Well, we’re back from vacation and ready to dig in deeper! All I can say is wow, what a great time on the beautiful island of Kauai we had. I had some amazing breakthroughs as I challenged myself in some areas of fear I had. But the biggest wow, for me, was that I actually rested! This is the first time in over a week, I’ve opened my laptop up! Crazy I know! For the go getter in me, rest hasn’t been easy, but this time, we nailed it! So now, it’s back to work, with a refreshed mind and conviction to reach a bit further, to dig just a little deeper. Since we’ve been back, we literally have been non stop with kids activities, business, schedules, and getting back to the grind. Read on to hear more about my plans to share my successes and struggles.
Rest looks different for everyone, it can mean different things for different seasons.
Rest for me, on this vacation, meant taking care of me first and foremost. Which equals my sleep, my exercise, hydration and my nutrition, followed up with a massive amount of do nothing! There wasn’t an agenda (such a weird feeling), we just WERE, and went with it each day. It was glorious, and made the transition post vacation, a little easier. We found a great way for me to get consistent clean breakfasts each morning after a workout. Looked like crazy people packing our water from Costco into our resort, so we could stay hydrated, and had some of the smelliest workout clothes ever pulling daily doubles in the gym with all that humidity. We loved every minute of it and it helped us reset for goals we individually have and as a couple. We really did have fun.
Does this mean that I ate perfectly? Nope, I did not, and I paid for it, lol. I went to a Lua, (amazing experience) and totally over ate. I also enjoyed a really nice anniversary dinner with my hubby, and also paid for that one with a nice tummy ache. But overall, I did really well. I decided ahead of time, what was important to me, and remembered that everyday.
I think that’s really key, remembering what’s important to you, and determining to stick with it. No we won’t be perfect, but when we have the “why” we’re doing something so clear, come hell or high water, we can make it happen. It’s the excuses that tend to take over.
The struggle, for myself sometimes, is the “get back to it”
after we’ve had a not so good meal, day, or a life situation arises that triggers an emotional response. How do we navigate that? How do we navigate health? This my friends, is the life long question and journey we all face at some time. My goal in blogging this season of my life is to share my struggles, blood, sweat and tears when there are some, and expose the raw realness of the journey. I warn you, it won’t be pretty and rose filled. It will however, hold me accountable, and give encouragement to those around me, (I hope).
Yesterday wasn’t pretty.
Nope. I struggled a lot, mainly because we took our oldest back to college, and I never do well doing that. Yes I’m excited for her, but dang it, I get sad and miss the heck out of her. I’m also, pretty tired, still trying to adjust from the time change of vacation (3 hours), and we haven’t stopped since we got home. So, tired, and emotions came together, and after we dropped off the oldest, I responded with wanting something to eat I shouldn’t have. Yep, I ate it. I had done super well all day, and I blew it. Not proud at all, but I’m human. My family didn’t stop me, (not their job, I’m an adult), and they knew the tummy ache would come soon after, and it did, this time with some nausea. I don’t eat crap anymore, my body knows that, and it wanted nothing to do with it in my system. It was my dang mind that was the issue.
With some time to ponder, this is what I know to be true, and what I’m committing to memory and putting in front of me on my wall where I can see it. My initial response when my sadness meter gets turned up is to reach for comfort. Throughout my life, in different seasons, food has given comfort. Either the over eating of it, or when stress is high, not eating at all. (REALLY REALLY BAD for the metabolism). So, I need a NEW pattern of behavior when that response is triggered, not because I’m trying to be perfect with my eating, but because its so important to reach my goals, I’m not willing to regress.
This new pattern of behavior will be different depending on where I am, but I’m going to start here so I have a game plan: If I’m in the car – I’m going to turn on a podcast. I have several that are my favorite go tos. This helps regardless if I’m driving or a passenger, and can immediately help the mind. If I’m not in the car, I’m going to do 25 push ups. Push ups are a weakness for me, and I can always benefit from moving. I don’t need to be somewhere special, and I don’t need to have equipment.
So that’s my plan, and I’ve shared it. If you have a similar struggle, what could you do to change a pattern of behavior? It doesn’t have to be anything major, something simple, to retrain your mind NOT to react a normal way. If we fail to plan we plan to fail, so think about a game plan that you can do, to help create a different behavior if you’re struggling with something.
Until next time…
Mel
