How to Create a Wellness Routine That Works for You

Many clients seek coaching to create a new wellness routine, a collection of healthy habits involving eating, movement, sleep or some combination of the above. After setbacks or previous attempts that haven’t stood up to life’s unexpected twists and turns, they’re ready to finally find something that works.

Sound familiar? While every person is unique, here are some universal strategies I use with clients as foundations for wellness routines that last.

Define what you want: routine, rhythm, or ritual?

First, let’s lay out some definitions.

routine (n.): a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program
rhythm (n.): a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound
ritual (n.): the established form for a ceremony; a ceremonial act or action

You probably didn’t come here to nitpick word choice, but hear me out: the biggest favor you can do for yourself in this process is to determine up front what you actually want.

Maybe you want a routine, something consistent and rigid; for example, I will go to bed at 11 p.m. and wake up at 6:30 a.m. every day.

Maybe you want a rhythm with regular patterns and some variation, e.g., I will go to bed by 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and by 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday.

Or perhaps you prefer to establish a ritual with deeper meaning, like I will listen to my body and give myself rest whenever I need it.

Whatever you choose to create, name it. You know what works best in your unique life.

Discover your why

What makes having a new routine, rhythm, or ritual important to you?
How would your life be different with this foundation in place?
How would it serve you in the short and long term?

The answers to these questions will serve as an anchor when challenges inevitably arise. Find an object or a phrase that embodies your why, and keep it in close proximity. This could be a photo that you pin as a widget on your phone’s home screen, a small souvenir or token you keep on your desk or bedside table, or a motivational quote or mantra that you display on a post-it note in your living space.

Tap into your inner strengths

What are you really, really good at?
How would your loved ones describe the best parts of you?
Who are you when you’re at your best?
What makes you you?

Make note of these strengths, as they’ll be part of your foundation for change – a signature of the Amplify approach. Here are a few examples of how recent clients’ strengths influenced their behavior changes.

• A client who thrives on community organizing created a movement routine (more like a ritual!) that involves walking with others.

• A client with a love of learning wanted to eat more vegetables. They fully embraced their curiosity by buying new veggies and challenging themselves to try new recipes each week.

• A client who is artistic and highly visual created a simple coloring sheet to help them track their exercise progress — something that doubled as a relaxation and grounding activity.

Gather your tools — and use them with intention

For any change you seek in your wellness routine, rhythm, or ritual, it’s likely you’ll need some tools. The good news is that these don’t have to be expensive. Maybe you just need an app to help you meditate, or a water bottle that keeps water cold, or some new socks that will help prevent blisters on long walks. 

Whatever your tools are, gather them, and place them in a way that will cue you to do your desired action. If you download that meditation app, put it on the first page of apps on your phone, where you know you’ll see it. If you buy the new water bottle, make sure it’s as functional as you’d like and that you’ll actually carry it around. If you buy the socks, lay them out so you remember to go on your walks. 

Find a support system

Having a support system helps with accountability and makes it easier to persevere when challenges arise. If you’re changing your day-to-day habits and it involves or affects someone else, it’s a great idea to bring that person along for the journey from the get-go – they may even want to join you. 

One recommendation: Be clear with your support system about what support means to you. Do you want them to tell you if they noticed you didn’t do a workout? Or just applaud you when you do? Clarifying these kinds of questions up front will lead to a stronger, more productive support relationship — and probably to more success.

Aim high; start small

Change takes time, and to stick, it needs to be gradual. I often mention an old friend – now a seasoned marathoner – whose first training run was 0.4 mile. Point. Four. Mile! What a beautiful example of perseverance, hard work, and resilience to get to 26.2 miles.

When it comes to changing your healthy habits, start small by modifying one element of your routine at a time, and make that change small – 0.4-mile-small. Crank up the level of change each day or each week and see how you progress.

Track progress, celebrate wins, and embrace learning

Once you’ve started making your change, be sure to measure your progress. Depending on the change(s) you seek in your wellness routine (or rhythm or ritual), you can track them in an app, with pen and paper, in your calendar, or in any number of other ways that work for you. Review your progress regularly.

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to acknowledge and celebrate your wins. Did you try a new vegetarian meal this week? Did you get to bed on time? Did you reach out to an old friend? Acknowledge whatever you did to build your healthy habits, and celebrate. Make note of what empowered you to have this success.

It may not sound like it at first, but another of the best gifts you can give yourself is to reframe failures as learnings. If you fail to do something you set out to do, especially in the early days of changing your routine, it’s tempting to give up, to conclude that this won’t work, and that you just can’t do it.

A powerful reframing tool I offer my clients is to view failures as learning opportunities. It’s like a science experiment – the stimulus didn’t get the desired response, and it’s still helpful to know that. It’s very different to say, “I didn’t get outside for a walk 4 times this week, so I failed,” and to say, “I didn’t get outside for a walk 4 times this week – I learned that the shorter days as fall approaches make it impossible for me to get outside and feel safe walking in the dark. Are there other indoor exercise options we can explore?”

A client recently told me she felt “free to fail” after she stopped viewing failure as, well, failure. It can seem daunting at first, but getting comfortable in the discomfort of failure — of learning — is powerful and productive.

Remember that change takes time

There’s a common belief that habit formation takes 21 days. Unfortunately, that’s been debunked, and the time it takes for our brains to reformulate habits is more like 9-12 weeks.

That means that slow and steady wins the behavior change race. When we change our habits as the foundation of a new routine or rhythm, our brains literally have to change neural connections! It’s a very cool process, but it takes time.

Be patient with yourself as you (and your brain!) change. If things don’t go to plan, write them down, document them, learn from them, and start again the next day.

Embrace what works for you

My final — and most important tip — when it comes to building a personalized wellness routine, is the reminder that what works for someone else may not work for you.

Your system, routine, rhythm, or whatever you want to call it is your unique blend, and as long as it’s not harmful to yourself or others, do what works for you, and say “thank you, but no thank you,” to everyone else who disagrees.

The best routine is one that you can stick to, and it is a-okay if that doesn’t look like your friends’.

Ready to discover your personalized wellness routine?

You don’t have to go about behavior change alone. Learn more about working with me as your coach, and we can partner on a personalized wellness routine, rhythm, or ritual that works for you.

5 Simple Career Tips to Stand Out to Recruiters

I’m so excited to be sharing Amplify Career Coaching services with the world! To celebrate, here are my top five simplest career tips to make your application stand out to recruiters.

1. Follow the instructions.

I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, groundbreaking, Allie!” But you would be surprised about the number of candidates who do not follow basic instructions when applying for a job.

Most open roles, especially at popular companies, have several hundred candidates (eek!), and recruiters and hiring managers need ways to quickly narrow the field. The fastest way to do that is to remove anyone who didn’t follow the instructions.

If they ask for a cover letter, submit a cover letter. If they request a PDF file, submit a PDF file. If they ask for a detailed resume with every detail of every place you’ve ever worked, take the time to compile it.

Basically, do exactly what you’re told.

2. Be detail-oriented.

A second way to breeze through the initial filtering process is to make sure every metaphorical i is dotted and t is crossed. You do not want to be that candidate removed from the hiring process for addressing your cover letter to another company or for leaving the markup in a document you submit.

Employers want someone who checks their work before submitting it. Using tools like Grammarly for basic grammar and punctuation, and a good ol’ ctrl+f (to make sure any past employers are not in your documents), will bring you far.

3. Showcase your best self.

For better or worse, your LinkedIn profile will be reviewed. And you want to be showing the very best version of yourself. If you don’t have a photo you like, never fear! With high-quality smartphones and cheap editing software, you can get a photo you love in no time. Put on a nice outfit, have a friend take a photo of you at golden hour outdoors, and do some minor cropping and editing on Canva until you get something you like. My boyfriend and I both did this for each other.

My $0.02 on AI-generated professional head shot photos: just don’t. They never look natural or inviting.

4. Share your experiences, but highlight your results.

When hiring teams (human or AI) review zillions of applications at a glance, they’ll be looking out for differentiators. An example? Numbers and % signs.

For example, a resume bullet point that says, “Posted on social media to generate leads” shares a thing you did, but it’s vague and flat. On the other hand, a bullet point that says, “Led social media strategy of posting 2x daily, resulting in 20% increase in monthly leads,” adds more precise language to share what you actually did, leaving no question about the value and results you brought your last employer.

5. Be yourself.

More likely than not, you’re applying for a job that will occupy a lot of your time per week. We all deserve to feel content and like we fit in in our occupations, so be yourself. Make sure that the role is a good fit for you as well as for the company.

For some people, this might be a simple gut feeling. For others, it may involve deeper, guided reflection to discover your values and create guardrails around tradeoffs you are and aren’t willing to make. A career coach can help you determine what these values are for you.

What’s next?

Need more support? Book an Amplify Career Document Review today for a detailed look at your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile by a professional career coach.

And for even more career tips and personalized guidance, follow Amplify Wellness on Instagram or hire Amplify as your career coach.

Introducing Amplify Career Coaching

It’s been seven weeks since I officially introduced Amplify Wellness to the world on August 1, and it’s been a busy time full of both wins and lessons learned.

Wins

I completed my health and wellness coach training and am now officially a Mindbodygreen Health Coach! I’ve also been also approved to take the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching certifying exam this November – leading to the highest credential in health and wellness coaching. Lastly, I’ve been coaching clients daily as I build my practice. There are definitely things I’d do differently, but in each session I can see the small changes in my clients and feel myself learning, gaining skill and confidence.

Lessons Learned

A couple weeks ago, I dedicated time to creating a strategic plan for the rest of 2024. While it was daunting, it felt good to get really real about my goals for Amplify Wellness.

One of the hard truths I realized is that the culinary service (in-home kitchen organizing and meal prep) side of AW is not currently sustainable. It’s been a high-cost, low-reward project to get off the ground, and I haven’t cracked the code of how to run it efficiently and cost-effectively. In the spirit of failing fast and course-correcting, I’m refocusing Amplify Wellness only on coaching – and adding career coaching to the mix.

How do health & wellness and career coaching intersect?

As a health and wellness coach, I have a holistic approach to well-being, and I invite my clients to consider how different aspects of their life interact: physical, mental, emotional, financial, spiritual, environmental, and more. 

Given that the labor we do – whether you want to call it an occupation, job, or career – consumes much of our time, it both impacts and is impacted by the other aspects of our wellness. As a coach, I specialize in behavior change, and I’ve already partnered with some of my health and wellness clients in setting career goals. But I also realized I have more to offer clients than just goal setting in this realm. I have expertise and experience that sets me apart, and I want to share that with my clients.

My Experience as a Career Coach

Since my days managing a college radio station (shoutout WGTB) to my time leading the hiring process for a competitive NPR internship, to serving as an informal career coach to friends and mentees over the years, I’ve learned what works to help ambitious people land the roles they want. 

After reading thousands of resumés and cover letters and conducting hundreds of interviews, I can tell you this for sure: it’s all about marketing yourself. And marketing yourself is just storytelling – something that I honed while working with many talented journalists and podcasters at NPR.

With Amplify Career Coaching, we will tell your story – consistently, authentically, and in ways that are proven to get you noticed. 

Why work with me?

• I snagged the MBA job-seeker secrets so you don’t have to. The Amplify approach takes the best of what I learned at my MBA program and combines it with my story-centric approach perfected over years – which helped me land five(!) job offers the last time I was seriously on the job hunt. 

• Holistic is my middle name. Actually, it starts with an M (hence, AMPlify 😏). In all seriousness, my holistic approach means that I combine the power of health and wellness coaching with the tactical approach of career coaching, combining the best of both worlds for the best results. That might look like open-ended reflection questions early in our journey to make sure you’re targeting an industry or job that aligns with your values. Or it could mean a quick breathwork or meditation session to get you feeling your best before a high-stakes interview. As your coach, I view you as a whole person, all the time.

• I meet you where you are. Whether you just need a resumé and cover letter tune-up, or you need more hands-on coaching for the next couple months, complete with mock interviews, the Amplify approach has a plan that works for you.

Ready to get started?

If you’re ready to take your career to the next level, snag an Amplify Career Document Review today to have your resumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn reviewed with custom feedback.

I snagged the MBA job-seeker secrets so you don’t have to.

Tips for Healthy Travel

Having previously spent lots of time traveling for work, I know what it’s like to be on the road (or in the air), and many of my coaching clients have a similarly busy lifestyle.

I often hear clients say something to the effect of, “I have a great routine at home… but it all goes out the window when I’m traveling.” It’s understandable — travel is tough on the body and mind, both in ways we notice and some we don’t.

Many of us find ourselves traveling often, whether we’re flying each week for a consulting job, on tour with a performing arts troupe, attending conferences around the world, or just going on vacation. The constant change in our schedule can take a toll on our bodies and minds. Here are some ways you can lessen the impact.

1. Set yourself up for good sleep.

Sleep is powerful for our physical well-being, mental clarity, regulation of moods, and more — and it easily gets wrecked when we travel. From travel anxiety to changing time zones uncomfortable travel arrangements, it can be difficult to stay rested.

Two tools that have made a world of difference for me come at the recommendation of my brother-in-law, who is always jet-setting at a moment’s notice for work.

First is the Trtl Travel Pillow, a goofy contraption that looks like a cross between a scarf and a neck brace. As someone who could not for the life of her sleep on airplanes, I was willing to give anything a try, and the Trtl was a game changer, allowing me to finally get some shut-eye on flights and train rides.

The second tool is an app called Timeshifter, which helps prevent jet lag by allowing your body’s circadian rhythms to adjust before you even leave home. I used it going to and from Asia twice last year, and while I wasn’t completely free of jet lag, I fared better than some of my travel companions, especially on the way there.

While both of these items require a small investment, I think they’re absolutely worth it to increase the chances of waking up refreshed.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Hydration is key regardless, but is especially important if you’re drinking alcohol, traveling by plane, visiting a warm climate, or any combination of the above. Drinking water is essential for regulating many of our body’s processes, and especially for digestion, which can already become disrupted while traveling.

If you’re traveling to an area with clean drinking water, bring your reusable water bottle and refill it as you can. If you’re not sure about the water quality, be sure to take precautions as recommended by the CDC.

3. Pack healthy snacks.

Whether you’re traveling for work in the U.S. or jetting across the world, there’s a high chance you might not have access to the foods you’re used to at home. One thing that stays the same is that hanger can strike anytime, anywhere. Be equally ready for sad boardroom snack trays, long hikes, or unexpected delays by bringing your own snacks. I always pack a box of RXBars in my suitcase.

4. Bring the medications you need (and some you might want). 

As the daughter of two physicians, one of whom was an Eagle Scout, I learned from a young age to be prepared (maybe overly so) for travel. My dad would always pack a small pharmacopeia with him, truly ready for anything. This may be the best habit I’ve carried into adulthood, and I’m not the only one who’s benefited from it. Though I’ve gotten some flak from friends for my gallon-sized Ziploc packed to the brim with every medicine imaginable, those same friends have been known to need a Benadryl, Imodium, Pepto Bismol, Tylenol, Benefiber packet, or some Neosporin and a band-aid at a moment’s notice. Bringing these over-the-counter meds in addition to your prescription medications is especially important when traveling abroad, but it can also save you lots of money from sky-high prices in airport drugstores closer to home.

In addition, always research the countries you’re visiting for any vaccines or medications you might want before you go, and talk to your doctor about whether they’re right for you.

5. Keep a kernel of your home routine.

Whether you’re traveling for work or for fun, it’s likely that your schedule isn’t entirely in your control, which can make your sense of home routine feel distant. Sometimes this is a good thing and can be restorative, but it can also be unsettling and disorienting.

Two of my health coaching clients travel frequently and have found some small ways to bring their home routines with them. One likes to wake up with a spicy drink in the morning, which they find energizes their body. They recently found a way to pack their special pepper from home on a trip to keep this morning ritual alive. Another client recently found pilates as a form of movement that feels accessible to them. In advance of a long trip abroad, we brainstormed some other short, equipment-free workouts they can do in their Airbnb or hotel room to take some time for themselves each day.

6. Be gentle on yourself.

When you’re traveling, life simply isn’t going to look or feel how it does when you’re at home — nor should it. It’s easy to fall into a trap of self-criticism for not fitting in a full workout, for staying out too late with coworkers or friends, or for eating the local fare to excess.

While you might not feel your best if you always let healthy habits disappear while you’re traveling, I believe in a holistic perspective on wellness; in other words, we need to live a little. My grandmother used to say, “You can sleep when you’re dead,” something I’ve kept in mind during a few all-nighters abroad. My other grandmother could eat a quart of ice cream in one sitting, which made me feel a-okay about multiple gelato stops in one day in Spain.

Remember — life’s too short to deprive yourself. Know that things aren’t going to be how they are at home, and embrace that.

7. Make a ‘travel toolkit’ you can keep on your phone.

When traveling, it’s easy to forget the tools you already have at your disposal. One of my clients recently spent a coaching session creating a one-page, virtual ‘travel toolkit’ for an upcoming trip abroad. It includes ideas for nourishment, equipment-free workouts, breathing exercises for stressful moments, and mantras for self-love. I spruced up the design and shared the final file they can keep in their phone’s camera roll or on the home screen as a widget, available to them at any time.

Staying healthy while traveling is one of my topics of interest as a health and wellness coach. If you have other health travel tips, share them in the comments below, or book a discovery session if you’d like to create a personalized goal for wellness while traveling.

5 Sources of Inspiration for Meals at Home

“I eat the same 10 foods all the time.” 

“I’m bored by what I eat.” 

“I need variety.” 

Sound familiar? 

Never fear. There are some simple – and most importantly – fun ways to find inspiration and bring enjoyment back to your eating habits. Here are five ideas. 

1. Go outside.

Taking a walk outside is not only wonderful physical exercise, but is also a way to be open to new ideas. Use your senses to notice your surroundings. If you live in a city, you might smell the cuisine of a local street vendor and get inspired to recreate a dish at home. If you’re closer to nature, the colors of the changing seasons may inspire you, conjuring images of vibrant berries, orange sweet potatoes, red apples, or energizing citrus. I especially love outdoor inspiration for making salads and grain bowls. 

If walking is not accessible to you, you could take a drive if you’re able, or search YouTube and virtually “travel” to different places. There’s no limit to how far you can go!

2. Make your restaurant favorites at home.

If you’re budget- or health-conscious, recreating your restaurant favorites at home is a great way to eat fresh and exciting foods without breaking the bank. To keep track of what inspires you, take pictures of interesting dishes on restaurant menus or make note of foods you ordered and liked.

I recently had an amazing dinner at The Royal here in Washington, D.C., and I couldn’t get enough of their masa gnocchi, made with braised beef, maitake mushroom, queso fresco, herbs, and crispy yucca. It was such a delicious and creative way to combine mushrooms with a small amount of beef, something that our grandmothers knew to be a cost-saving trick to stretch meat further. Here, the beef and mushrooms combined to create a luxurious umami bomb that I can’t wait to attempt to make at home.

The masa gnocchi from The Royal in Washington, D.C.

If salads are more your thing, I’ve been a longtime fan of Sweetgreen. I’ve recently discovered I can create their salads at home for less than a third(!) of what it costs at the restaurant. While this prep does take time, there are shortcuts you can use from prepared chicken (rotisserie or canned) to pre-chopped vegetables. 

3. Get into your comfort zone.

Comfort foods comfort us for a reason – they evoke pleasant memories and traditions. For me, that looks like cabbage and noodles or pasta with butter and cheese, i.e., a lot of very delicious but very tan fare.

Everyone wanted some home-made comfort food.

If your comfort foods are on the richer side and you’d like to lighten them up, you can always find ways to cut down some of the calories or amplify their nutritional value. For example, I often add frozen peas to my cheesy pasta, replace butter with olive oil, or replace cream cheese with its ⅓-less-fat version.

But sometimes, you need the full-fat, true-to-the book recipe, and that is a-okay.

4. Clean out the pantry, freezer, or fridge. 

Stir-fries, frittatas, and fried rice are great vessels for using up random vegetables, proteins, and even cheeses that have been hanging around your kitchen for a little too long. The saddest of vegetables on the brink of wilting can come back to life with the help of heat, seasonings, and a little time.

For guidance on how to cook a basic stir-fry, check out this link from The Recipe Critic. As for fritattas, I’m partial to this fail-proof frittata recipe from Cookie and Kate. I like this fried rice recipe from Gimme Some Oven as a blank canvas.   

5. Return to what you already know — and know where to find it.

If you’re anything like me, there’s a part of you that operates according to the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Though you might be lacking inspiration in this moment, remember that there were probably times you weren’t feeling this way; you might just need to be reminded of them.

To easily find recipes that excite and energize you, I recommend keeping them organized, whether you use a traditional recipe box with paper cards, a notebook, or an app like Paprika or New York Times Cooking. 

There you have it: five ideas for re-energizing and re-inspiring your cooking.

What else else inspires you? Share your ideas with the Amplify Wellness community in the comments below!