Making Sustainable Change

If you're anything like me, a good portion of your life was spent getting on and off different diet and exercise regimens. They would work for a little while, and maybe even give great results, but it the end you stopped doing the work.

A few years ago I got super fit by doing one-hour a day workouts, plus 3 runs each week, and I prepped and planned all my meals. I lost inches, I gained muscle definition, and I lost weight, for sure. I also lost hours of sleep, and wen the 60-day program was over, the only thing I could think about was "WOW! I'm so grateful that I can eat fun food again, and I don't have to wake up so early every day"

Of course once I stopped the gains went away. I gained most of the weight and inches back, because I wasn't dedicating all the time and effort to losing weight and working out. For me, 7+ hours a week of working out, plus micromanaging all my food was not sustainable.

Before (left) and after (right) a 60-day intense workout and diet plan, combined with half marathon training. Yup! The results were crazy! Aaaaand… they didn’t even last a month.

This is the big problem with most diets, or even habits that we try to change. Our society has programmed us with this all-or-nothing mindset. You're either on the wagon or off of it. You're either giving up carbs cold turkey, or you're eating as many as you like. This lack of flexibility can make it super challenging to stick to a specific plan, and makes it all the more likely that you'll eventually give up, deciding that it's just too hard or takes up too much time.

So how do we make wellness sustainable?

One rule of thumb that can help here is the forever rule: Don't commit to changing anything that you wouldn't want to do for the rest of your life.

It sounds big. Right? Especially if you're still triggering that all-or-nothing mindset. What? No carbs FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?

That's not what I mean though. I mean that if you are not willing to give up carbs for the rest of your life, then don't build a no-carb diet into your wellness plan. Instead, set a rule you are willing to commit to. Maybe something like no carbs after the sun goes down. No carbs on weekdays. Only healthy complex carbs. (Carbs is just the example here, btw. You can totally keep eating carbs and still be healthy!)

If you're not willing to commit to hitting the gym for an hour every day FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, don't make that a keystone of your plan either. Instead, revise it to something you think you could do forever. Maybe a daily walk after dinner. Maybe it's 2-3 gym sessions a week.

One way I know my health habits are sustainable? I’m 6th months pregnant and (aside from my belly) my body hasn’t changed much. Because the healthy practices I’ve committed to still happen all the time!

By putting all your wellness plans through the forever-filter, it becomes pretty obvious right away what is sustainable and what isn't. And that's a great thing! The pillars of your personal wellness plan should be things you can continue doing throughout your life so that you can sustain your health and happiness well into your old age.

No matter how hard you are willing to push yourself in the short-term, any gains or improvements you see will likely disappear once you stop engaging in those new habits, so make sure you set realistic goals from the outset. And don't be surprised if your perspective changes as you start to feel healthier and more energized. All of a sudden committing to an hour-a-day workout might seem do-able!

Go with what you know, and allow the process to build organically. After all, natural evolution is by far the most sustainable.

Creamy Lemon Chicken & Peach Arugala Salad

Healthy and delicious don’t have to be opposites. 

When I was growing up, I thought that "healthy" food meant it would taste gross, bland, and have way too much lettuce. 

Now, after years of experimenting with healthy eating habits, I know that is just not true. 

Healthy food can be just as delicious (and often even more delicious) than processed, packaged, or greasy food that comes in a box. 

Earlier this week my husband and I made a super simple, super easy summery dinner that we just loved, so of course, I need to share the recipes with you!

My cooking style tends to disregard actual measurements in favor of a certain “I do what I want” style of experimentation. I also disregard some ingredients and make substitutions based on what I have on hand. So below you’ll find my riff on  Crunchy Creamy Sweet’s Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken, and TasteofHome.com’s Peach and Arugala Salad. Please visit their websites for their full, original recipes!

Ingredients for Chicken:

• Chicken breasts

• 1 Lemon (zested and juiced)

• Flour (optional)*

• Shallot (minced)

• Garlic (minced)

• Veggie or chicken broth

• Whole milk

• Corn starch

• Olive oil 

Ingredients for Salad:

• Arugula

• Spinach

• 1-2 large ripe peaches

• Pine nuts (or other nuts)

• Blue cheese

Ingredients for Dressing:

• Red wine vinegar

• Sugar or honey

• Dijon mustard

• Olive oil

• salt & pepper to taste

To make the chicken:

Slice the breasts in half lengthwise, and salt and pepper each side before dredging through the flour*. 

Put some olive oil in a pan to heat on medium-high. 

Once the pan is hot, add the chicken in one layer on the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, and then remove the chicken from the pan. 

To the same pan, add some more olive oil and the juice of 1/2 the lemon. Leave all the frond (chicken bits & drippings) in the pan to mix with the sauce. Adding the lemon juice first will help lift any stuck bits from the pan. Next, add the garlic and shallots to the pan and stir frequently until they become soft and fragrant. 

Add the chicken broth and simmer for 2 minutes. 

Next, add the milk and corn starch and stir to combine to thicken the sauce. Add the chicken back into the pan and turn off the heat while you work on your salad. 

To make the salad:

Add the spinach, arugula, sliced peaches, blue cheese, and pine nuts together in a large bowl and mix to combine.

For the dressing, add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combine. Then drizzle it over the salad. Taste to make sure it’s how you like it by dipping a piece of spinach in the dressing, instead of just tasting with a spoon. 

All in all, this took us about 40 minutes to prepare from start to finish, and was absolutely delicious! 

*You could easily leave off the flour or replace it with gluten-free flour to make this a gluten-free recipe. 

I can't wait to make this for a dinner party of friends, once we're allowed to have parties again!

In the meantime, I'll just have to eat the leftovers myself!

Sick Days Two Ways

Most of us wait until we’re severely under the weather to finally break down and call in sick. And there are lots of reasons why. We feel obligated to do the work. We rely on the money to support our families. We identify as the over-achiever who never takes sick days. 

Whatever the reason is, it’s almost never a good idea.

A better idea is to take a sick day as soon as you start to feel something off. That tickle at the back of your throat?

The achy back and neck?

The sneezes when you never usually sneeze?

That’s your cue. 

Step one is starting to notice when your body is not acting normal, or when it seems like it might be fighting off an infection. This is a skill you can build and cultivate with a meditation practice. 

Step two is to take a sick day or two and devote yourself to rest while your body fights off that infection. This is a much better idea because a) you can still get tons of rest and be fairly productive. Sure, you might not be at work, but you can read, call some friends, and still get your chores done around the house while you rest. And b) you are not passing your germs on to all the unsuspecting people you’ve convinced that you “just have allergies”, some of whom may have small children or compromised immune systems. 

Now, because I know not all of us have access to paid sick days (Thanks, America!) I’ve designed two sick-day options. One for those who can call in sick, and one for those who really really can’t. 

Option 1: Use Your Damn Sick Days. 

Not everyone gets these, so you may as well count your blessings and use every last one you can get your hands on. I don’t care if your office is understaffed. That’s the boss’s fault, not yours (If you are the boss, it is your fault, but you should stay home anyway). Call in first thing in the morning. Say that you’re feeling sick and you’re going to take one of your sick days, and you’ll call in again with an update tomorrow if you’re still feeling ill. You don’t have to offer any details, and technically it is illegal for them to ask unless you’re out more than three days in a row. However, I’ve found my supervisors generally understand when I tell them I’m worried I’m coming down with something and don’t want to risk the rest of the staff getting sick. 

Once you’ve called in, clear your whole schedule. Anything that’s not 100% necessary goes. That includes workouts, plans with friends, and volunteer work or second jobs. 

Then dedicate your day to getting better. Take lots of naps. Eat vegetables (veggie soups are my favorite when I’m feeling sick) and fruits. Drink tea and lots of water. Take baths. Watch your favorite movie, then fall asleep halfway through. If you feel stir crazy, do some gentle yoga or take a walk. If you have small kids or pets at home, consider splurging on a babysitter or pet sitter for an hour or two so you can really relax. 

I know it seems extravagant, but at the most, it should take two or three days to feel back to normal. For me, one full day will normally do the trick. 

Option 2: Be a C+ Employee

This one is for you if you don’t have paid sick leave and you’re not able to call in sick or have someone cover for you because you honestly need every single paycheck. 

In that case, I’m guessing you generally work very, very hard. You probably pick up slack at work for a lot of other people, maybe even for your boss. You’re the A+ employee. And you like it that way. 

But if you’re the A+ employee then I know from experience you can look around your workplace and find tons of evidence that B+ or C+ employees still get paid, and don’t often get fired.

So, here’s your “sick day” plan:

Be the C+ employee today. 

Show up on time, but there’s no need to smile and act like everything is ok. Take as many breaks as you can, and constantly go back for more tea from the break room. If you work with customer service, don’t be rude, but don’t go out of your way to be nice either. Sanitize everything. Does someone lean on your counter? Sanitize it. Does someone shake your hand? Hand sanitizer. Keep the new germs away! If you use a shared workspace, sanitize it once more before you leave for the day. 

Tell your coworkers and anyone else who asks that you feel sick. If you’re lucky, they’ll tell you to go home. If not, at least they know why you’re acting a bit sluggish. Do your best not to handle food or touch anything that might end up near someone’s mouth. 

As soon as your shift is over? Go home and nap. 

Cancel all your other plans, with family friends or other organizations. Call in favors to have people walk your dogs or watch your kids. 

This one doesn’t always work as well, but sometimes being the lazy one at work can be just as relaxing as staying home! 

Both of these options feel really weird and hard at first, I know. But once you try it out, and you see for yourself how it keeps you from getting sick, I know you’ll convert to team sick day forever!

This is, I firmly believe, the reason I’m only ever “sick” for one or two days at a time, while my husband will get knocked out for a week or more with the same illness. True, I act like I’m on my deathbed for the duration of my “sick” days, but I get better faster than my husband who tries to keep working through the whole thing and ends up feeling sick for much much longer. 

*Bonus tip* 

If you try option A or option B and you get a lot of flack from your boss, consider starting your job search as soon as you get well. Work on finding a job at an organization that understands humans get sick, and is ready to support you when you are. 

Simple Tips To Lose Weight

Looking at the wellness industry right now, you might start to believe that the only way to actually lose weight and keep it off is to put a bike in your living room or go to boutique fitness studios every day. Or maybe do a juice fast?

Even if you’re not up for anything that extreme, there are lots of simple things you can do that cost almost no money to help you lose weight in a simple, sustainable way. Here are three of my favorites.

 Drink more water

Hunger and thirst can send the same signals to your body, so staying well-hydrated cuts down on cravings.

 I know you probably heard this one before. We all know that we should be drinking water, that water hydrates us and that it's better for us and sugary sodas, coffee beverages, or even bottled teas and juices with lots of sugar. But you may not know just how much water you should be drinking. In general, you should be aiming to drink about half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. so if you are about a hundred and eighty pounds, like me you would be looking to drink at least 90 oz of water each day. Then, you’ll want to take into consideration how much you're exercising how hot it is and how dry it is in your climate. in the summer in Florida, I will drink way more water than 90 ounces each day just to stay hydrated. To make sure that you are drinking the right amount of water it's easy to grab a refillable water bottle that holds a certain number of ounces. I use a 32 oz container for my water each day. I know that if I empty that water bottle three times I have more than that my water goals for the day.

Move every 20 minutes

 Many of us spend our days behind a desk or otherwise sitting down. Whether you are a student or a professional, or even if you are just job searching. I mean, I'm a health coach and I still spend most of my day sitting in front of a computer. Our bodies are built for movement much more than they are for sitting, and yet we spend most of our time sitting and almost none of our time moving around. Even if you are just standing up and doing a few stretches every 20 minutes or so while you're still working this is huge for your body. 

Here are a few things that you can try. You can do it simple stretches or yoga at your desk. You can stand up and walk to the bathroom. You get bonus points if you walk to the farthest away bathroom instead of the closest one. You can even take a short walk to say hi to a co-worker or friends. It doesn't have to be big or fancy. Just getting your body up out of your chair for a few minutes is enough.

And this doesn't end when your workday ends! Once you’re home, instead of parking on the couch for the whole night set an alarm to go off every 20 to 30 minutes to remind you to get up and move around. Now that we are watching all our shows on Netflix, we don't always have the luxury of commercials to remind us when it's time to get up and take a break, so using a timer can really help.

Eat your vegetables

 It is really hard to fit vegetables into our day. If you look at what sold at the convenience stores, gas stations, fast-food restaurants and even within the prepared food section of your grocery store, it’s either carbs or meats or some combination of the two. It can be a challenge to fit the right amount of vegetables into your day.

Generally, we should be eating more vegetables than almost anything else in our diet. Leafy greens, squash, tomatoes, onions, broccoli... all of the vegetables. All of them! Instead, even if you order a salad from a restaurant, that salad is normally some vegetables plus meat and cheese and croutons and a dressing that's probably not that great for you. Eating raw veggies is kind of gross sometimes too, and not that appetizing to most of us. But if you increase your intake of vegetables, that's going to do a ton for helping you manage your weight or lose weight and it’s going to increase your energy. So for an easy way to get more vegetables into your day, there are two things you can do one is make sure that you're a lunch has a lot of veggies or your dinner if you eat lunch out. 

Have at least one meal a day that is fully loaded with delicious vegetables. This can be a salad, a vegetarian dish, or maybe it's a veggie soup or stew. I'm a fan of warm vegetables versus raw, but you do what works best for you. Make sure that at least one meal a day is all loaded up with good veggies and this will help manage your appetite and your energy levels throughout the day by making sure your body is getting the nutrients you need. You can follow me on Instagram for more recipes that have tons of good veggies coming up soon!

For the Love of Sleep, Stop Snoozing!

You go to bed. You sleep. And then, some designated amount of time later, your alarm goes off. 

What do you do? 

Is it:

A) get right up and start your day with a smile?

B) Hit the snooze button once and stretch gently before getting up out of bed

C) Hit the snooze button every 5 minutes before eventually dragging yourself out of bed an hour later. 

For many of us (including my beloved husband), the answer is C. 

Today, I will explain to you why this is the WORST answer and give you some tips to wake up with more energy every day!

The part you already know:

We, as a society, are not getting enough sleep. One result of the social patterns and work norms that dictate our lives is that we often stay up later and wake up earlier than we would if we let our own biological systems dictate or sleeping hours. Often we are too stressed to fall asleep easily and sleep deeply. 

This is probably very frustrating for you. I know it is for me. I mean, adulting is hard but I would have thought I’d be able to figure out how to sleep correctly at least. 

The part you might not know: 

Our bodies have systems built into them to help us wake up each morning. Every morning your body starts the wake-up process gradually about 2 hours before you’re ready to get out of bed. Think of it as a machine that’s slowly coming back online. The engines are heating up, the systems are rebooting. It takes a while. 

When it all goes well we wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go, like on a weekend day when you get to sleep in until you awake naturally. (Sorry, parents of young children. You may not remember this one!)

Because we’re not allowing ourselves enough sleep, though, we often set our alarms to go off in the middle of this gradual wake-up process, or often before it’s even started. This is why we wake up so groggy! 

If you hit snooze now, not having gotten enough sleep, you’re likely to fall right back asleep and start a new sleep cycle. When the alarm goes off again your sleep cycle has just begun, and, as luck would have it, this is the WORST time for you to wake up. 

Waking up during the first few minutes of a sleep cycle can trigger something called “sleep inertia”, which is that fuzzy, groggy feeling that makes you feel like you want to go right back to bed, or lay down on the couch for a while. 

That means that hitting your snooze button, for most people, is actually making you MORE TIRED!

What you can do instead:

1. Set your alarm for the latest possible time you can wake up for the day. If you don’t have time to snooze, you’ll need to wake up when the alarm goes off. You might still feel sleepy if you’re not getting enough sleep in general, but waking up at this same time every day will help your body adjust so that it starts naturally getting tired at the right time every evening. Basically, stop fooling yourself with that snooze button, and just set the alarm later!

2. If your alarm goes off and you are just not done sleeping, set a new alarm for 20-30 minutes from now instead of hitting snooze. This gives you a longer time in that sleep cycle so that you won’t suffer from sleep inertia when you wake up, instead of waking up 3-5 more times in the next half hour each time your alarm goes back off. This way actually gives you a meaningful amount of extra sleep, about as much as a power nap.

3. Take an “active snooze” and use that extra ten minutes to kick-start your body’s natural wake-up process. A few minutes of gentle stretching, meditation, or journaling can give you some breathing room and let your body wake up slowly. When your alarm goes off the second time, you won’t have fallen back to sleep and will feel more awake and ready to start your day.

Pick one of these strategies to try this week, and see how your days begin to start with more energy and less brain fog! You’ll have more energy throughout your day, and your body’s sleep cycle will begin to regulate itself to make your sleep better and better over time.

Interested in making more small tweaks that lead to BIG results in your energy levels throughout the week? Click here to set up a free activation call, and we’ll get you started!

3 Reasons to Keep Breakfast "Boring"

I’m a morning person by decision, not by design. I’m familiar with the “no time for breakfast” quandary, and in my past (and, tbh, my present) have been guilty of skipping breakfast for a variety of reasons. 

What’s helped? Having a go-to breakfast that I eat mostly every day. 

Keep reading to learn how creating a nutritious, go-to breakfast option can save you time, money, and sanity while helping you enjoy health and happiness throughout your day!

Eating the same breakfast every day saves you time!

One of the strongest tools in your wellness toolbox is meal prepping. But OH MY GOSH it can be so overwhelming! I can barely even decide where I want to go out for dinner, let alone decide my meals for the WHOLE WEEK ahead of time. Meal planning and prepping has always been hard for me. I sit down with a notebook and immediately every food I’ve ever liked disappears out of my brain. 

Have you had that experience?

Having a go-to breakfast means that at least one of my meals each day is already planned. I don’t have to think about it. My meal plan becomes less of a blank slate and more of a sudoku puzzle. This saves me time each week planning my meals, as well as the time each day when I’d otherwise be trying to decide what I wanted for breakfast. 

Eating the same breakfast every day saves you money!

I also save a ton of money on groceries and eating out when I use a go-to breakfast. 

Often, a meal plan with lots of different recipes leaves me needing lots of different ingredients, some of which sit in my fridge and slowly go stale or rotten after I’ve made the meal once. There are several ways around this problem, but one is to eat the same thing several times that week. This way you can buy what you need and use it up over the week making the same thing over and over (or one big batch at the start of the week). If I run out of something I can buy more without guilt, knowing I’ll use any extra next week because I’m eating the same thing!

The other way I save money is by not needing to run to a coffee shop or fast food place halfway through the morning when I finally realize I’m hungry and need something quick! This happens to me frequently if I skip breakfast or don’t get all the nutrients I need. And because I’m hungry and pressed for time, I spend more money than I’d like on food that I probably otherwise wouldn’t really want. 

Eating the same breakfast each day can help you stay healthy and energized!

The biggest way my go-to breakfast has helped me is by ensuring I start the day with the exact nutrients my body needs! It’s taken me some practice and revising to uncover my personal wellness rules, but now I know that for a perfect day, I need to start with protein, veggies, and carbs, and maybe some fruits or healthy fats as well. 

This keeps me from getting hunger pains in the middle of the morning or running out of energy before lunch. AND I’m more productive and more engaged in my work for the morning.

I’m not a fan of counting calories, but I do try to make sure I eat a good mix of different types of food throughout the day. Starting with a well-balanced breakfast helps tremendously, and sets me on the right track for the rest of my meals. I’m more likely to keep making healthy eating decisions throughout my day when I’m full, happy, and have all the nutrients my body needs. 

But what about variety? Don’t you get bored?

Haha! Nope! 

My trick is that I vary some of the details of my breakfast, mostly based on what veggies are in the fridge. I know my breakfast will be a slice of toast, and a 2-egg omelette with sautéed veggies. Which veggies I use changes every week or even daily based on what I still have on hand. It’s a great way to use up leftover veggies that might otherwise go bad!

Below, check out 3 ideas for easy, go-to breakfast ideas you can use to get started. 

One version of my go-to breakfast omelette. This one has no cheese, but has spinach and orange bell pepper, and is topped with a sprinkle of sea salt.

My All-Purpose Breakfast - Omelette with toast

Keep the same: 2 eggs, one slice of toast

Vary: 

• veggie mix-ins -I use spinach, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and any other veggies that seem fun!

• Healthy fats - I will add ½ sliced avocado if I have a ripe one on hand, or a sprinkle of goat or feta cheese. 

My Hubby’s Breakfast Smoothie

Keep the same: protein powder, almond milk, spinach, banana

Vary:

• Frozen fruits, which might be strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, or maybe something more tropical like mango or pineapple

• Add-ins, like 2 tbsp of oats to add some carbs, or ½ avocado for healthy fats

(full disclosure, he also adds peanut butter, but I don’t think that always mixes well with all fruit flavors so take it or leave it!)

Easy Oatmeal

This one is great because you can prep a big batch as overnight oats, or make it hot in the morning. 

Keep the same: rolled oats, almond milk, chia seeds

Vary: 

• Fruit toppings - I like bananas, apples, peaches, and berries

• Add-ins - You can put in some vanilla or chocolate protein powder to up the protein content, coconut oil for healthy fats, or peanut butter for some savory smoothness!

Are you a breakfast person? Or not? What is your go-to breakfast? Let me know in the comments or email me at megangillmanwellness@gmail.com

What is Strala Yoga and Why Am I So Obsessed with it?

How I found Strala

I found Strala Yoga back in 2013 when I stumbled across some of Tara Stiles' videos on MindBodyGreen.com. At the time I loved how the short, 10-15 minute practices she had on youtube fit right into my hectic schedule. I would do yoga in my office at lunch or in a few quick minutes before heading out the door. But I started to fall in love with the way the classes flowed. 

What is different about Strala Yoga?

Many yoga classes seem to focus on teaching you how to do yoga properly, with emphasis on how your body should be aligned and how you should be activating each muscle group to best achieve this alignment. 

Or else, they may focus on how hard you can work, guiding you quickly through various movements intended to build your strength and burn your calories.

Strala was the first style of yoga I encountered where the focus was on teaching you how good you could feel if you stopped letting all these yoga teachers get inside your head.

In Strala we guide the movement and the breath more than the actual postures themselves because in movement there is more room for exploration and personal variation. Whenever we do arrive in a pose we'll hold for a while, we encourage you to explore and move around a bit. Decide which version of the pose feels best for you today, even if it looks a bit weird. 

Strala Yoga feels good because moving naturally feels good, but it's something most of us have stopped practicing. 

Natural Movement is Magic

Moving naturally is what children do. It's why when a child runs it is fun, effortless, and fast, and when an adult runs it is cardio. 

Moving naturally is why a goat can climb up a cliff face with nothing but its hooves, but I can't seem to climb up a flight of stairs without losing my breath. 

Moving naturally involves using the breath to help support your movement and letting your center guide you so that movements flow easily. It's also about finding softness and ease even in hard situations because it's almost impossible to move naturally if you're tensing all your muscles. 

How can I try Strala?

Currently, there aren’t many Strala Yoga guides in my part of Florida, so I either practice on my own or with the videos from the Strala Yoga website. But I had an opportunity to guide Strala Yoga at Momentum Fitness a few weeks ago and I would love to do it again!

If you’re interested in Strala Yoga, let me know in comments or email me at megangillmanwellness@gmail.com! I’d love to set up a small group that gets together for classes!

3 Rules for Better Sleep

Last year during my annual check up my doctor said she thought I might have a thyroid issue. "Are you unusually tired?," she asked.

I really didn't know how to respond. I was working a full time job that took up a ton of my energy. I was also teaching yoga part time and taking two night classes a week for business school. Yes, I was basically exhausted all the time. But, that was normal. Right?

I figured that once I was finished with business school I would have more time to relax and rest. And when I left my full-time job in July, I thought that would leave me feeling rested and restored.

So I was a bit surprised when I noticed that I wasn't actually feeling more energized or rested. I was even more surprised when I tuned in to what my lack of sleep could be doing to the rest of my life.

This month I'm implementing some strategies to start improving my ability to get enough good-quality sleep.

Here's what I'm doing now:

1. Committing to 8 hours of sleep.

2. Flexible Bedtime - 10pm-11pm

3. No Netflix After 9

If only I could sleep as often and as easily as my cat does.

1. Committing to 8 Hours of Sleep

8 hours of sleep is recommended for adults. I don't really know anyone who gets this much, though, so at first it seems a little selfish. It also seems unproductive. Think of what I could be doing with all this time I'm asleep!

But, if I'm honest, this is the time. I'm not enrolled in school anymore, so there's no homework to worry about. I don't have children, just dogs, and my husband is happy to help take care of them at night if I take my shift in the morning.

It's never going to be easier for me to get a full night's sleep.

So each night, I'm making sure I set my alarm for 8 hours after I go to bed.

3. Flexible Bed Time

The flip side of this is making sure I go to bed at least 8 hours before I need to wake up. If I know I have a shift starting at 7, and I want to be awake by 6 am to have breakfast first, then I know I need to be in bed by 10 at the latest. On days when I might not work in the morning, I can stay up later, but realistically I still want to be up pretty early so I can work on my own projects. So I've decided that my bedtime window is between 10 pm and 11 pm. Ideally I'd like to get to bed by 10:30 pm each night, but I might need to turn in earlier if I have an early start the next day, and realistically I might lose track of time and not make it to bed by the time I imagined. To help with this I set an alarm on my phone to go off at 10 pm every night, just letting me know it's time to start heading to the bedroom.

3. No Netflix After 9.

There are people in this world, I'm sure, who are able to watch only one episode of their current favorite show on Netflix. I am not one of those people. Especially if I'm tired and my impulse control is lowered. If I watch one episode, I will want to watch two. If I watch the second, I will want a third. It's like I am a never-ending black hole for entertainment.

I know this about myself and I know that my husband will normally let me get away with it. This is why I cannot allow myself to sit down in front of any streaming video service after 9:00pm, because inevitably I will watch at least two episodes, and then I will have stayed up past my bedtime.

This is proving my hardest rule to follow so far.

---

Initially I felt a bit silly setting all these rules for myself.

I'm 30 years old! I don't need a bedtime.

But really, don't all of us need a bedtime? Without some overarching structure in our lives it's easy to let important things slide, and sleep and rest is often one of the first things to go. If I want to be fully present to enjoy all my waking hours, then I need to make sure I spend enough time sleeping.

What would your rules look like if you were going to set a plan for getting more and better sleep? I’d love to hear them!

So Tired All The Time

About a month ago I made a big decision to quit my full-time job at a university to pursue a path that was more in line with my dreams and vision for what I want my life to be. Being out of my daily 8 am - 5 pm schedule has left me with more autonomy and more control over what I do and when I do it. I've been loving having more flexibility in my schedule, but you know what I've been noticing?

I. am. so. tired!

I'm not a morning person by nature, but in order to squeeze in some exercise during the hot, Florida days I started waking up at 6:30 am or so to go running before work at 8:00. Then I would sit in my office, working or meeting with students, until lunch. Sometimes at lunch I would have time to get up, leave my office, and move around. Then it was back to the desk for the rest of the day. The constant workflow normally kept me busy until it was time to head home. I knew I felt exhausted at the end of the day, but I figured that was from working so hard!

Last Wednesday is when I started to notice what was going on. I was a little sleepy in the morning, but no matter! I went in to my part-time job and made it through my hours no problem. Part way through my shift I felt so hungry. Hungry for what? Not sure. But hungry nonetheless. I tried to fill up with water and coffee while I was working.

When I got in my car, though, it hit me. I wanted to take a nap.

I could have fallen asleep right there in the car!

I didn't though. I had meetings coming up and Things. To. Get. Done.

I knew that being tired was something I need to start avoiding. It was one thing when I was stuck behind my desk all day, but now that I was free to roam my lack of sleep was getting me into all sort of mischief!

So I drove to a coffee shop and grabbed some coffee. I still felt super hungry, but I had just eaten lunch. I made it through my meeting without ordering any food, but I felt a little scattered.

After the meeting, though, that's when the impact really hit me: Irrational decision making.

I make silly choices when I'm too tired.

I drove to a bookstore and ordered two books I didn't really need.

I then walked to a cupcake store and bought 6 cupcakes. I meant to buy two. But they were 6 for the price of 5. So… yeah.

Going out of my way for this little shopping spree put me almost 10 minutes late for my next meeting.

Once that was done, instead of getting work done like I had planned I ended up reading a vampire novel for a few hours until I was done. I was too tired to feel motivated or productive.

I knew that being tired was something I need to start avoiding. It was one thing when I was stuck behind my desk all day, but now that I was free to roam my lack of sleep was getting me into all sort of mischief!

It hit me again yesterday. I noticed while I was at my part time job. I was sleepy. Not surprising. I had stayed up later than I planned the night before. I woke up early to go for a run, but I was feeling too tired to actually go running. I ate a big breakfast but still felt hungry all day. What's more, I started noticing that it felt like I couldn't take full, deep breaths without a conscious effort.

This time, after getting home and eating lunch, I put myself down for a nap. After waking up after a long nap, I was more productive in three hours than I had been that whole day the week before.

I felt really vindicated today when I found this article about the impacts of not getting enough sleep. Sure enough, it impacts your appetite and your blood oxygen level.

The list of negative impacts from sleeping too little is long and scary. So my big goal for the month of June is to get more and better sleep. I’ll be sure to share any strategies that work for me! If you have tips, please feel free to email me or comment on this blog. I could use all the help!

Why Do I Wait So Long to See a Doctor?

It's almost seven in the morning. I've been up since just after 4 suffering from a really interesting pain. It feels like there is something shoved up my urethra, and at the same time it feels like my bladder and belly are both full.

I don't know why it's so much worse at night, or why it seems worse today. I don't feel good, though.

It feels worse when I run, it feels worse when I sleep. And I'm trying to figure out why I let it go this long. Why didn't I call my doctor when I first got the infection, or when it didn't go away after a week? Why have I been suffering through mild pain for so long that it's become normal?

Initially I didn't go in because I thought it would go away on it's own. I get a lot of these. It would be hard to say how many. One every few months, maybe, since I was in college. Part of it is the fear that something is really wrong with me. If I don't know about it then I don't have to deal with it. Part of it is the fear of the cost. It's not in the budget for me to receive medical treatment (even though I do have health insurance). Part of it was the pre-emptive feeling of frustration thinking they might say "everything seems normal" and there would be no help for me anyway.

These hangups are not a result of my doctor, who I think is great. They are a result of a lifetime of learned subconscious lessons. I learned that the doctors were scary when they took blood and gave me shots when I was small. I learned that anything that was weird in my general "reproductive area" was probably what I deserved for being sexually active from sex ed. I learned that doctors can dismiss my pain and complaints easily from a doctor in college who told me that my symptoms didn't exist because he couldn't find a reason from them. From my friends with major health problems I've learned how draining it is to have to advocate for yourself through our health system, and how much suffering you sometimes have to endure just to stay well.

The overarching theme that I've internalized is that our health system is not for helping me, and it should be utilized sparsely, because it's often very dangerous and distressing.

I wonder how many other people have internalized that same message?

Is this universal? Is it U.S.based fear of healthcare? Is it a generational thing?

Maybe it's biological - an impulse from back when being sick meant being left behind or being the first picked off.

I like to think that I'm a rational person, but I also feel that it's rational to try to avoid the healthcare industry as much as I can.

It's hard for me to feel comfortable relying on this system that I know objectively has so many flaws. But it's also uncomfortable for me to have a bladder infection. So today, at the prompting of my husband, I'm asking my doctors help.

I'm glad I'm at the point in my life where I feel able to recognize some of these patterns that are shaping my decision-making, instead of just going along for the ride. But I'm also feeling frustrated by the systems and society that taught me these lessons, because that's not the society I'd like to live in.

Now I'm wondering if I should really post this. Because, like, who really needs to know that I have a bladder infection? But it's my blog so, you know, whatever. I don't feel comfortable talking about this. And maybe you don't feel comfortable reading it, or talking to or listening to other peoples health hang ups. That's ok. Pretty normal, I think. But in my experience the things we feel most uncomfortable talking about are the things it would be the most helpful for us to talk about.