three days a week, I am doing my strength training workouts. Okay. That is a non-negotiable strength training is going to support my hormones. It's going to support my bone density and it's going to make sure that I am consistently burning fat. I'm also walking because walking honestly, like I will go out and I will take a 30 minute walk. Sometimes if I can go longer, I will. And I found that just listening to a book on, um,
you know, a rom-com, honestly, I will listen to a lot of those and I'll just walk. And I walk longer when I have something to listen to. Sometimes I take silent walks, but honestly, then I'm just like ready to come back and I focus a little bit more when I'm listening to something. And for everybody, it's not always like that, right? But in the reset, in the six week reset, we are going to focus on those short, smart, hormone supportive workouts because I don't want you to burn out.
and I want you to really focus on resetting your nervous system. And so for me, that looks like making sure I'm getting in my strength training for sure and getting in my walking. Okay. Because those are two non-negotiables for me. And honestly, my walking, sometimes I don't get like multiple minutes in a row. For me, sometimes it's like 10 minutes here, 20 minutes there, 10 minutes here. Like it might not be all together because sometimes I don't still have that time. Okay.
the other thing is really focusing on my mindset and making sure that I am checking off my non-negotiables that I have for every day. And honestly, I've kind of narrowed down to four things. Did I eat real food? Did I move my body? Did I get my water in? Which if you know me, water's always been one of those things that I have struggled with and I work really hard to get my water every day.
Nikki Cheak (11:43.855)
I'm just like you, I am a human, I have things that I work on all the time too, and water is one of them. And honestly, did I rest well last night? Did I sleep? And I know as a mom sometimes that's really hard, but resting and sleeping is a part of helping your hormones and your nervous system, and we talked about that in the last episode. Those are my non-negotiables, so when I hit them, I know that I'm winning. And one day is fine if I miss something, but you don't want to consistently miss it because
You know what? Winds stack. So I'm not in a season of proving anything. I am in a season of protecting my energy so that I can be present and enjoy my life. Okay? So here's the question that I want you to sit with. And that is, what if this summer wasn't just about chasing a, you know, a version of you that's perfect, that you've actually never seen work? What if the summer was more about staying consistent?
with three things that help you feel like you. They don't have to be the same three things that I'm focusing on, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that I was sharing with you things that I'm doing to make things easier, but those three things might be different for you. Okay? So find those three things that you can stay consistent with every single week. Okay? Even when your life is changing, even when you've got late night barbecues and parties and baseball and soccer tournaments, right? Find the things that work for you.
So start small. You can download my seven day meal plan in the show notes. It's full of great meals that are going to have easy ideas and honestly zero guilt. And then if you're ready to move forward and get some structure and have the summer be one that you're building the momentum so that when the school year kicks in, you are off and running and you're feeling really good. My next six week reset kicks off soon. I start a new round every couple of weeks and I coach you through every single step. So
There's no shame, there's no extremes. It's just honestly what works and it's progress over perfection. So look, if you've made it to the end of the series, that means something. It means you care. It means you're not giving up and it means you're not done or you are done with this all or nothing game. Okay. We are not here for the burnout. You are ready to feel better. You're ready to do it in a way that lasts and summer doesn't have to be about restriction. It can be about rhythm.
Nikki Cheak (14:11.01)
and can be about anchoring into a few things that actually make you feel good. And honestly, I'm here for you, whether it's through this podcast or coaching you inside the reset. So if you could do a couple of things for me, I would really be so appreciative. One, share this episode with a friend who's already overwhelmed and needs something that can just help them anchor in moving forward. Two, leave a review if this series has helped you in any way.
Honestly, the reviews matter more than you know, and it makes me just so grateful that I have the ability to help other women find the support that they need. And three, just follow the show so that you don't miss out on what's coming next, because in June, I have some great episodes coming. So until then, I want you to keep it simple, keep it steady, and keep coming back to what makes you feel like you.
