Personal trainer, nutritionist and hormone specialist Grace Russell has urged busy mothers not to abandon self-care during the summer, warning that trying to power through on empty is a “recipe for a complete mental breakdown.”

Speaking on the Saturday Café, Russell said summer is often when women drop their training and coaching because children are off school, routines are disrupted and stress levels rise. In reality, she argued, “it’s probably where you need the support more.”

A key focus of her advice is hydration. Russell says most people are “walking around dehydrated,” and stressed that tea, coffee and wine do not count towards water intake because caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating. Instead, she recommends starting the day with a glass of warm or room-temperature water, adding a pinch of real sea salt and a slice of lemon to support minerals, digestion and immunity.

Russell also links poor hydration and chronic stress to elevated cortisol, the hormone associated with stubborn belly fat and long-term health issues. She advises delaying coffee for at least 90 minutes after waking and never drinking it on an empty stomach.

To make new habits stick, she suggests choosing one simple, consistent action—such as morning hydration—and setting up “hydration stations” with water in the kitchen, living room, car and at the desk.

Russell will return to the Saturday Café to tackle common health and hydration myths. She can be contacted via Instagram at @gracerussell_coaching or through the WR Hub.

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