Enjoy Summer Without Starting Over in September

Summer has a way of slowly pulling women away from the habits that help them feel their best. Less structure, more social events, emotional eating, exhaustion, “I don’t feel like cooking” days, and eventually the feeling of needing to “get back on track” again.

In Episode 163: Enjoy Summer Without Starting Over in September, Clarenda talks about the mental and emotional side of summer health habits, including nervous system overload, self-trust, “micro quits,” emotional eating, and realistic ways to enjoy summer without falling into the all-or-nothing spiral.

This episode also explores why planning for your real days, not just your ideal days, can completely change how you feel physically and mentally by fall.

If you’ve been feeling stuck between wanting to enjoy summer and wanting to feel better in your mind and body too, this conversation will likely resonate.

✨ Out of the Miserable Maybe Workshop | May 30th
If you’re tired of overthinking, procrastinating, second-guessing yourself, or feeling mentally drained from constantly debating decisions, this workshop is designed to help you move forward with more clarity, confidence, and peace.
In-person + online option available
https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/courses/out-of-the-miserable-maybe

✨ You can also book a complimentary consult here if you’d like support figuring out your next step:
https://calendly.com/clarendasempowerment/exclusive-20-mins-session

You can always find out more at:

 https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/

Transcript

0:00

Think back over this past year. Did you look forward to the weekend all week long, and then come Monday feel frustrated again? Frustrated from what you did or didn't do? Maybe you had too much food or drink, or you stayed up later than you usually would, and you had low energy the next day. A very common frustration that we've all felt is having that great feeling of your belly bloat going down, maybe from losing another two pounds that week, to then enjoying yourself some on the weekend, maybe a lot, and then on Monday, frustration begins again because those two pounds are back on again. It makes us feel like what we did all week, just within two days, we gained it back. It's often why so many women just ignore or put away the scales, because it's depressing to see those same few pounds going off and on, off and on, and it's easy to think,"I'm just not gonna look at that." If you can relate, you're not alone. Welcome to episode 163, "Enjoy Summer Without Starting Over in September." I'm Clarenda Price, a former Registered Nurse, Personal Trainer, Certified Life and Weight Loss Coach, and creator of the Feel Light Mind and Body program. For years now, I've helped women who are successful in so many areas of life, but they still struggle with stress eating, low energy, weight gain, and the exhausting cycle of starting over. What makes this work so different is that we don't just focus on the food. We work on our thoughts, habits, nervous system patterns, emotional eating triggers, and the thought patterns that are often driving the decisions and the struggle underneath it all. Because lasting, sustainable change becomes a whole lot easier when you stop overthinking and beating yourself up. And honestly, I still have weeks like that sometimes, but it doesn't have to spiral into being the whole season of feeling uncomfortable physically and mentally. If you're watching this within weeks or months of its release... we're in the summer vibe. It's such a great feeling. We look forward to it all year, and I love summer. I love relaxing, I love the social time, and I love some of the treats that we associate with a warm, hot day. But I also know how discouraging it can feel when those few treats turn into more and more, and then suddenly we can feel the inflammation increasing, the weight creeping back on, the energy decreasing, the feelings of discouragement, disappointment, and frustration with yourself. And that disconnection can lead to turning to food or more drink to feel better. And for many women, it's not just that one big decision, that one party that makes the difference. It's the little things that slowly, gradually start to pull you away from what your intentions are, what your goals are, how you want to feel. It can feel innocent and just like, "well, just this one morning. I'm going to skip my walk this morning." But then it becomes hot, maybe humid, and you're like, "Mm, I'll do it tomorrow. I'm not-- I don't feel like doing it this afternoon." Or you might be having a great time at a party, having more food or drink than you expected, and you're like, "I've already blown it. I'm just going to start again Monday." And we know that that drive-thru can just feel easy, especially if you're tired at the end of the day. Or maybe it's grazing at every event so that you can feel more comfortable in the group. It's so easy to fall into that familiar and safe feeling pattern. And we can't forget about both ends of the spectrum, which is the emotional eating at the end of an overwhelming or hard day to the celebrating eating when we're just in the party mode. And we don't want to think about anything other than having a good time and getting that immediate pleasure, that dopamine hit. Maybe you're alone on a Friday or Saturday evening and food becomes your entertainment, your pleasure, or your bestie. Again, you're not the only one. I hear this fairly often and I've also experienced it, especially during those early years in the divorce process. I call them micro quits. And every time we repeatedly quit on ourselves even in small ways, it slowly chips away at our self-trust and empowerment. But the opposite is also true, luckily. Micro-wins add up. These are things like planning ahead for an exception meal or an exception snack and following through. I also suggest you have a go-to nourishing meal. Something that's ready, that's either fresh or frozen. Something you can put together very quickly. I love when I can go to the freezer and just take out one single thing, put it in for defrosting. And it always makes me feel good that maybe earlier in the week I thought to take part of what I had prepared, put it in the freezer so it's there as my backup plan. At the time, it's easy to think, "Is that really worth it?" But I tell you, we are thankful for it when it's there. That's us taking care of our future self. And then as that future self, we can feel grateful, thankful for our past self for thinking about that. Other micro-wins are getting enough protein and fiber, water as well. Going to bed early, Or going to bed even earlier if you are tempted to snack, and you know it's just because you are tired. Taking a walk even when you don't feel like it. Deciding on your non-negotiables ahead of time. And being kind to yourself without becoming indulgent. Those things build momentum. They create a compound effect with consistency. One thing I think that women really need to understand is that the brain is always paying attention. It's looking for... it's noticing evidence. So when we repeatedly say,"I'll start after vacation. I already blew it. There's no sense in starting until after September. What's the point in trying during the summer?" Your brain is starting to collect and building up evidence for why this is too hard for you to do now. It continues to strengthen that story, that neural pathway that, "Yeah, it's just too hard. I can't do this. I don't follow through." That affects your confidence level and your belief in you, and what's possible for you. Confidence is not just built from huge transformations. It's built from all the little promises that you keep to yourself over and over again. Even tiny actions matter because every time they're repeated, it's strengthening the neural pathway in your brain. That's why the things we've mentioned so far, like the protein, fiber, hydrating, getting outside, remembering to breathe, taking care of emotions, they all matter.

You're teaching the brain: 7:44

" I still take care of myself, even when life is busy, even when things feel hard. I'm worth it." That identity shift is huge, and it will be rewarding. One thing I've noticed over the years is that some of the greatest transformations happened during the client's hardest seasons, not their easiest ones. Summer included because they stopped waiting for it to be the right time to take care of themselves. There will never feel like the perfect time to focus on yourself. You just have to decide, "I'm worth it. I'm going to do this." The brain loves to delay things. That's why we say those things like after... maybe it's after Christmas even for the New Year. Maybe it's after the kids go back to school. Or we fall back into "Summer's short. Even life's too short. Let's live it." But then those few months, they go by so fast and you start to feel heavier emotionally, mentally, and physically. So let me ask you something. If you decided that this summer was the time to start to focus on something important for you, what would that be? For some women, it might be finally resting and recharging. For others, it might be, "I'm going to finish that project that I've been thinking about for so long, and it's just been mentally draining my energy." And for many, it's "I want to feel lighter in my mind and body. I'm tired of this heaviness." Not in an obsessive way, not thinking you have to be perfect, but just in a way that feels doable and better. It's okay to want to feel more energized, to look and feel better in your clothes. There's nothing wrong with that. That's part of being a well-balanced, healthier version of yourself. Often it's, "I want to have some of my inflammation down. I want to feel more emotionally stable. I want to feel safe, in control, and just have that freedom around food and not be obsessed with it one way or the other." So while we've talked about how many women are wanting to wait until a better time, wait until after a certain season... I think it's important for you to know that there are women who are choosing to work right now, to choose to work during the hard times. Because they know that we all face some crazy hard things during our lives. And so if they can learn to manage their thoughts, their emotions, food, their habits now, even enough to maintain, that's a win. The ones who choose to do that feel empowered, feel confident that no matter what comes their way, they're unstoppable. They can handle it. When they learn how to govern their emotions, to allow them to be there without reacting, without turning to food, it's very freeing. It's also calming to the nervous system in a way that doesn't then have a net negative effect. Because yes, food can temporarily relax your nervous system, turn on that parasympathetic state. But the after effect often creates more stress and then reactivates the sympathetic, that "go, go, turn on, fight or flight" response, that does things like increase your cortisol, increase inflammation, decrease sleep, and more. A lot of women think they need more discipline during the summertime and they don't think they have it within them. And actually, that's probably true because what they really need first is some relaxed time, but not too much. It's like build in relaxation and restoration during your day while you then create healthier habits for yourself. Recovery time is important because when the nervous system is overloaded, that's when cravings usually increase. Along with being more impulsive in decision-making or just ignoring making a decision at all. Your body is not trying to sabotage you. It's doing its job. It's trying to protect your energy. It's trying to soothe your stress. That's why I talk about ways to regulate your nervous system in a healthy way.

That can look like: 12:17

stepping outside instead of grabbing a snack, then drinking water first. Or it could be simply closing your eyes and taking deep breaths or just breathe for 60 seconds. No added stimuli. Then asking yourself, "What else would feel nurturing right now?" Or it could be something like simply allowing, recognizing that that emotion is there without reacting to it. Just acknowledging it, giving witness to it, holding space for it, and waiting and letting it dissipate. Awareness without shame or judgment, instead of being self-critical, works so much better. Instead of thinking, "What's wrong with me?" Instead think, "What is it? What's happening inside my body? How am I feeling? Where is the tension? And what would support me right now?" That creates curiosity instead of guilt, shame, or blame. Now, another thing that really helps is not just planning for your good days. I want you to plan for your real days. In our Feel Light Mind and Body group sessions, we look at the week ahead for that person. What are the challenges? What might be an obstacle? And we can strategically plan ahead of time. Even if it can't kind of go off as we think it might, you're still better equipped than just going in blindly. That produces like a quiet self-confidence, that "I've got this. Even if I have a stressful day, I know how to take care of myself." When you have a plan in place, when you've made the decision that this is gonna be my healthiest summer yet, you can look forward to the true pleasures of summer, of vacation. And yes, that can still include what I call an 'exception meal' or an 'exception drink'. You'll feel more prepared. You won't have to dread those days where emotions are running high or emotions and energy are running low. You will look and go, "Here's my backup plan. Time to put it into action." Summer is a different season because we usually don't have as much structure to it. There's more spontaneous invites and excursions. There's part of us, that playful side, that we don't want to have what we think are restrictions. But what I want to invite is that mindset shift of, "I want to maintain my energy so that I can be spontaneous, and I want to be spontaneous more in the excursions than just in what I'm putting into my mouth." What I'm putting into my mouth is what's going to determine if I have the energy and health to do what I want to do. Or is it that inflammation is going to hold me back, out of breath is going to hold me back? Can you see how it's a different way of looking at it? So just know that you don't need perfect consistency. You just need enough consistency so that you stay in self-belief, and you also stay true to your health goal, that you are moving forward rather than slowly declining. We don't need to think of summer as either: I'm on or I'm off."I have to be super strict and disciplined and make sure that I'm restricting myself." No. But we also don't want to be, "Ah, I'm totally off the bandwagon. I went off the rails this weekend, so just more proof that it's impossible for me." No, again. There's a very reasonable middle ground that feels good. That can feel doable and sustainable. That can still see you making progress. What if you had the belief that it's actually easier to lose weight during the summer? Some people feel that way. Some people do it. Here's what I do know. You can still enjoy an ice cream or nice cream, even though some will say, "Oh, but that's a lot of bananas." It's okay. You can still do that and still care for your health. You can go to a barbecue, you can even have a burger, and still make progress. You can continue with your very next decision to work towards your goal. You can miss a workout without disappearing for three weeks. The women who tend to do well long-term, who probably do the best, are those who aren't all or nothing. Who aren't looking for the quick fix. Who are in it for the long haul. Who know that they feel better when they're working towards something than when they're just in limbo. They're the ones who are committed to knowing how they want to feel both now as well as tomorrow. They're aware that they have to be intentional about what the exception meal or snack will be. Otherwise, it's gonna run into, "Well, it's Friday. Well, it's Saturday. I've had a birthday and a wedding, and so I just had exceptions everywhere." Then there's girls' night, and there's a long weekend coming up, and there is prom. Don't forget the stressful days and then the party time at the cottage or around a bonfire. So you learn how to pace yourself. You learn how to make the best decision possible for that excursion, for that event. You prepare ahead of time by really giving yourself nurturing, nourishing foods and time for proper rest, so you're not going to an event stressed and exhausted, and then you just want everything and anything. You're also not starving yourself because then you go and you think,"Well, I can only have so many calories, so many points in a day, so I'm gonna have it all now." Not good, my friend. Intentional exceptions feel really good. I enjoy having them. So much better than just emotionally reacting, that feeling of feeling out of control. Last summer, I asked women, "Why did you want to join Feel Light Mind and Body?" Their answers were honest and relatable, and I've jotted them down 'cause I want to read exactly. One woman said, "This is my hard time of the year, so I thought at least I won't gain." Two weeks later, she was already down six pounds and more importantly, feeling lighter mentally. Another woman said, "I've been coming up with excuses for every season, so I finally decided enough is enough." Another shared, "I actually think vacation may help because I'll be less stressed, have more fresh food options, and more time to focus on me." Yes. And another woman told me, "I want to feel more comfortable in my clothes when I travel in August." I think really we just all want to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. But we also really want to enjoy life. And I truly believe it's a myth that you can't enjoy life while eating and taking care of yourself in the healthiest way possible. I think it's quite the opposite. And I'm excited for summer to come. I think it's a perfect opportunity for you to reconnect with yourself, and I know I look forward to doing the same. I love the extra daylight. I love getting out on my patio, enjoying my quiet time there instead of being here in the living room. I appreciate that, but it's a different feeling in the summertime. That's joy. I don't need a donut sitting out there with me. I just look around. I listen to the birds. I enjoy my decaf, tea, whatever I'm having that morning. And even if I don't have that, it's... my heart is full of gratitude. And if it's not, I bring it up. I can get that energy by just coming back to gratitude, coming back to love. I think summer gives us more opportunities and more incentives to move our body. It might give us time to read or journal or just tune in and see what is it that my body has been trying to tell me? What is it that my soul and spirit needs to feel better, to reset so that I can be more productive, more focused after my vacation? Instead of going back to work feeling like you need another vacation just to recover from that vacation. So what if these summer months you stop discounting what you think you can't do and start focusing on what's possible? What can I do? How do I want this summer to be different than last summer? Or maybe last summer was a rocking one. You never felt better in your life. What were you doing then that can be lasting? Not something that gave you that quick fix, because otherwise you're just gonna go up and down on that roller coaster. I'm looking forward to helping women not go through summer filled with regret. I want them to feel empowered. I want them to feel self-confident. I want them to feel equipped that they are going to do this in real life. They're going to learn how to do this. If you can get through the summer... if you can get through holidays... if you can get through vacations... it's amazing when you can get home, put your clothes back on, not that you don't have any clothes on, but you know what I mean, back into your regular clothes, and they might even feel looser. Having a plan in place for support, community, accountability, and coaching, that makes it a game-changer summer. In our private online groups, women just share their obstacles. They share their wins. We get encouraged by each other. We strategize, "Oh, this is coming up for one person. Here's what we can do to make it easier." And then someone else is saying, "I never thought of that." We see ourselves in other situations, or we are prepared for something unexpected that's going to come up because we've heard someone else go through that, rise above it, and learn so much. It's a place where you'll feel less alone and more encouraged. If you've been finding lately that you're kind of exhausted of just going back and forth in your mind, you're thinking about doing something, but you're staying in indecision. You just can't seem to make up your mind or make that next step that's gonna create the decision, kind of that line in the sand to say, "This is what I want to avoid. This is what I want to let go of. This is what I want to change in my life." It's not just knowing what to do, it's then deciding to do it. And that's often the most frustrating part because you're like, "I know what to do, and yet I'm still not doing it. Why?" Those are the kind of things we'll be talking about in the Out of the Miserable Maybe workshop coming up Saturday afternoon, uh, May 30th. So I wanna invite you to that. You could attend in person, I'm keeping it small so we can work through this together, as well as online. We just bring you into the room. This workshop is designed to be very practical and applicable. You'll feel empowered. You'll have direction. You'll leave knowing your next best step. Participants have told me that when they left, they felt more energized. They felt certain. They understood why in the past they were just circling the problem and not actually taking action. They felt relief to realize, "Oh, okay, now I understand why," so that that can help them in the next decision and the next one. One of the reasons I'm offering this again is because of the relief that people feel. It's like, "Oh, now I understand. Now I can see what my brain's been doing." Now that we're onto it, you have a plan for the next decision you're going to make and the next one. This is another subject that maybe I'll talk about on another podcast, but it's not that you don't know your why. You know why. It's what is getting in the way. What are you thinking? What are you believing? What's even going on at a cellular level that keeps you holding yourself back? I'll drop the registration link in the show notes, along with a complimentary 20-minute consult if you want some guidance on what your next step is. And remember, September will feel a whole lot better if you don't spend your whole summer just ignoring or abandoning yourself. You don't have to throw in the towel to relax and have fun. I believe you'll actually have more fun when you choose to make this a healthier, balanced summer. Imagine going into September, into the fall months, feeling energized, feeling recharged, feeling like you have some mental clarity, being creative, more relaxed and not dreading having to try to zip up those jeans because they probably will zip up. What if your summer experience built up incredible self-confidence and self-belief? Imagine feeling proud that you took care of yourself while still enjoying summer. It's doable, my friend, and it all starts with one empowering decision.