039- Summer Energy Series: Midlife Survival Mode- Snacks, Sips, & Sanity

Feeling crispy around the edges from the heat, chaos, and endless to-do lists? You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not broken.

In this Summer Energy Series episode of Smash the Crash, Melissa shares her go-to Midlife Survival Checklist for the weeks when it’s 100 degrees, your brain is fried, and your energy is running on caffeine and chaos.

You’ll learn:

• Why taking five (literally!) is the reset your nervous system needs
• How hydration and electrolytes can keep you from a 3pm crash
• The best grab-and-go high-protein snacks to fuel your day (spoiler: cheese sticks aren’t just for kids!)
• Simple tips to make smart snacking actually happen during busy summer days

Plus: how skipping meals doesn’t just leave you hangry—it messes with your mood, focus, and decision-making.

This is your permission slip to stop running on fumes.
Take the break. Eat the snack. Drink the water. Repeat.

🟣 Tag @itsmelissahinman with your updated snack stash and let’s normalize fueling midlife with more intention (and less stress).

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Disclaimer:  I am not a medical doctor. The information and recommendations provided during our coaching sessions are intended to support your overall health and wellness and are not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your physician before making any changes to your medication, treatment plan, or if you have any concerns about your health. 

Transcript

Summer Energy Series Introduction

Speaker 1 2:28

Hey, hey, smash fan. Welcome back to another episode of the Summer Energy Series here on Smash the Crash Podcast, where we talk about energy crashes, mom brain and how to avoid melting into a human puddle on your kitchen floor. I'm Melissa Himmon, your midlife navigator and energy wrangler. Over the last three episodes of this summer energy series, we have talked about the schedule whiplash, why seasonal transitions, and even good ones, are exhausting, how to recognize the warning signs of your yellow energy zone, and three micro shifts to help you stabilize your energy this summer. How to escape the summer productivity trap, including three simple energy smart strategies to help you enjoy the light without burning out, because more sunshine doesn't necessarily mean more output. Your energy has nothing to prove and one strong fact to remember and remind yourself that you are not a machine and why your summer still requires boundaries. If this past week has felt like a whirlwind of heat work, chaos, camp drop offs, emails and an out of control to-do list all colliding into each other at the same time, hi, you're not alone. This was me too. I also had to remind a friend and, let's be honest, myself, that while we can't always lighten can't, while we can't always lighten the load, we can choose to change how we carry it. So if you are in it right now feeling a little crispy around the edges, here's your unofficial invite to use this midlife summer survival checklist. So grab a pen or just yell out yes when one of these truly hits.

Speaker 1 4:25

Number one take five, literally five minutes. Sit in your car, remove yourself from your desk, walk into another room, get some fresh air, get into the AC blasting, sip some cold water and just breathe. That's it. You're not lazy, you're human, and your nervous system needs a break. So let yourself be a human. Number two hydrate for real, like hydrate. If you're only drinking iced coffee most of the day, please consider this your loving intervention In this hot as balls weather this summer. It's been a hundred degrees here in Southeast Pennsylvania for like the last week, and, oh my gosh, um, hydration is a non negotiable toss in some Gatorade, some coconut water, use natural water flavors like lime or lemon juice, but keep those electrolytes from tapping out. Number three smart snacking. This is key. You're not training to be a top chef and you're not trying to melt into the pavement, both literally and figuratively.

Speaker 1 5:44

So here's a list of some items that I've been keeping on repeat, most recently, easy to grab and bonus high in protein, which will not give you that immediate energy crash afterwards and will keep you feeling fuller longer. All right, so check out these options. Greek yogurt cups they come in many different flavors and they range from 20 to 23 grams of protein per serving. How about a cheese stick? Yeah, they're not just for kids. We can eat those too. A cheese stick is between six and seven grams of protein. Hard boiled eggs yes, put in your little pinch of salt. I love my salt with my canned tuna. Drain your can of tuna, put it in a bowl, mix it with a little ranch dressing and put it on crackers, or just eat it plain like a boss. That's what I like to do Just eat it plain after mixed. One can of tuna is 20 to 30 grams of protein, and you can do the same thing with canned chicken. Cottage cheese singles or a single serve of cottage cheese, maybe with a side of grapes 12 to 14 grams of protein.

Speaker 1 6:59

My recent find for I love trying protein bars and my most recent find that I'm truly loving is the Fit Crunch bars. I found them at Costco. They're 16 grams of protein, under 200 calories for one bar, and they taste just like a take five. Trust me, it's amazing. And then we have beef jerky also you can get those at Costco and we're looking at 10 grams of protein, just per one ounce. And then there's sunflower seeds same thing about one gram of protein per one ounce.

Speaker 1 7:36

These are a lot of items that you can easily keep on hand for when you're on the go. So when you're shopping, look for these items and add them to your cart. The trick for utilizing these smart snacks, though, is to have them on hand and, once you have them, keep them accessible. So throw it into a lunchbox, a cooler bag, your glove compartment for those non-perishable items, your desk drawer. But snacking smart while driving, during meetings and just during life. But just snack even at home, keeping these items in the forefront of your fridge, of the countertop, in your pantry, the snack shelf, so they're the first ones you see when you're having that moment of crave for a snack, though they have more likely of being the first ones that you grab.

Food as Fuel for Energy

Speaker 1 8:32

Food equals fuel, and when you skip it or live off of muffins and vibes, it shows up. It shows up in a way through brain fog, in your mood, maybe an inability to feel like you can make a cohesive, conscious decision about something. And in that snappy why is everyone breathing so loud? Moment, in that moment, you realize you've read the same email 12 times and you don't even know what it says. You can't run on coffee and chaos alone and expect to be sparkles and sunshine still at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Speaker 1 9:17

Your body needs fuel and nourishment. So here's your nudge when can you insert a pause today, just five minutes, to start taking care of yourself? What can you prep this evening to make tomorrow feel even 10% more doable? Because the hustle, it doesn't stop, and I don't know that it ever is going to stop, but neither should your health. So take the break, eat the snack, drink the water, repeat If any part of this episode made you feel seen or resonated with you in some way, snap a picture of your updated snack stash and tag me on Instagram at itsmelissahinman. Let's normalize this kind of midlife fuel, this midlife fuel up, because you deserve it.