If we ask the average Air Force spouse what it’s like living the military life, many will say “unpredictable”.
I never anticipated that swiping right one day on Bumble would lead me to become an Air Force fiancé. Although I was oblivious at the time, making this commitment to be together was going to come with lots of uncertainty and a wide array of emotions along the way.
One year into us dating, my guy received orders to Kunsan Air Base (I did go visit him and yes, I spent 15 days in a government quarantine facility, but that’s a topic for another time!) We are now stationed at Dover AFB, which was another curveball that I didn’t expect. This is all to say that even though it’s only been 3 years, I have a glimpse into the truly unpredictable military life.
As a Registered Dietitian and online nutrition coach, I ask women all the time what they struggle with the most when it comes to reaching their desired health goals.
One word comes up much of the time: CONSISTENCY.
Women express to me their motivation and desire to really stay on track with their health goals, but a lot of times they find themselves “falling off”. Maybe a life event happened, other things become a priority, or it gets too overwhelming. Despite the reason, what holds true is that consistency is imperative in our health journey.
Small, consistent action over time is the key for achievable results.
PCS-ing for us as military significant others doesn’t mean moving into a different subdivision in town. It means potentially moving across the country – or world! This means different time zones, different food options and overall different environments. And lots of times, too, we don’t have a ton of heads up. So how in the world (literally) can we reach our health goals with such an inconsistent lifestyle? To top this off, the holiday season is in full swing. We are constantly surrounded around delicious holiday food and drinks. It’s also transitioning into wintertime which typically means less movement outside and less daylight. Some of us may say we’ll start tackling our health goals once the new year hits or post-PCS. This mindset tends to delay our progress with what we ultimately want to achieve.
If you truly have a desire to make a change to better your health, the best time to start is today.
Here are some tips and tricks to help build consistency and reach your goals all year round!
- ESTABLISH 1 OR 2 GOALS THAT YOU CAN KEEP AT ANY TIME, ALL YEAR. These goals don’t have to be anything wild and crazy. They can be as simple as drinking X amount of water per day or incorporating a piece of fruit at one of your snacks every day. So whether you are road tripping across the country on a PCS or it’s smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, these 1 or 2 goals should be achievable for you nearly every day–even in the midst of the chaos.
- MOVE YOUR BODY IN WAYS THAT FEEL GOOD. What kind of exercise do you enjoy doing? Do more of it! The most underrated form of exercise is walking. Set goals around your exercise and movement each week to hold yourself accountable and ensure you’re keeping promises to yourself. If the weather doesn’t allow you to walk outside without being waist-high in the snow (thanks a lot, Misawa and Alaska!), find some activity you can do at home from Youtube, or head to the gym. There’s no right or wrong way to exercise – you just have to start, even if that means 15 minutes a day.
- SIMPLE FOOD SWAPS ARE KEY. How can you make your meal or snack just a tad bit healthier? Maybe it’s subbing the fried chicken for the grilled or ditching the fries and getting a side salad. We won’t always have control over our food choices, but when there are options, try swapping for a healthier choice. Incorporating 1-2 simple swaps per day can save on calories without it feeling overwhelming.
- LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Start getting in touch with your hunger and fullness levels. Are you ever eating to the point where you are totally stuffed, or maybe waiting to eat until you are ravenous? We want to find an appropriate balance where our bodies are getting enough, but not more than we need. Are you eating because you’re physically hungry or is it stemming from emotion? Maybe you’re stressed, anxious, happy, or sad, but whatever emotion you’re feeling, is there another way we can deal with our emotions rather than take it out on food?
- FIND SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Find a fellow spouse to go on walks with, meal prep, or recipe swap with. How fun would it be to strengthen bonds with other spouses while getting healthier? This could also mean working with someone one-on-one to reach your goals, such as a Dietitian. This can be such a game-changer! When we have that support or accountability, it makes it a whole lot easier for us to stick to our words when we are paired with a buddy or support group.
- DITCH THE ALL OR NOTHING MINDSET. As military spouses, we all have had our patience tested at least a few times. Whether that’s waiting to hear which base you’ll PCS to or waiting for weeks (maybe months) for your household goods, we must find patience in our health journey, too. Consistency does not equal perfection. We don’t need to give up our favorite foods! Try finding a balance between foods that nourish your body (like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins) and fun foods (cookies, chips, ice cream). I like to call this your “sweet spot”. When you find your sweet spot, this truly gives you the capability and freedom to learn how to eat for life as opposed to some short-term, quick fix.
A health journey is exactly that – a journey.
Give yourself grace in moments where things aren’t going as planned or you feel like you’re not seeing results. Don’t “give up” or “delay” because it may feel too hard or too overwhelming.
Take a few small action steps and build on them. I promise you it’ll be worth it when you look back and see how far you’ve come.
Meet Alexa
Hi there! I’m engaged to an AF Fire Chief and we met in Las Vegas when he was stationed at Nellis. I am a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s Degree in Dietetics and have an online nutrition coaching business. Prior to starting my own business, I worked with collegiate and professional athletes and with people suffering from disordered eating and eating disorders. Now I primarily work with women who are looking to improve their health, find balance with food, build confidence and create results that last. We are currently stationed at Dover AFB and I’m a fur Mom to a micro mini Goldendoodle named Penny.
