As far as last week's challenge update:
1) "explore the things that can stress you out very quickly and de-motivate you to do anything and write those down"
-not seeing success where I have put in work (or being disappointed with myself when I can't keep cravings under control)
-being nervous when I think about having to work in clinic this semester
-coming home exhausted at the end of the day, and feeling like I should be entitled to a few hours of relaxation, even when I don't have that time (and any gym time feels like more work)
2) "explore the things that make you feel happy and like you are on top of the world"
-catching up on my favorite t.v. shows
-comfort food
-achieving goals and accomplishing things.
-enjoying quality time with friends and family
3) "find a way to combine emotional and physical health in one fell swoop"
-watch my favorite tv shows on the treadmill, haha!
-work out with someone I love and that will motivate me while also keeping me company and give me a little much needed social interaction. (I actually did that today! took the boyfriend with me to the gym and he kept me going enough that I ran a mile without stopping for the first time in a couple of months!)
-develop better comfort foods (I've been working on this one - I've got a couple of recipes up my sleeve that I love! Including my air-popped caramel corn for my sweet tooth, or healthy baked apples-and-sweet-potatoes, which is a great and filling side dish!)
-set small, accomplishable goals that make me feel better about my health and wellbeing every day. This is the first step (for me) to keep from getting discouraged and giving up. (For this, I've actually been doing fab-ab february every day! It started off easy, and now I just don't want to give it up because I would love to be able to do a 2 minute plank!)
4) "each evening before bed, spend 5-10 minutes reflecting on the day and the things you did really good at... and then congratulate yourself and really focus on those small things!"
-done. :)
It's really nice to brainstorm what I could be doing differently to keep myself on the right track. This week was horrible eating wise, which took my weight up a couple of pounds. It seems like if I stay on the right track and only screw up once or twice in a week, I still manage to lose weight - but if it's a week like this where I screw up every night, my body knows. So, gotta do better next week!
Speaking of next week....
I know you've been incredibly stressed by your job lately, and I wish I could magically fix that for you (or at least be there for you a little better). I think a bit of bedtime yoga might help you unwind at the end of the day as you are getting ready for bed, because I know if I'm stressed or if my brain just won't go to sleep, it helps me to complete this relaxing routine. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/poses/yoga-routine-before-sleep/
I like to do that routine with the lights low & a little soothing music on, and then right before I do my last breathing exercise, turn off all the lights so I can literally just roll over and go to sleep at the end.
Additionally, knowing that your job is stressful and knowing how you and I both have a problem with stress snacking, I decided to do a little research:
http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/stress-eating-solution/
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2010/12/stop-stress-eating
http://stress.about.com/od/dietandsuppliments/a/emotional.htm
So, this week your challenge is pretty simple. Try out the yoga once or twice - if it doesn't work for you, google "bedtime yoga" and find one that does, and then try that once or twice. Oh, and read those stress-snacking articles. And feel better, because you are loved and valued by all the people that really matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment