Colorful Plates and Self-Compassion: A Summer Reset Guide

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Have you ever had an injury force you to completely rethink your relationship with your body? Or felt that familiar knot of anxiety as swimsuit season approaches? You're not alone.

After my "Super Nana moment" left me with torn ligaments across the top of my foot, I found myself at a crossroads. As someone who's spent 23 years in the fitness industry, suddenly being limited in movement felt like a major blow. But this setback offered an unexpected gift – the chance to shift my perspective from frustration to appreciation for what my body could still do.

Summer brings so many opportunities for renewal and joy if we're willing to embrace them. This is the perfect season to fill your plate with vibrant, colorful foods straight from gardens and farmers' markets. Think berries on your salad, grilled zucchini, and fresh herbs that make every meal a celebration of nourishment. Movement becomes more intuitive too – walking at sunset, stretching in the grass, or gentle water aerobics that feel more like play than exercise.

The elephant in the room, of course, is swimsuit anxiety. How many of us have missed out on pool days with grandchildren or beach trips with friends because we weren't comfortable in our own skin? Your body isn't something to hide – it's something to honor. We don't have to love every inch of ourselves every second, but we can appreciate what our bodies allow us to do and be present instead of picking ourselves apart. Finding one thing you love about your physical self and focusing on that can transform your entire summer experience.

Whether you're healing from an injury, making healthy shifts in your habits, or learning to appreciate your body at midlife, remember that joy is found in the little shifts – those small, consistent actions that honor your wellbeing. Life is too short to wait until you reach some arbitrary "perfect" before allowing yourself to fully participate in it.

Ready to make this your summer of self-compassion and healthy shifts? Subscribe to Spandex & Wine for weekly encouragement, practical tips, and a community that understands exactly where you are in your journey.

Chapters

• 0:00 Summer Topics and Super Nana Injury
• 1:30 Meet Your Host Robin Hackney
• 5:17 Dealing with Injury Setbacks Positively
• 7:44 Healthy Summer Food and Movement Ideas
• 9:50 Swimsuit Season Mindset and Body Acceptance
• 13:01 Closing Thoughts and Episode Wrap-up

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey friends, welcome back to another episode of the Spanx and Wine podcast, where we keep it real about health, habits and the happy and sometimes hard parts of midlife. And today I'm chatting about three things that are top of mind as we head into summer. And boy does it feel like summer today. I'm sitting on the screening porch and it feels amazing. You'll likely hear my rooster and probably someone's lawnmower, but today let's talk about my recent super nana moment that left me with a busted foot. Yeah, making fun, healthy shifts for food and fitness, and the dreaded swimsuit season and how we can shift our mindset around that too. So this episode is full of encouragement, ideas and little nudges to keep showing up for yourself, no matter what the season you're in, literally or figuratively. Hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney, and I'm so happy that you're here.

Speaker 1: 0:57

This podcast is a place for conversations about balancing a healthy lifestyle and being happy more specifically, happy hour. Together we'll explore all things wellness and wine. I hope you learn a little, laugh a lot and, along the way, know you're not alone on this balanced wellness journey. Ready to jump in? Pour something in your glass that makes you happy, because it's time for Spandex and Wine. Okay, so before we jump into the episode, I know we have a lot of new listeners, so I thought I would just give a little introduction of me. I know I should probably do this just from time to time as people come on, but anyway.

Speaker 1: 1:35

So I have lived in the Kansas City area my entire life, more specifically, mostly Spring Hill, kansas, and after graduating high school which my friend Stephanie can probably give you the exact number of days, it's probably like 18 to 21 days after I graduated high school, went straight to the altar and married my husband, dave, and next week we will celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary. So that's super exciting. We have two boys. One is married and just lives a few miles away from me with his lovely wife and two adorable grandsons. One of them just celebrated his first birthday last week it was so precious and then the older one will be for the very end of August. So it's just so much fun being a Nana. I love it, I love it. And then my youngest son is a firefighter and he lives pretty much downtown Kansas City. So I love being a mom, I love being a Nana.

Speaker 1: 2:36

I started after college. I then worked in the corporate world for almost a decade and I knew that's not what I was supposed to do. I really hated it and I couldn't figure out what the heck I wanted to do. And at the time I was working out with some girlfriends and it just turned out that I was. I mean, I'm kind of bossy. Anyway, I was doing all of the workouts and designing them and so I thought, oh my gosh, yes, why don't I do this? And so I made that change to go into the fitness industry and I absolutely love it. That was 23 years ago. So I've had a wonderful career. I still teach classes, I still do personal training.

Speaker 1: 3:18

Everything's kind of shifted over the years and now I'm focusing. I've always wanted to help women and men be healthier and happier, and I've typically done that with different challenges and workouts. I'm also now focusing more on health coaching and gut health. You guys know that those of you that have been listening, so that has been just so rewarding. And you know when someone says to me oh, I don't have any gut issues, oh, no, I don't mean someone that has gut issues. We all can benefit from focusing on gut health. If you've ever taken any medications like antibiotics, if you've ever been stressed. I mean, there's just so many ways that our guts can be damaged. But that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm introducing myself, okay. So, yes, let's see After that.

Speaker 1: 4:10

So then I also started a podcast. I took a class two years ago this month actually and I was not expecting to start a podcast at all. I just like taking courses here and there because I figured that there's going to be nuggets that I can apply in my business or personal life, and so I took this podcasting class, and another friend of mine was taking it as well hey, penny. So we took that together and we both decided, okay, let's do it. We're both like, okay, I think I'm going to do it, are you going to do it, are you going to do it? And we decided to jump in. So I launched that on my birthday, 2023.

Speaker 1: 4:49

And you guys, it's just been so fun since then. You guys have been amazing, supporting me through everything. I so appreciate it. I appreciate you listening, I appreciate you sharing, giving me the five-star reviews. It's been wonderful, and I just feel like I've learned so much about myself through this process and hopefully you guys have learned a little too. Okay, so that is enough about me. Let's just jump into what we were going to talk about today.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Okay, so if you read my newsletter last week, you already know that I had a bit of a graceful moment, also known as an attempt of flying off the deck like Super Nana or not so Super Nana and the result was that I tore ligaments that go across the top of my foot. Yep, not ideal for someone who loves to move and teach classes and that I live in tennis shoes and flip flops. And at first I was really frustrated. Injuries can feel like such a setback and if you've had one recently, I'm sure you're nodding your head. But once you get over that initial why me?

Speaker 1: 5:56

Moment and start shifting your focus, things can kind of look a lot different. Instead of obsessing over what I couldn't do, I leaned into what I could do. I can do upper body workouts, I can do most core, I can have intentional rest and just a deeper appreciation for my health. I mean that's one thing that I've been focusing on, probably over the past couple years. If I really think about it I mean we've talked about this before been focusing on probably over the past couple years. If I really think about it. I mean, we've talked about this before, how I did a dive into endocrine disruptors and focusing on gut health. So yeah, there's a broader picture. It's not just about movement, respect and a little grace.

Speaker 1: 6:47

I used to share this quote all the time. In fact, I think it was at the bottom of my email. If you don't take care of your body, where would you live? And that's so true. If we continue to put bad foods into our body, if we continue to not move or not move well, it's not going to bode well for us in the long end. Our bodies are designed to move. We've been given so many resources of good whole foods that we can put in our body and supplements that we can add to that. So take a look today, like just take a few minutes and pause and look at your health, see what you can do, praise yourself for what you are doing, make changes for the things that need to be made, and then move from there. All right, just appreciate the body that you have, which kind of goes into a lot of the rest of this episode, all right.

Speaker 1: 7:44

So summertime the weather is heating up, especially today. This is the beginning of June and it's just a perfect time to make some fun and fresh shifts in how we eat and move. So first, off your plate. This is the time of year you can pack in the color, so think garden veggies, fresh fruits, herbs, grilled zucchini or berries on your salad. The more color, the more nutrients and the more satisfied you'll feel, and summer is a season of light, bright and beautiful food that makes you feel good. You'll have to check out tomorrow's newsletter to see a little challenge that I'd like for us to do this summer, and if you're not subscribed to the newsletter, you need to be. Make sure you look for that link in the show notes.

Speaker 1: 8:30

And then for your movement. It's a great time to get outside and soak up the sun. Go for a walk with a friend, dance on your deck, stretch in the grass, hop in the pool. I love moving in the pool. It feels amazing and water aerobics will be coming up. So watch for those details. Those of you that are here in the Kansas City area. But any kind of movement that you can do. You'll feel stronger, more energized and more connected to your body when you move in ways that feel fun. So, whatever that is for you, make sure okay, there's an airplane. Make sure that you are doing that and get as much movement in as you can.

Speaker 1: 9:14

Let's take advantage of the long days and the sunshine, and maybe you're going to break up your workouts. Long days and the sunshine, and maybe you're going to break up your workouts it's a great way to get some extra movement in. If you do, maybe a little bit in the morning, a little bit at lunch, a little bit in the evening, and that's really good for your blood sugar too. I've shared before that five minutes of walking after every meal is so good for balancing your blood sugar, so just think of creative ways that you can make that happen. All right, so now let's talk about the elephant in the room swimsuit season or shorts or tank top whatever it is for you.

Speaker 1: 9:50

I know that many women and men dread this part of summer, whether it's because your legs haven't seen the sun since September, or it's a little extra fluff hanging around from winter. I want you to hear this your body is not something to hide and I am bad at that too, so I am not saying that I am not. It should be something to honor. You're here, you're breathing, you're moving, you're showing up, and that's beautiful. We don't have to love every inch of ourselves every second of the day, but we can appreciate what our bodies allow us to do. We can wear the swimsuit and get in the pool with our grandkids. We can put on the shorts and go for a walk. We can be present instead of picking ourselves apart. And if you do want to feel stronger, leaner or just more in control of your habits, I'm here for that too.

Speaker 1: 10:43

You guys know I offer health coaching that focuses on small, subtle issues and sustainable shifts, and I can help you with mindset consistency and even some targeted strategies, like my upcoming three-day nutritionally supported fast. I'm starting that next week, after my anniversary weekend, because balance right and right now the fast is free, with customized bundles. So if you're interested, please message me and I'll help you get started. But the basic thing, the one thing I would want you to do is, when you do put the shorts on, when you do put your swimsuit on, try not to have that negative self-talk.

Speaker 1: 11:23

It is okay to look in the mirror and want to make some changes, but I want you to focus on the good. Is it that your delts are really popping because you've been doing all of your shoulder work. Is it that your toes look great because you just had a pedicure, whatever it might be? Find something that you absolutely love about your body and focus on that. The other parts are going to be there. We can make changes, but it's not going to happen overnight.

Speaker 1: 11:52

Nothing is a quick fix, and if someone is selling you that, then I would be a little hesitant. Even with the Plexus products, I have people that are messaging me after a month and they're like oh, it's just not working. This is not a quick fix and you have to support everything with what you put on your plate, what you put in your glass and how you move your body. So let's all learn to love our bodies. Let's move in different ways this summer. Let's put some color on our plate, really load that up. And you guys, be careful when you're on the deck, don't be moving around too fast.

Speaker 1: 12:34

All right, friends, thanks for hanging out with me today. Whether you're nursing an injury, you're easing into summer habits or trying to feel confident in your swimsuit again, I hope you heard something today that encourages you to keep going, and if you love this episode, please share it with a friend, post it to your stories or just shoot me a message and let me know what landed with you. So until next time, keep showing up, keep giving yourself grace and don't forget joy is in the little shifts. Talk soon. Thank you for listening.

Speaker 1: 13:06

If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to follow Spandex Wine so you don't miss an episode. To do this, just go to the podcast and click subscribe or follow. Wherever you're listening, look for the plus sign or follow button. This is one of the best things that you can do for the podcast. If you'd also be willing to give a five-star review, that would be amazing and much appreciated. Lastly, please share an episode with a friend or five to keep the love going, and join the Spandex and Wine community in our private Facebook group by searching Spandex and Wine. Feel free to reach out to me at any time by emailing info at spandex and winecom or text me at 913-392-2877. I appreciate you. Thank you.