146. What Summer Taught Me

What did this summer teach you?

Before you jump into another routine, another goal, or another "fresh start" this fall, take a moment to pause.

In this episode, Dr. Stacy reflects on the unexpected lessons from a full, busy summer of family, travel, work, and everyday life. She shares why the biggest lessons weren't about weight loss or perfect habits—they were about participation, protecting what matters, building habits that survive real life, and learning to stay present in the moments that become our memories.

You'll learn why waiting for life to slow down isn't the answer, how tiny habits create lasting consistency, and why protecting your time, energy, and attention may be one of the healthiest things you can do.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why life doesn't really slow down—and what to do instead
• How to measure success by participation, not perfection
• Why tiny habits survive when life gets busy
• The surprising difference between managing your life and truly living it
• Reflection questions to help you move into fall with greater clarity and intention

Before you rush into the next season, ask yourself one simple question:
What did this summer teach me?

Want help putting these ideas into practice?

Inside Lifestyle Support Monthly, we help women build realistic systems that make healthy decisions easier—even during busy seasons like summer. Join at: www.sugarfreemd.com/LSM.

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Hey everybody, welcome back to the podcast. I'm Dr. Stacy Heimburger, and this is Weight Loss Made Simple.

I wanted to start this episode with something really cute that Owen said. He's my younger one. We were doing something together, and I honestly don't even remember exactly what we were doing, but he looked at me and said, "Mom, grab that memory."

It was just so cute the way he said it. "Grab that memory."

I could tell it was something he had said to himself before, and I think that's partly what stopped me in my tracks. It was such a simple little phrase, but this summer has been so busy. I mean, really busy.

It's been a lot of work stuff because the company's growing, and that's great. I've had speaking opportunities, travel planning, conferences, work projects. We did a special challenge for the members. There were summer camps, family stuff. My mom is back in town, so she's living in our little pool house while she's here.

I was just trying to manage all the chaos of summer while running this business, raising a family, and just...life happening.

When I thought about what Owen said, I realized something.

We spend so much time making life happen that we forget to experience it while it's happening.

This summer I've talked a lot about participation, but just the idea of being so present while you're participating that you can actually grab that memory—that was such a nice reminder.

It's so easy for us to become the managers of our lives instead of participants in them. And then, even after we choose to participate, we still have to be fully immersed so we can actually grab that memory.

I thought I'd use this episode to talk about what that phrase—and what this summer—has taught me.

Most of us learn something by the end of summer. Usually it isn't about our weight, honestly. It's about participation, flexibility, priorities, energy, relationships, and what actually matters.

As fall is approaching and we're getting ready to analyze what our schedules might look like, and that wonderful structure we've been craving is about to come back into place, I want you to pause for just a minute and ask yourself:

What did this summer teach me?

I'm just going to walk through some of the lessons I learned, and maybe they'll spark something for you, too.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned this summer is that life really doesn't slow down.

We keep waiting for calmer schedules, fewer commitments, better timing, or a less stressful season. But that's really not going to come.

Anytime that little sneaky thought shows up that says, "I'll focus on myself when things settle down," it's worth challenging it.

Because life doesn't really work that way.

There are seasons. Things ebb and flow. Demands change. Some seasons are busier than others.

But life keeps moving.

Waiting for ideal conditions is really just a losing strategy because there's always going to be another event, another responsibility, another deadline, another opportunity.

When we're talking about consistency, we can't wait for life to become easy.

We have to learn how to live inside real life.

We have to establish habits that exist in the wild because life isn't slowing down.

Even when we talk about deleting what we can, delegating, and making room, we're probably still going to be close to capacity.

Taking one thing off your plate doesn't suddenly mean you're going to become a lady of leisure with endless free time.

If we want to do something, we have to do it while life is busy.

We have to delete and delegate so we can make room, because we can't just keep adding things. Our capacity isn't unlimited.

We have to figure out how to make life work while life is wild.

Another lesson I learned is that participation is much more important than perfection.

I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is defining success too narrowly.

When we think about improving our health, losing weight, or getting physically stronger, we tend to focus on things like the number on the scale, how many days we closed our rings, how many workouts we completed, or how perfectly we followed our plan.

Those are very narrow measurements of success.

This summer reminded me that I want success to be measured much more broadly.

Success for me looked like taking the trip.

Getting in the pool.

Going to the party.

Saying yes.

Grabbing the memory.

Success doesn't have to be another checkbox.

It can be whatever matters most to you.

I don't think many people look back on a summer and say, "You know what I'm really proud of? I never missed a workout."

Now, if you're training for something specific, absolutely—you can be proud of that.

But most of us remember the conversations.

The laughter.

The afternoons at the pool.

The memories.

I have a floating Mahjong set, and we played Mahjong in the hot tub this summer. Years from now, I'm probably not going to remember whether I hit my protein goal every day.

But I'm absolutely going to remember playing Mahjong in the hot tub with my friends.

So think about that.

Grab that memory.

Another lesson this summer reinforced is that strong looks different than we think.

Sometimes we confuse strength with intensity.

We think strength means pushing harder, doing more, never missing, being perfect.

My Type A ladies know exactly what I'm talking about.

But summer reminded me that strength can look much simpler.

It can look like drinking enough water.

Bringing your water bottle on vacation.

Getting enough protein.

Setting boundaries around treats instead of feeling like you have to eat everything.

Taking a walk.

Playing outside.

Getting to bed on time.

Taking care of yourself.

Those things are strong.

Strength doesn't have to be punishment.

It doesn't have to be restriction.

It doesn't have to be something you do to earn the cupcake.

Strength can simply be taking care of yourself in a kind, consistent way.

It's whatever helps you keep showing up, even when life is busy.

One thing summer reinforced over and over again is that tiny habits survive.

I teach this all the time, but summer is always a good reminder.

If my tiny habit is an OTM—an Opportunity To Move—it doesn't matter whether I'm home, on vacation, at a hotel, or even recording a podcast that day.

I can still walk up and down the stairs a few times.

Those tiny habits survive every season.

Most of us think we need more motivation, a better plan, or more discipline.

But usually that's because we're trying to maintain really big, complicated habits.

Those are much harder to sustain when life changes.

Real-life habits stay small.

They're the things you can still do on vacation, during work trips, on busy Tuesdays, camp drop-off days, or random Fridays.

You can still carry a water bottle.

You can still find an opportunity to move.

You can still prioritize sleep.

I actually found the cutest little sound machine this summer. It's tiny—probably about the size of one of those little takeout salad dressing containers.

I travel with it now, and I absolutely love it.

I sleep so much better in hotels, and it takes up almost no room in my bag.

I'll link it in the show notes because it's become one of my favorite travel items.

It's such a small thing, but it supports something that's incredibly important to me.

That's what tiny habits do.

They travel well.

They adapt.

They survive no matter the season, no matter how busy life gets.

And that's a lesson summer reminded me of again and again.

One thing I also learned this summer is that the life you want is built during regular days. Future me isn't built in some magical future season. Future me is being built right now. When I lean on future me to ask for advice, I also have to support her by doing things today that make life easier for her tomorrow. It's not just about trying not to leave her with a mess. It's about continuing to build trust with myself. How can I make things a little easier for her? How can I continue becoming the person I want to be? That happens on ordinary days. Busy days. Travel days. Camp drop-off days. Regular Tuesdays. That version of me is being built right now. Every choice is an opportunity to try something that's going to make life easier for future me.

Every time I travel and remember to pack snacks, or remember to pack that tiny sound machine, I get a little bit better at traveling. Five years from now, future me is going to travel like a pro because I've practiced it over and over again. Every decision is another opportunity to build the path for her. When we start thinking about it that way, we stop waiting for more time, more energy, or fewer responsibilities. Life is happening right now. Learning how to practice tiny habits in the middle of real life is what builds the strongest version of your future self.

Probably my biggest surprise this summer was realizing that I don't really need better time management. I need better protection. I love to dream big. I love coming up with ideas. But every opportunity isn't an opportunity I should pursue. I have to protect my attention. I have to protect my energy. I have to protect my relationships. I only have so much bandwidth. When I talk to you about deleting and delegating, it's because I'm honestly the worst at it. If I'm not careful, I will absolutely overextend myself. If I'm not careful, I'll lose the things that actually make me happiest. I'll lose connection with my family. I'll lose connection with my friends. I'll lose the space I need for myself.

I know I'm a better doctor, a better coach, a better wife, a better mom, and honestly a happier person when I protect those things. This summer brought incredible opportunities, and I am grateful for every one of them. But it also reminded me that I have to be careful about constantly adding more. I have to protect what matters. I need intentional time with my husband. I need intentional time where I'm fully present with the boys. There's nothing worse than one of them asking me to stop working because they want to spend time with me, and it's seven o'clock at night and I'm still sitting at my computer. Those moments matter. My family matters. My friendships matter. Time for myself matters. None of that happens by accident. If you want those things, you have to make time for them, and you have to protect that time fiercely.

So as I move into fall, that's the lesson I'm taking with me: protect my bandwidth. Protect my energy. Protect my attention. Protect the things that create the life I actually want. Every time I do that, I'm reinforcing what works for future me. The goal isn't to keep adding more. The goal is to be present for the things that matter most. More is not always better. Protecting what matters is better. Being intentional with where I put my time, my attention, and my energy—that's what I'm carrying into this next season.

So before you rush into fall and start another plan, I want you to pause for just a minute. Ask yourself: What did this summer teach me? What am I proud of? What surprised me? What created energy? What drained it? This is such a helpful exercise before saying yes to new opportunities. For example, I love speaking at conferences. It energizes me. It doesn't drain me, so that's something I want to continue doing. But I've had clients who realized speaking absolutely exhausted them, so they decided they wanted to do less of it the following year. Neither answer is right or wrong. The important thing is paying attention.

Your body is often telling you what matters. If something consistently leaves you completely drained, maybe you don't need more of it. If something consistently gives you energy, maybe that's exactly what deserves more space in your life. Coaching gives me energy. I genuinely love coaching my clients. It doesn't drain me, and that's why I continue doing it. If I never stopped to reflect, though, I might not have realized that.

So what memories are you glad you grabbed this summer? What do you want to take with you? Is there anything you want to leave behind? Maybe there's something you tried and realized just isn't for you, and that's okay. The most valuable thing a season gives us isn't always a result. Sometimes it's simply a lesson—an opportunity to learn more about what works for you and what doesn't. Before you move into the next season, take some time to reflect. What worked? What didn't? What are you taking with you? And what are you ready to leave behind?

Inside Lifestyle Support Monthly this August, we're focusing on protecting your bandwidth because I think it's one of the most important lessons many of us learned this summer. If you'd like to dive deeper into that work, I'd love to have you join us. I'll put the link in the show notes.

Have the best week, and I'll talk to you next time. Bye.