DAY 15 March 14, 2018, A month of working on my wellness.

jodimullen2013 ♦ March 16, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

Today was an interesting day. I was doing a presentation on play therapy about 1.5 hours from my home. I really love doing these kinds of presentations. I love my work as a counselor and play therapist. I also love being able to train and teach students and other professionals. Although this throws off the rhythm of my schedule; it is good for my spiritual, economic and occupational wellness. I have to get on the road early, figure out the food thing, and make sure I am on my game because I set the tone for the day.

Decisions, decisions

First off, I had to decide if I should get up at 4:45am to go for a run on the treadmill. That was the only time I would be able to squeeze in exercise. I factored in that I also have an out of town, full day, presentation scheduled for Friday, and that really would not work because the destination is even further away. I decided I was going for it; it is only 30 minutes earlier then I usually wake up.

Next, what to eat? I knew I would not have a ton of time when I got home from the gym so I needed something quick. I got that, protein shake with spinach. What to bring with me for lunch and a snack for the drive home. I got that too, protein bar, cashews. Perhaps that doesn’t seem like enough. A protein bar for lunch. Yeah, that’s not enough and a mistake many of us make. We have to eat enough to maintain our wellness, to literally think straight, and if you are trying to lose weight, you are really getting in your own way by not eating enough. In a gross over-simplification, what happens is our body systems act as if we are starving and trigger chemical responses to hold on to what we eat,  blood sugar goes into a tail spin and our internal environment gets screwed up. There you have it. I made a mistake. The other mistake I was setting myself up for was thinking it was more important to sacrifice sleep then to sacrifice exercise. I have averaged 5 hours a night of sleep in the last seven days. I need sleep.

Change in plans

12:30 am and I still wasn’t asleep. I changed my plans. I turned off my alarm and decided to sleep as late as possible. I guess I would be getting two days off from exercise this week. I still followed my eating plan even though I knew it was not a good idea and headed out the door. I have been off caffeine for a week and a half; that went out today. I was so tired driving to the presentation I needed a baby sip of caffeine. I’ll hop back on that horse ASAP. What was happening to me was exactly what Dr. Sara Gottfried describes when your cortisol is off. I have a hard time falling asleep, low energy in the morning and then cravings of carbs and that’s exactly what happened next. Before I even got to my destination, I downed the caffeine drink and ate ½ the protein bar. Shit. Dr. Kelly Brogan also refers to this when she talks about being simultaneously “wired and tired.”

An intervention from Mother Nature

Presentation was underway and going well as far as I could assess. It was snowy outside, but here in Central New York, we measure our snow in feet not inches, so I did not think much of it. An administrative person signals me to come to the classroom door and advises me that we need to call it a day because of the weather. Everything in the area was shutting down and they were worried about our safety. Uh-ok. That was a first. That changes the entire trajectory of my day.

Snow Day

I was home and in my play clothes by 1:30. I had lunch. Tossed salad with a veggie burger and guacamole- way better than the other half of a protein bar! I took one look at the cats sprawled out and sleeping on my bed and decided to join them. My kids were sent home from school too and my 18 year old daughter, joined me and two of the four of cats for a nap. Naps are so underrated. I mean I really needed the sleep, but there are studies that show people who nap regularly live longer and healthier lives (sweet!). I felt so much better after I ate healthy whole foods for lunch and took my nap and then I went for that run on the treadmill. And guess what else happened… I ran further and better than I have since I had my appendix out in September of 2017. I have said before for that running centers me. It’s a moving meditation for me. What does that for you? Not sure, figure it out and have fun as you discover it!

With Love & Gratitude~

Jodi