So, I want to take a few minutes to address the tips from my last post in action. For the past week and a half I have taken my own advice, and it has really paid off. I've lost about 3 lbs, and hope to lose another 3 or 4 before my birthday next weekend.
I have not been getting to bed as early as I would like to every night, but I have been getting at least 6 hours. Being more aware of the amount of sleep I am getting has helped me make a better effort at getting the right amount. I feel more rested when I wake up, and I think part of that includes the 15 minutes of meditation I have also been doing. Whether it's with a bubble bath or just laying on the bed, I turn on some soft music and go to my "happy place" for a few minutes every night. That has been a huge stress/tension reliever for me.
I have (almost) completely cut out caffeine. Every morning I fill up my 50oz water bottle, and I make sure to finish it before I leave work. Then, I refill it and try to drink at least half for the rest of the day. If I go to the gym, I finish it and refill again. My body feels much cleaner now and less weighted down. I've had a total of MAYBE 2 Diet Dr. Peppers and only one 8oz cup of coffee in the last week and a half. I have not experienced any headaches from it, and I credit that part to the meditation and sleep I have been getting.
I have also been taking my vitamins religiously. I grab the packet in the morning, and either take them with breakfast or as soon as I get to work. I'll be honest, some of them are not easy to swallow. It's probably the worst part of this new routine, but the results and how I feel have been worth it!
I have also been planning my meals much better. I have either an egg or turkey burger sandwich in the morning for breakfast, protein and skim milk for a snack, then lunch has been random. For dinner, I have been trying recipes from the MYM Cookbook.
Overall, I am very pleased. The changes were not drastic, and I found easy ways to add them to my routine. Most of it is just a matter of planning ahead and being aware.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The missing pieces of the puzzle
Regarding my health and well being lately, times have been tough. I reached my breaking point last night. Tuesday, I left with 2 coworkers to stay in Lafayette for a couple of days while we trained our sister clinic on our computer system that they will now use. I was materialistically prepared for this, but went in physically and mentally worn down; mostly because of the 2nd job adding to the craziness of this time of the year for me with evals. (BTW, if I didn't mention, I'm doing a little side work with the Census to help pay for our Disney trip and a few extras!) So, anyway...between the stress and the greasy food (feeding a group of 10-12 people, we needed to go cheap), I ended up sick before we left the clinic last night. I was throwing up and my stomach was in awful knots. After getting home and getting some rest today, I decided that I really needed to evaluate what key pieces are missing right now; not just the nutrition and exercise part.
#1 - Sleep. I hardly ever get 8 hours. I almost wish that I had a schedule with night shifts just so I could sleep in on nights that I stay up a little too late. I realize after about 2.5 seconds how dumb that would be for me considering the other convenient and wonderful aspects that a 9-5 schedule brings to my life. So, #1 - GET MORE SLEEP!
#2 - Water. Lots and lots of water. Like I said, I have a busy schedule right now (although, I know people who deal with worse - and you have a special place in Heaven!). Caffiene has been there for me more than water has. So, #2 - 80 ounces a day!
#3 - Vitamins. A daily multivitamin is so important. It's pretty much impossible for the average person to get the all of the proper nutrients that our body needs on food alone every day. Save yourself some headache, and get a good multivitamin. Today, I picked up GNC's Womens Ultra Mega Active Vitapack. It's specific to what I need, and it's in a convenient pack. I don't have to worry about remembering to go to all the vitamin bottles on my bathroom counter and pick out what I need anymore. Now, I just grab the packet with everything already there in the morning; and I can take it along with me if I need to. So much more convenient.
#4 - Meditation. Everyone should take some time out of their day to just relax. I plan to take at least 15 minutes everyday to just put on my headphones with some Enya or the like, close my eyes, and zone out. I need this more than ever right now, and definitely over the next couple of months.
#5 - Plan better meals. I never completely finished reading all of Master Your Metabolism, but I jumped around enough to get the gist of the ideas. What I was missing were recipes to help me figure out all of her advice. The last thing I have time for is to research all of her suggested foods and find specific recipes. Well, low and behold, Jillian has now come out with the MYM Cookbook (HALLELUJAH!). I picked that puppy up the other night, and have started flipping through to highlight what looks tasty for me (and Michael). Grocery shopping list has been started!
#6 - Proper recovery nutrition. Lately, when I have made it to the gym, my post-workout nutrition has been lacking. This has been because in the past I have been able to eat dinner within an hour of leaving the gym; so I started giving up the protein shake to cut unnecessary extra calories. Now, it has been more of a struggle to do that with everything going on. So, I also picked up some new protein powder today. It's a much higher quality than what I have purchased in the past, so I am excited to have something more specific to me.
Obviously, my workouts fit into the equation since they have been "missing" lately; even though I do not have them listed. Because of the upcoming 2nd Rocketchix Tri, I am going to be focusing on mostly cardio for the next couple of months. And, as I mentioned before, getting my Spin instructor certification is part of that. I feel much better having sat down and put a lot of thought into what I am missing in my overall well being. For me, as it should be for everyone, being healthy is not just about diet and excerise. It is a complete lifestyle.
#1 - Sleep. I hardly ever get 8 hours. I almost wish that I had a schedule with night shifts just so I could sleep in on nights that I stay up a little too late. I realize after about 2.5 seconds how dumb that would be for me considering the other convenient and wonderful aspects that a 9-5 schedule brings to my life. So, #1 - GET MORE SLEEP!
#2 - Water. Lots and lots of water. Like I said, I have a busy schedule right now (although, I know people who deal with worse - and you have a special place in Heaven!). Caffiene has been there for me more than water has. So, #2 - 80 ounces a day!
#3 - Vitamins. A daily multivitamin is so important. It's pretty much impossible for the average person to get the all of the proper nutrients that our body needs on food alone every day. Save yourself some headache, and get a good multivitamin. Today, I picked up GNC's Womens Ultra Mega Active Vitapack. It's specific to what I need, and it's in a convenient pack. I don't have to worry about remembering to go to all the vitamin bottles on my bathroom counter and pick out what I need anymore. Now, I just grab the packet with everything already there in the morning; and I can take it along with me if I need to. So much more convenient.
#4 - Meditation. Everyone should take some time out of their day to just relax. I plan to take at least 15 minutes everyday to just put on my headphones with some Enya or the like, close my eyes, and zone out. I need this more than ever right now, and definitely over the next couple of months.
#5 - Plan better meals. I never completely finished reading all of Master Your Metabolism, but I jumped around enough to get the gist of the ideas. What I was missing were recipes to help me figure out all of her advice. The last thing I have time for is to research all of her suggested foods and find specific recipes. Well, low and behold, Jillian has now come out with the MYM Cookbook (HALLELUJAH!). I picked that puppy up the other night, and have started flipping through to highlight what looks tasty for me (and Michael). Grocery shopping list has been started!
#6 - Proper recovery nutrition. Lately, when I have made it to the gym, my post-workout nutrition has been lacking. This has been because in the past I have been able to eat dinner within an hour of leaving the gym; so I started giving up the protein shake to cut unnecessary extra calories. Now, it has been more of a struggle to do that with everything going on. So, I also picked up some new protein powder today. It's a much higher quality than what I have purchased in the past, so I am excited to have something more specific to me.
Obviously, my workouts fit into the equation since they have been "missing" lately; even though I do not have them listed. Because of the upcoming 2nd Rocketchix Tri, I am going to be focusing on mostly cardio for the next couple of months. And, as I mentioned before, getting my Spin instructor certification is part of that. I feel much better having sat down and put a lot of thought into what I am missing in my overall well being. For me, as it should be for everyone, being healthy is not just about diet and excerise. It is a complete lifestyle.
Monday, May 3, 2010
...and it's been going straight to my ass!
I'm at least thankful that I have no ballooned up with the disaster of the last few weeks. My healthy lifestyle has taken a backseat to my workload. And, it's not going to get better this week...maybe next week.
I'm aggravated with myself, and my lack of energy. The thing is, I know that if I just make myself get back into my usual gym habits for a few days that I won't need to push myself anymore. I get addicted to the gym very easily, but I also fall out of habit very easily because I tend to lose track when things get busy. The hardest part of getting to the gym is the fact that I have not been able to plan ahead for it. I've been leaving work at random times (later that normal usually) in preparation for this trip to Lafayette to launch our EMR system. By the time I get out of the office, I'm mentally drained and/or don't have my gym bag packed up with me. I've been thinking more and more about switching to Anytime Fitness, just for convenience. They just don't have the classes that I enjoy, and that has been the deal breaker up to now.
I say up to now, because I have a plan for the month of May. There is a Spin Instructor Orientation class on May 22nd (day before my birthday!). If I take that and get a job at Spectrum as a Spin instructor, then I will no longer pay to be a member. If that happens, then I can swing the Anytime membership. I know I've talked about doing this certification in the past, but the thing that motivates me for this time around is that it'd be like my birthday gift to myself and help get my back on track for the summer. It's $300 (after the discount code), so paying that kind of money is enough to motivate me alone! lol I want/need to talk to Ambrey and/or Ashley about it first, and I only have today or Thursday. I will be in Lafayette for Tuesday and Wednesday for sure, so those are out. *sigh*
I need a week of vacation to do absolutely nothing except worry with exercise and eating right! That would be amazing!!
I'm aggravated with myself, and my lack of energy. The thing is, I know that if I just make myself get back into my usual gym habits for a few days that I won't need to push myself anymore. I get addicted to the gym very easily, but I also fall out of habit very easily because I tend to lose track when things get busy. The hardest part of getting to the gym is the fact that I have not been able to plan ahead for it. I've been leaving work at random times (later that normal usually) in preparation for this trip to Lafayette to launch our EMR system. By the time I get out of the office, I'm mentally drained and/or don't have my gym bag packed up with me. I've been thinking more and more about switching to Anytime Fitness, just for convenience. They just don't have the classes that I enjoy, and that has been the deal breaker up to now.
I say up to now, because I have a plan for the month of May. There is a Spin Instructor Orientation class on May 22nd (day before my birthday!). If I take that and get a job at Spectrum as a Spin instructor, then I will no longer pay to be a member. If that happens, then I can swing the Anytime membership. I know I've talked about doing this certification in the past, but the thing that motivates me for this time around is that it'd be like my birthday gift to myself and help get my back on track for the summer. It's $300 (after the discount code), so paying that kind of money is enough to motivate me alone! lol I want/need to talk to Ambrey and/or Ashley about it first, and I only have today or Thursday. I will be in Lafayette for Tuesday and Wednesday for sure, so those are out. *sigh*
I need a week of vacation to do absolutely nothing except worry with exercise and eating right! That would be amazing!!
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