[00:00:00] Kristy: Okay, so before we dive into the conversation, I just wanted to. Just call out the fact that I called this a self-care routine. I don't love the terminology self-care, but I also wanted to title this episode with something that would resonate broadly. I. So the reason why I don't love the term self-care is because I think that it has connotations that relate to product and very superficial or topical methods of looking after oneself.

[00:00:36] And I definitely don't agree with that. I think that as business owners, as human beings, we need to actually really be taking care of ourselves. And I have gotten really good at implementing a variety of different things across my life and business to support myself so that I can be focused and productive and have rest and feel good.

[00:01:07] So if you are struggling to look after yourself, then I think you're gonna really like today's conversation. It's pretty casual, it's pretty relaxed. It's a bit of a behind the scenes sort of conversation. And it's not that I'm saying this is what you should do. And in fact, Many of these things may seem quite obvious to you in fact, or it's not gonna be anything new, but sometimes you just hear things in a different way and it just makes sense.

[00:01:32] And then you think, oh, I haven't done that in a while. Or, yes, I felt good when I did that. I might give that a crack again. So that's really the goal for the conversation today, is really just to share with you what I'm doing to take care of myself, and that's what keeps me focused and productive. are you ready? Let's go.

[00:01:49] hello boss and welcome back to the Run Your Business Like a Boss podcast. This is, as I said in the intro, a very casual conversation. I just thought I would share with you the things that I do to look after myself, the things that I do.

[00:02:46] That really helped me to stay focused and on task, but also just helped me feel good in my own skin. I know that, you know, as a business owner, it's hard to, Juggle all the things and do all the things, but here's the thing, when we don't look after ourselves, you know, it will have implications.

[00:03:07] It will have an effect on you over time. And I know that, you wanna live a long, healthy life, but also you wanna be feeling good so that you can show up for yourself so that you can show up for your business and the people in your life that you love. So I think it's really important. That we keep the conversation alive around how do we look after ourselves, and yes, it's actually really important that we invest time in ourselves.

[00:03:36] So I'm gonna step you through a few of the things that I'm doing to look after myself, many of which I've done for a very long time. But they have adapted and changed and moved and shifted over the years. So, yeah, let's get into it. So the first thing I think is, if you follow me on Instagram, you'll probably already know this, but exercise is a big part of looking after myself.

[00:04:02] And yeah, I was chatting with a client the other week and she said to me, you know, you used to document. your walks in the forest and I remembered that. I just, yeah, I dunno why, but I sort of stopped taking photos of, my daily exercise, but I didn't stop exercising. I just stopped documenting it for some odd reason.

[00:04:22] And it's interesting because I sort of didn't really connect that other people liked to see those things so I will be bringing that back. But exercise has always been a big part of my life. I got my first gym membership when I left school, and that was back in 1997 when going to the gym was not a thing.

[00:04:43] It was not cool, although it was when twin sets were first out. So twin sets are back in now, but they were out and I remember. Buying a twin set, going to the gym and all the things. And mostly when you looked around at the gym in those days, it was all mainly men. , but yeah, I've always exercised and I've always exercised, you know, and I guess in a very yang kind of way, very active, very full on,, running high intensity workouts, lifting weights, all of those sorts of things.

[00:05:15] And if you didn't already know this about me, I was actually a group fitness instructor. I taught Body Pump for many years, close to a decade, so I've always loved training and exercise and things like that. In the last couple of years, I haven't been doing as much running. I have been doing more walks in our local reserve.

[00:05:35] I'm very fortunate that. You know, not far from where I live. There's this really beautiful nature reserve that I can go walking in with. That said, probably about a month or a month and a half ago I started running again and I'm falling back in love with running and enjoying, getting more of that yang activities back in with running and weights and things like that.

[00:05:56] But exercise is definitely always been a way for me to clear my head and just to recalibrate. The second thing, again, you've probably heard me mention this before, is last year I gave up drinking alcohol, so I'm now living a life that is alcohol free and as this goes live. It will be seven months since I've stopped drinking, and quite frankly was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made.

[00:06:31] The reason for this is because for a long time I felt quite uncomfortable and was really questioning alcohol, the role that alcohol had in my life. And it definitely is something that increased anxiety for me. And how that would show up is that even if I'd have just one glass of wine at three o'clock in the morning, I would wake up and I would feel really anxious.

[00:06:55] I would feel really uncertain. And you know, if I'd been out, I would think, oh, did I say something that I shouldn't have said? Or, you know, did I do something that I shouldn't have done? , nothing overly, you know, big or anything like that. I never did anything completely silly, but you know, just.

[00:07:11] Just kind of like things that . I wouldn't do otherwise, right or say otherwise. So giving up alcohol has been such a good move for me and my wellbeing and my self care a hundred percent because I'm able to, better look after myself when I don't have to have alcohol in my life when I don't have to think about whether or not I will have a drink tonight.

[00:07:36] Or that I just don't get that big anxiety drop at three o'clock in the morning because I'm no longer, you know, having any alcohol in my system. So, yeah, so giving up alcohol has been fantastic for my self-care. And yeah, if you are thinking about giving up alcohol or this is something that you are curious about, I'd love to hear from you.

[00:08:00] Feel free to shoot me across the DM because this is something that I'm really passionate about. And then my last point on alcohol is that, I never have a hangover, so I always have a clear head the next day.

[00:08:15] So never need to worry about having to work with a hangover or, not being on my a game as a result of having a couple of drinks the night before. I was never a really heavy drinker. That was just not my vibe. But, it still does have an impact on your work and productivity the next day.

[00:08:31] So, That's another thing that's been a real benefit of no longer drinking. Okay so onto the third thing that I do to look after myself is having a deep sense of self-compassion and yara Huri and I spoke about this on a recent podcast. I'll link that down in the show notes if you're curious to dive into this further.

[00:08:55] I've been looking into and practicing self-compassion for a few months now, I wish I could credit the podcast that I heard it on. I can't remember. I listened to so many random podcasts and it would've been somewhere in a weird place, I'm sure. But I heard a guest on this podcast talking about self-compassion and how being really caring and compassionate for yourself is such a great way to look after yourself. Things that I'm doing to be self-compassionate is letting go of mistakes, accepting my fears, and being kind to myself and really being conscious of inner critic or nasty, nasty girl voice and really coming up against that and having a formidable voice against that in support or advocacy for myself .

[00:09:58] It takes a lot of practice, but it's something that I'm getting so much better at when a thought pops into my mind or I'm triggered by something or, you know, just normal human things, right? I notice it and I get really curious. I've always done this, but I've, I've done this on a whole new level recently.

[00:10:18] Getting really curious around what that means and really doing so in a very nurturing way for myself. When I think about self-care, I actually think about self-compassion being the barometer of all of that. So if you are not actively practicing self-compassion, I would first start looking into what that might be and how you can start to practice that for yourself.

[00:10:47] You have this beautiful space of being able to support yourself in a way that no one else can. So when you are looking after yourself and when you're being compassionate for yourself, it means that you will show up for the hard work.

[00:11:02] It means that you will show up for the job today. It'll mean that you can be more focused and less distracted by the busy, noisy, mean thoughts that you will invariably have. That we all have. Right? It is the highest way that you can care for yourself is to actively practice self-compassion. Okay, so the next thing that I do to look after myself so that I can be focused and productive is I take a range of Neutropics anti-aging supplements and. Regular supplements I try and eat pretty well. Now, I wouldn't say I have the cleanest diet, but I largely eat pretty good. and I think that on the days when I don't do these things, when I'm not taking my neutropics or, uh, I'm not taking my supplements or I'm not looking after myself drinking enough water, you know, 101 basic stuff, but we let slip really easily. I find myself really struggling to stay focused. I find that I just don't have the energy that I have.

[00:12:17] At other times when I am, you know, taking my supplements and things like that, and I'm not gonna say what I take here because I think that everybody, should do their own research and figure out what the right thing is for them. But, um, I do think that if you, you know, are not sure, then definitely go and see a nutritionist or someone who can really support you in this space.

[00:12:42] But yeah, I've mentioned a few times, I don't know if I've mentioned it on the podcast or if I've only talked about it over. On Instagram, but also taking anti-aging supplements. I've been doing that for a few years now. , I'm in my forties and I probably look younger now than what I did in my thirties because I am really looking after myself and the supplements really do work.

[00:13:06] I, yeah, haven't had any Botox or anything like that, but my skin is looking clearer. It's probably also giving up alcohol. But yeah, having supplements is such a great way to keep your focused, to feel really good energy in the brain and to, yeah, just be able to stay focused on the work. Okay. The next thing that I do to look after myself is, I have good structure and systems and simplicity in my business.

[00:13:39] You know, you didn't think I would talk about this without talking about this, right? But I can't say it enough, right? I just cannot say it enough. I don't have an overwhelming business, I'm so thankful for this, and it is really such a great way to be able to look after myself. I have had a business where I burned out.

[00:14:01] I've had that experience and I do not want to ever repeat that experience so, I'm always coming back to , how can I make this easier? How can I make this simpler? How can I do this in a way that isn't requiring too much stress on me? I can get anxious. And when things are chaotic in my business, it can get really chaotic for me personally.

[00:14:30] And so in order for me to feel much less anxious, cos you know, I still get anxious from time to time. But in order for me to manage that, I have to be really intentional about. having a really good structure in my business for my time, for my energy, for the way I move in my business, for how I deliver my office.

[00:14:51] Like all of the things is very well planned and that absolutely fuels my self care. That absolutely fuels my energy, and it allows me to be able to be the best version of myself for me. For my clients, for the people that I work with, and also for my family and loved ones. So having a good structure systems and simplicity in my business is a form of self-care in a roundabout way.

[00:15:24] And the last thing that I do when it comes to self care and looking after myself is, Not staying up late watching Netflix. I've done this on the odd occasion and the next day I feel terrible. I am really very guarded around my sleep habits and making sure that I get enough sleep.

[00:15:48] I think I'm a very strange human because I've always needed above average amount of sleep. Like I admire anyone who can feel good after just sort of six hours sleep. But for me, I really need more like nine hours and I don't really know why, but I do. I feel like genuinely the best that I could feel when I've had nine hours sleep.

[00:16:12] So I really do try and aim to get to bed early so that I have the energy and the stamina to show up for the work that I need to do the next day and feel good and feel focused and not be spinning my wheels. Those are the things that I do to look after myself, to ensure that I have the energy for all the things that I'm juggling, either in my business or in my life with the kids, uh, in my marriage or like for me, all the things, right?

[00:16:46] None of that, I'm sure is overly groundbreaking, but you put it all together and it's pretty powerful. , I guess it kind of comes back to what I was talking about last week around consistency. When you are consistently doing simple things to care for yourself, to look after yourself, then.

[00:17:09] It all adds up, right? It's all in the bank. It's all helping you in the long run. So yeah, like I said, nothing overly groundbreaking, but are definitely things that 100% keep me on my A game. So I wanna hear from you, what are the things that you do to stay focused and productive when it comes to self-care?

[00:17:34] Feel free to shoot me across a message, or take a photo and send it to stories on Instagram. Tag me and let me know the things that you like to do to look after yourself. I hope this episode has given you some food for thought, and it will perhaps maybe bring into the consciousness. What are the things that you wanna do to look after yourself so that you are feeling good each and every day. Boss, as always, I appreciate you. Thank you so much for listening to this pretty casual chat, and as always, I look forward to chatting with you next week.