In an effort to re-vamp my writing habit, I'm coming back to this space and using the blog as an outlet again. I've always been a writer (not a reader) and have always loved the creative outlet that came from it. I once dreamt of being a newspaper columnist (a la Carrie Bradshaw but with less sex) or a travel writer, neither one of those have materialized just yet, but maybe someday someone would pay me to travel around the world and write my thoughts :-).
I've been regularly listening to Jillian Michaels' and Trish Blackwell's podcasts. Jillian I've been listening to for a few years and regardless of what you think of Jillian from "The Biggest Loser", I promise you, her podcast is great and you get a little more sense of what she does behind the scenes with contestants and what her true passion/goal is with giving people the knowledge and tools to have success in their life. Trish I've been listening to since the summer of 2013 (so less then a year) but she's climbed out of a dark hole of an eating disorder to bring a podcast out that's about confidence and being the best you you can be. They are a little different formats but are generally about the same principles and I love them both. Jillian can be a little more brusque and Trish a little softer but they are both great shows so if you listen to podcasts (or don't and want to start) I highly recommend them if you're interested in life kind of topics. (I also listen to TED talks and science friday podcasts but they aren't pertinent to this edition of Living This Journey :-) ) One of the reoccurring topics is stepping outside the comfort zone and pushing life and pushing your limits because that is where growth happens and where you really can achieve something. This isn't a new concept but I've been thinking about it....
Ok, so now that I have set the stage what does this have to do with my renewed interest in writing? The two remembered dreams I posted above came from thinking about pushing the boundaries. I really love my life; I have a partner who is a partner, I'm happy with my friends, I love my family even though they can drive me a little crazy sometimes (but isn't that the point of family?!?!), I love my job (even if teenagers are a pain in the butt), my co-workers are pretty good, I can pay my bills, I have money in the bank, I have a spiritual home and things are really going pretty well. The only thing I'm not 100% about is my health, but my health is a process that took years to screw up so it's going to take years to fix. I'm doing the right stuff and am on the right track so I can't really complain about that either. Does this mean I'm just resting on my laurels?
So that got me thinking about this pushing the limits....I'm not pushing the limits, I'm not reaching for any major accomplishment because I'm just happy. And I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing but where is that growth happening? How am I making myself better and not staying stagnant? I'm in graduate school for a Masters in Biology but what about the other parts of my soul that have been lost or been buried in the adult life that has been built? Writing is one of the things that I have set aside from my younger days that I sorely miss both for being a creative outlet and for being a way to process thoughts, experiences, and emotions. Therefore I realized that one of the ways to push and "do one thing every day that scares you" (Eleanor Roosevelt) was to resurrect my love of writing.
There you have it, I'm going to be setting aside time again to write and fitting it into my schedule because it is one way to push myself and to continue expanding beyond the limits.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, July 28, 2012
August Mission
It's been a while since I've written an entry, and that's because I have so many running around in my brain that I'm trying to settle into one coherent entry, so this is where I'll start.
There is a mission here for the month of August and it comes from this blog entry. I'm only going to start with a small portion of it and take it piece by piece and the first step is the purging of stuff. As Americans we have (on average) too much stuff and that stuff makes us forget to concentrate on really what matters so the goal is to rid the house of 5 things per occupant per week (amounting in a total of 40 items over the course of the month). There are books that I will never read again that are just taking up space, there are papers, notebooks, games, bags, boxes, etc... things in the basement that haven't been opened in years (I don't even remember what's packed into some boxes). So over the course of August we are going to start by getting rid of some of them. In the grand scheme of things, 40 things is probably not that much in this house that has thousands, but purging little by little is easier than getting rid of everything at once.
The other side of getting stuff out is not bringing stuff in. I have tried to become more and more conscious of what I'm buying. Do I really need it? Will it enhance my life? Asking these two questions before making a purchase has really lessened the amount of stuff I buy. Instead of buying books, I borrow them from the library, instead of buying new clothes I "shop" my closet for things I haven't worn in a while. Of course I need to purchase consumables but when it comes to the purchase of stuff I weigh the need vs. the want.
Buying stuff for the sake of stuff is like eating for the sake of eating or taking a drug that you really don't need. It is attempting to fill a hole that is there for another reason. Through the journey I've taken with food I have learned there are days when a hole needs to be filled and instead of facing what is making that hole in my emotional well-being I will stuff it with some other meaningless item: a new purse, a bag of potato chips, etc... So part of this journey towards simplification is also a journey towards better understanding. What is it that I REALLY want when I want to buy something? What else am I lacking? What void needs to be filled? Because the instant gratification of buying a new shirt is awesome but when that wears off, the hole will still be there.
So as this new month approaches, onto the simplification of things and a purposefulness behind purchases.
There is a mission here for the month of August and it comes from this blog entry. I'm only going to start with a small portion of it and take it piece by piece and the first step is the purging of stuff. As Americans we have (on average) too much stuff and that stuff makes us forget to concentrate on really what matters so the goal is to rid the house of 5 things per occupant per week (amounting in a total of 40 items over the course of the month). There are books that I will never read again that are just taking up space, there are papers, notebooks, games, bags, boxes, etc... things in the basement that haven't been opened in years (I don't even remember what's packed into some boxes). So over the course of August we are going to start by getting rid of some of them. In the grand scheme of things, 40 things is probably not that much in this house that has thousands, but purging little by little is easier than getting rid of everything at once.
The other side of getting stuff out is not bringing stuff in. I have tried to become more and more conscious of what I'm buying. Do I really need it? Will it enhance my life? Asking these two questions before making a purchase has really lessened the amount of stuff I buy. Instead of buying books, I borrow them from the library, instead of buying new clothes I "shop" my closet for things I haven't worn in a while. Of course I need to purchase consumables but when it comes to the purchase of stuff I weigh the need vs. the want.
Buying stuff for the sake of stuff is like eating for the sake of eating or taking a drug that you really don't need. It is attempting to fill a hole that is there for another reason. Through the journey I've taken with food I have learned there are days when a hole needs to be filled and instead of facing what is making that hole in my emotional well-being I will stuff it with some other meaningless item: a new purse, a bag of potato chips, etc... So part of this journey towards simplification is also a journey towards better understanding. What is it that I REALLY want when I want to buy something? What else am I lacking? What void needs to be filled? Because the instant gratification of buying a new shirt is awesome but when that wears off, the hole will still be there.
So as this new month approaches, onto the simplification of things and a purposefulness behind purchases.
Friday, February 17, 2012
It's been a while....
I really haven't had a topic come to mind in the past month or so to write about but one hit me today....plans...
Now there are two types of plans it seems to me: life plans and plans to reach a goal.
The first type never work out. This has been made painfully aware to me and re-iterated over the past week or so. Life is always at work to mess up said plans. So with that in mind I'm trying to spend more time looking at what's around me and less at achieving some mythical "plan". That, however, is another discussion for another day.
Tonight, I'm more concerned with the second type. My goal this year is to run a half marathon. I've already registered for the Rock'n'roll half marathon in Philly in September. Since it's already bought and paid for I better run it. As I told my running support, Julius, I AM going to earn that 13.1 sticker this year. When I made the decision I started looking for training plans. I can run a 5K without too much trouble (may not run it fast, but I can), I've accomplished a 10K, but now to tackle the half? I obviously would fail at being prepared if I took this on without any help. I found an app from Runner's World Magazine that has all sorts of plans already created and all you have to do is follow it. It got me thinking, how many of us set up a goal but miss the steps to get there? Anything can be accomplished in small steps if we take the time to figure out what those steps are. Nowadays there is so much information at our disposal (mostly via the internet) that I bet almost anything you want to do has a plan already created for you.
So with that, on Monday, I officially start my half-marathon training. 212 days until it's time to run the half-marathon so I will be ready for it. 13.1 sticker for my car, here we come!
Now there are two types of plans it seems to me: life plans and plans to reach a goal.
The first type never work out. This has been made painfully aware to me and re-iterated over the past week or so. Life is always at work to mess up said plans. So with that in mind I'm trying to spend more time looking at what's around me and less at achieving some mythical "plan". That, however, is another discussion for another day.
Tonight, I'm more concerned with the second type. My goal this year is to run a half marathon. I've already registered for the Rock'n'roll half marathon in Philly in September. Since it's already bought and paid for I better run it. As I told my running support, Julius, I AM going to earn that 13.1 sticker this year. When I made the decision I started looking for training plans. I can run a 5K without too much trouble (may not run it fast, but I can), I've accomplished a 10K, but now to tackle the half? I obviously would fail at being prepared if I took this on without any help. I found an app from Runner's World Magazine that has all sorts of plans already created and all you have to do is follow it. It got me thinking, how many of us set up a goal but miss the steps to get there? Anything can be accomplished in small steps if we take the time to figure out what those steps are. Nowadays there is so much information at our disposal (mostly via the internet) that I bet almost anything you want to do has a plan already created for you.
So with that, on Monday, I officially start my half-marathon training. 212 days until it's time to run the half-marathon so I will be ready for it. 13.1 sticker for my car, here we come!
Monday, December 26, 2011
New Year Approaches...
Hmmm, 2012 is around the corner, this is traditionally the time of year where everyone looks back on what they did/didn't do in the past and prepares to make some lofty (and often unachievable) resolutions for the next year. I think this is a horrible thing to do to oneself this time of year. We often make a long list of sundry things about how awful we are and what we need to change about ourselves in order to be more "ideal". Often we are not prepared mentally and emotionally for those changes because they are often based on someone else's vision (media and celebs). And many times these "resolutions" come at a price of being nasty to ourselves: "I need to lose ____ pounds because I'm overweight and gross and everyone's always looking at me" or whatever your internal monologue happens to be that day.
Usually we are focusing on our flaws and how we need to be "fixed" and that ultimately sets up for resolution failure sometime around February (if you make it that long). If you've dealt with children or dogs or watched Harry Potter you know that negative reinforcement has an effect for only so long. You can guilt or shame yourself into something for only so long before you rebel. When you aren't kind to yourself you set yourself up to spiral out of control and can end up worse than before. None of us are perfect which is the beauty of life, could you imagine a world full of perfect people? What would we do for entertainment? It is our mistakes and our failures (stop treating it like a dirty word people!) that help us develop into well-rounded and wiser people, if you did everything right the first time you wouldn't learn a damn thing.
So with that, I challenge you to not make 2012 about resolutions of how you need to be "fixed" make it about goals you want to achieve. Give yourself something to work towards so when you accomplish it, 2012 is an amazing year. As you achieve things in your life, other benefits come along for the ride. When you achieve something you gain pride in yourself and pride in yourself allows you to eat better, to take the time to work in exercise, to de-stress, to sleep better, etc... because you start to value yourself. And until you put yourself ahead of others because you value your health and well-being, your wellness will be second fiddle to someone else's desires. You are responsible for you, no one else can make those choices for you.
My 2012 goal is to run a 5K, 10K, and a half-marathon. I figure that's a pretty big one and a lot of things need to be done to meet it, so that's really all I'm going to worry about this time around :-).
Think about what you want to say you accomplished a year from now. What is it you want to do? What goal would you like to achieve? Remember, you do not need to be "fixed" work towards a goal and life can and often will fall into place around it.
Usually we are focusing on our flaws and how we need to be "fixed" and that ultimately sets up for resolution failure sometime around February (if you make it that long). If you've dealt with children or dogs or watched Harry Potter you know that negative reinforcement has an effect for only so long. You can guilt or shame yourself into something for only so long before you rebel. When you aren't kind to yourself you set yourself up to spiral out of control and can end up worse than before. None of us are perfect which is the beauty of life, could you imagine a world full of perfect people? What would we do for entertainment? It is our mistakes and our failures (stop treating it like a dirty word people!) that help us develop into well-rounded and wiser people, if you did everything right the first time you wouldn't learn a damn thing.
So with that, I challenge you to not make 2012 about resolutions of how you need to be "fixed" make it about goals you want to achieve. Give yourself something to work towards so when you accomplish it, 2012 is an amazing year. As you achieve things in your life, other benefits come along for the ride. When you achieve something you gain pride in yourself and pride in yourself allows you to eat better, to take the time to work in exercise, to de-stress, to sleep better, etc... because you start to value yourself. And until you put yourself ahead of others because you value your health and well-being, your wellness will be second fiddle to someone else's desires. You are responsible for you, no one else can make those choices for you.
My 2012 goal is to run a 5K, 10K, and a half-marathon. I figure that's a pretty big one and a lot of things need to be done to meet it, so that's really all I'm going to worry about this time around :-).
Think about what you want to say you accomplished a year from now. What is it you want to do? What goal would you like to achieve? Remember, you do not need to be "fixed" work towards a goal and life can and often will fall into place around it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The holidays are here....
What does that mean? Food, too many things to do and not enough time to do it in. And unfortunately that can be the downfall to a healthy lifestyle. This year I want to make a pledge....I will continue to make health-ful eating part of my life and I'm going to keep up with activity during this hectic 6 weeks. It's only 6 weeks people, but how do we lose it so damn bad in 6 weeks?
My main goal during the holiday season is to not end up with the "bloated-unbutton my pants-someone kill me if I move" feeling during the special occasions. I have learned to understand my body's signals as far as starving-hunger-not so hungry-full-immagonnadie modes. This has served me well over the course of the years because I don't want to feel the pain. It's kind of like eating fast food. McDonald's sounds good except now every time I eat it my body wants to stab me from the inside out, pretty good incentive to stay away from it, right? That's what I thought :-).
The other thing is time, people get so wrapped up in shopping, decorating, cards, etc... that they forget what the season has come to mean. For each of us, our religious (or not) bent is a different "reason for the season" and all. But in western culture, whether you're Christian, Jew, Pagan, atheist, humanist, etc..., the season means spending time with friends and family, swapping gifts to show your appreciation for each other. It doesn't mean let me use all my time spending money on things I don't need or can't afford (I know there are many things out there that have me in these categories...). And because we're so concerned with the gifts we buy we forget to be kind to ourselves in the meantime.
This season make sure to give yourself a gift, the time and respect you deserve to keep yourself healthy. Don't wait 6 weeks from now to form a "resolution" because 6 weeks from now isn't good enough. You deserve better, we all do. We deserve to do the things for our physical, emotional, and mental well-being right now and always. Too often we forget ourselves in the shuffle of making everyone else ok, making sure everyone else is happy. For once screw everyone else and make yourself happy.
Letting 6 weeks just slide by without being an active participant is in no way good for us. Life happens and whether we're part of it or it happens to us depends entirely on us. Are you going to end 2011 miserable, depressed, up a clothing size or two (it can happen in 6 weeks!), less financially stable, and just an all-around "hot mess" (to borrow a phrase from The Riverton Cooper Clan)? Or are you going to stand up and tell yourself you deserve better and you're going to start making those changes now? And guess what, if you can start making little changes in these 6 weeks, you can survive anything. Focusing on yourself and your well-being is never easy in the holidays, so if you start now you'll end up all the better for it.
Let's make a small deal to help get you started, tomorrow is the US "stuff your face" day also known as Thanksgiving. Take some time to go for a walk (or a run) outside, in the spirit of the day think of a few things you are thankful for while you're enjoying the fresh air. We all have reasons to be thankful, having an attitude of gratitude (I swear I heard that somewhere) makes us happier in the long run. Remember thankful people are happy people. Knowing that our situation can always be worse puts us in a better mood and helps us cope with things that ordinarily would derail us. Research has shown that fresh air and positive thinking help people stay healthy, so 15 minutes while the turkey is in the oven is all you need to start ending 2011 on a better note. I promise to do the same thing :-)
My main goal during the holiday season is to not end up with the "bloated-unbutton my pants-someone kill me if I move" feeling during the special occasions. I have learned to understand my body's signals as far as starving-hunger-not so hungry-full-immagonnadie modes. This has served me well over the course of the years because I don't want to feel the pain. It's kind of like eating fast food. McDonald's sounds good except now every time I eat it my body wants to stab me from the inside out, pretty good incentive to stay away from it, right? That's what I thought :-).
The other thing is time, people get so wrapped up in shopping, decorating, cards, etc... that they forget what the season has come to mean. For each of us, our religious (or not) bent is a different "reason for the season" and all. But in western culture, whether you're Christian, Jew, Pagan, atheist, humanist, etc..., the season means spending time with friends and family, swapping gifts to show your appreciation for each other. It doesn't mean let me use all my time spending money on things I don't need or can't afford (I know there are many things out there that have me in these categories...). And because we're so concerned with the gifts we buy we forget to be kind to ourselves in the meantime.
This season make sure to give yourself a gift, the time and respect you deserve to keep yourself healthy. Don't wait 6 weeks from now to form a "resolution" because 6 weeks from now isn't good enough. You deserve better, we all do. We deserve to do the things for our physical, emotional, and mental well-being right now and always. Too often we forget ourselves in the shuffle of making everyone else ok, making sure everyone else is happy. For once screw everyone else and make yourself happy.
Letting 6 weeks just slide by without being an active participant is in no way good for us. Life happens and whether we're part of it or it happens to us depends entirely on us. Are you going to end 2011 miserable, depressed, up a clothing size or two (it can happen in 6 weeks!), less financially stable, and just an all-around "hot mess" (to borrow a phrase from The Riverton Cooper Clan)? Or are you going to stand up and tell yourself you deserve better and you're going to start making those changes now? And guess what, if you can start making little changes in these 6 weeks, you can survive anything. Focusing on yourself and your well-being is never easy in the holidays, so if you start now you'll end up all the better for it.
Let's make a small deal to help get you started, tomorrow is the US "stuff your face" day also known as Thanksgiving. Take some time to go for a walk (or a run) outside, in the spirit of the day think of a few things you are thankful for while you're enjoying the fresh air. We all have reasons to be thankful, having an attitude of gratitude (I swear I heard that somewhere) makes us happier in the long run. Remember thankful people are happy people. Knowing that our situation can always be worse puts us in a better mood and helps us cope with things that ordinarily would derail us. Research has shown that fresh air and positive thinking help people stay healthy, so 15 minutes while the turkey is in the oven is all you need to start ending 2011 on a better note. I promise to do the same thing :-)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I did it!
The 10K has come and gone. On Sunday morning we woke up early, got dressed, pinned my number to my chest, got breakfast and waited for the train to take us to Camden. Waiting for the start, my heart was pounding. Here I was, about to run 6.2 miles, the longest distance I've ever attempted. Dave was there with encouraging words to get me to the start line. We met up with Julius since he was the reason I was running this race in the first place.
Julius and I made it towards the start line and met up with some of his other Philly Fitters and my nerves were starting to subside. I was already in the crowd waiting for the start, there was nothing else I could do other than run. Julius had just run the Marine Corps Marathon the weekend prior so he was just chilling and enjoying the run so I set a 4 minute run/1 minute walk pattern. I was not going to be able to run the whole course so to try and keep up a more consistent pace I chose a Galloway interval.
The run was hard, I keep finding hard things to finish :-). Having Julius there during the run was positively awesome for me. I remember something he said around mile 4: "We've already done 2 miles twice, so we can do 2 more." It was great to run with him and I was able to set a PR by 20 seconds on twice the distance with relatively minimal residual pain. I call that a win!
It was awesome to finish that race, to be able to add one more thing to the list that I was able to accomplish. That is the most important thing, find something you want to go for, some goal, and go for it. Accomplishing something is more important for us in the long run. Whatever you choose to make your goal, make a goal and go for it. Finishing something breeds pride in ourselves and motivation to keep going.
I challenge you to find something you want to do (big or little) and make your next goal and do it. Don't be afraid, don't worry about failing, just do it. In the immortal words of Yoda: "Do or do not, there is no try."
Julius and I made it towards the start line and met up with some of his other Philly Fitters and my nerves were starting to subside. I was already in the crowd waiting for the start, there was nothing else I could do other than run. Julius had just run the Marine Corps Marathon the weekend prior so he was just chilling and enjoying the run so I set a 4 minute run/1 minute walk pattern. I was not going to be able to run the whole course so to try and keep up a more consistent pace I chose a Galloway interval.
The run was hard, I keep finding hard things to finish :-). Having Julius there during the run was positively awesome for me. I remember something he said around mile 4: "We've already done 2 miles twice, so we can do 2 more." It was great to run with him and I was able to set a PR by 20 seconds on twice the distance with relatively minimal residual pain. I call that a win!
It was awesome to finish that race, to be able to add one more thing to the list that I was able to accomplish. That is the most important thing, find something you want to go for, some goal, and go for it. Accomplishing something is more important for us in the long run. Whatever you choose to make your goal, make a goal and go for it. Finishing something breeds pride in ourselves and motivation to keep going.
I challenge you to find something you want to do (big or little) and make your next goal and do it. Don't be afraid, don't worry about failing, just do it. In the immortal words of Yoda: "Do or do not, there is no try."
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sleep...mother nature's best medicine....
Sleep is one of the most important things our bodies can do for us. Think about it, all non-essential systems are shut down and our bodies are allowed to rest physically and mentally to rejuvenate us for the next day. What is the thing that helps us heal fastest when we've come down with a cold or the flu? Sleep. It's the body's way of being able to put ourselves back together so we're healthy for tomorrow.
As I sit here anxious over the 10K run tomorrow I will be able to mentally over-power my anxiety by writing this entry so I can get to sleep. Sleep is incredibly important for our bodies, I could link here the many studies I've read over the years and all the side effects that not getting enough sleep can cause, but I'm going to talk to you about my personal plight with sleep. I have never had a problem with getting sleep, but I've often had a problem with getting restful sleep. I have three main problems when it comes to sleeping restfully and some easy solutions I've discovered, mainly in the past year, that has dramatically increased my restful sleep quotient.
I'll start with problems so I can finish on a positive note :-)
1. Restless Leg Syndrome. I have not been officially diagnosed with it but given the way my legs act while I sleep sometimes I believe that I have some degree of this whether in the clinical definition or not. My legs often twitch, shake, or feel like dead weights when I lay down to sleep. I am convinced that my problem is muscular/circulatory in nature so I have come up with a few successful ways to deal with this problem. It has also been linked to iron deficiency or anemia which I am diagnosed with. The random movement of my legs during the night causes my sleep to be disrupted and Dave's as well.
2. Can't-turn-the-brain-off syndrome. This is when my brain is going a mile a minute thinking about something/things. They can be good things or bad things or just things in general (AKA what I have to do tomorrow). When I don't shut my brain down properly I often toss and turn trying to tune out the monologue that's playing in my head. This keeps me from getting appropriate shut-eye and often makes me feel lousy when I get up the next day because whatever I was thinking about I now probably have to deal with.
3. Having to use the bathroom. I'm still a little young for a lot of trips to the bathroom during the night, but I have noticed that with drinking water all day, usually a cup of tea at night now that it's colder, I have to pee in the middle of the night. Now, this one is easy, if I try to fight the urge I toss and turn but if I get up and go I can usually snuggle back down and continue sleeping. However, sometimes waking up can disrupt the night.
So how do I fix these problems? It's actually a relatively easy list of solutions...
1. Set a bedtime routine. I tend to go to bed around the same time every night, I push it an hour or two on the weekends since I'm getting up later, but I'm not staying up until 2am and sleeping through Saturday or Sunday since that will make Monday morning all that more difficult. Brush your teeth, get changed, read a little, whatever you want it to be, but set some sort of routine and keep it. That way your body starts to get that muscle memory that says "hey, it's time for bed" and it learns to do it without too much extra help.
2. Get extra electronic devices out of your room. There have been studies to show that electronics in the bedroom disrupt sleep patterns. Turn your phone to airplane mode (or off) so it's not buzzing during the night. Even if you don't wake up to the vibrating spam email that came in to your smart phone at 3am, your body heard it and has been disrupted by it. Also, electronic devices like TVs and computers in the bedrooms have been shown to wreck havoc on your system with blinking lights, whirring fans, and whatnot that can contribute to un-restful sleep.
3. Exercise. Not right before bed because that'll drive your heart rate up and make it harder to go to sleep, but regularly as part of your daily routine burns off excess energy caused by foods ingested so your body isn't "twitching" when you lie down. I've noticed on days when I complete regular activity I fall asleep much easier and sleep better over all and wake up better. Also, as part of my exercise routine, I include elevating my legs. I spend most of my day standing so gravity does it's thing and drops blood into my legs and feet where it pools. So I've found that elevating my legs for 10-15 minutes as a stretch helps drain the blood and reducing how restless my legs are when I lay down to go to sleep.
4. Clear the headspace. Spend time writing down or meditating on the problems/thoughts/to do lists that would keep your brain active when you try and get to bed. Making a list, writing down thoughts, or just sitting quietly meditating helps my brain slow down so when I close my eyes I don't have my brain still buzzing with all the things I didn't get done today, all the things I have to get done tomorrow, or whatever is rattling inside my head.
Sleep is an incredibly important thing for our body. Ok, I'll touch on it, but people who don't get enough regular, restful sleep are at risk for many physical problems (obesity, immune system problems, cardiovascular problems, and potential for car accidents) and mental problems (anxiety, depression, mood swings, and trouble concentrating) and we all know how I feel on the relationship between mind and body. So if there's a treatment that can help you physically and mentally you should use it. And one of Mother Nature's best remedies for what ails you is sleep :-).
Sleep Foundation
As I sit here anxious over the 10K run tomorrow I will be able to mentally over-power my anxiety by writing this entry so I can get to sleep. Sleep is incredibly important for our bodies, I could link here the many studies I've read over the years and all the side effects that not getting enough sleep can cause, but I'm going to talk to you about my personal plight with sleep. I have never had a problem with getting sleep, but I've often had a problem with getting restful sleep. I have three main problems when it comes to sleeping restfully and some easy solutions I've discovered, mainly in the past year, that has dramatically increased my restful sleep quotient.
I'll start with problems so I can finish on a positive note :-)
1. Restless Leg Syndrome. I have not been officially diagnosed with it but given the way my legs act while I sleep sometimes I believe that I have some degree of this whether in the clinical definition or not. My legs often twitch, shake, or feel like dead weights when I lay down to sleep. I am convinced that my problem is muscular/circulatory in nature so I have come up with a few successful ways to deal with this problem. It has also been linked to iron deficiency or anemia which I am diagnosed with. The random movement of my legs during the night causes my sleep to be disrupted and Dave's as well.
2. Can't-turn-the-brain-off syndrome. This is when my brain is going a mile a minute thinking about something/things. They can be good things or bad things or just things in general (AKA what I have to do tomorrow). When I don't shut my brain down properly I often toss and turn trying to tune out the monologue that's playing in my head. This keeps me from getting appropriate shut-eye and often makes me feel lousy when I get up the next day because whatever I was thinking about I now probably have to deal with.
3. Having to use the bathroom. I'm still a little young for a lot of trips to the bathroom during the night, but I have noticed that with drinking water all day, usually a cup of tea at night now that it's colder, I have to pee in the middle of the night. Now, this one is easy, if I try to fight the urge I toss and turn but if I get up and go I can usually snuggle back down and continue sleeping. However, sometimes waking up can disrupt the night.
So how do I fix these problems? It's actually a relatively easy list of solutions...
1. Set a bedtime routine. I tend to go to bed around the same time every night, I push it an hour or two on the weekends since I'm getting up later, but I'm not staying up until 2am and sleeping through Saturday or Sunday since that will make Monday morning all that more difficult. Brush your teeth, get changed, read a little, whatever you want it to be, but set some sort of routine and keep it. That way your body starts to get that muscle memory that says "hey, it's time for bed" and it learns to do it without too much extra help.
2. Get extra electronic devices out of your room. There have been studies to show that electronics in the bedroom disrupt sleep patterns. Turn your phone to airplane mode (or off) so it's not buzzing during the night. Even if you don't wake up to the vibrating spam email that came in to your smart phone at 3am, your body heard it and has been disrupted by it. Also, electronic devices like TVs and computers in the bedrooms have been shown to wreck havoc on your system with blinking lights, whirring fans, and whatnot that can contribute to un-restful sleep.
3. Exercise. Not right before bed because that'll drive your heart rate up and make it harder to go to sleep, but regularly as part of your daily routine burns off excess energy caused by foods ingested so your body isn't "twitching" when you lie down. I've noticed on days when I complete regular activity I fall asleep much easier and sleep better over all and wake up better. Also, as part of my exercise routine, I include elevating my legs. I spend most of my day standing so gravity does it's thing and drops blood into my legs and feet where it pools. So I've found that elevating my legs for 10-15 minutes as a stretch helps drain the blood and reducing how restless my legs are when I lay down to go to sleep.
4. Clear the headspace. Spend time writing down or meditating on the problems/thoughts/to do lists that would keep your brain active when you try and get to bed. Making a list, writing down thoughts, or just sitting quietly meditating helps my brain slow down so when I close my eyes I don't have my brain still buzzing with all the things I didn't get done today, all the things I have to get done tomorrow, or whatever is rattling inside my head.
Sleep is an incredibly important thing for our body. Ok, I'll touch on it, but people who don't get enough regular, restful sleep are at risk for many physical problems (obesity, immune system problems, cardiovascular problems, and potential for car accidents) and mental problems (anxiety, depression, mood swings, and trouble concentrating) and we all know how I feel on the relationship between mind and body. So if there's a treatment that can help you physically and mentally you should use it. And one of Mother Nature's best remedies for what ails you is sleep :-).
Sleep Foundation
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