My Ultimate Health Project - Week 11 - Stress

I challenge one single person to tell me honestly that they have never been stressed in their lives. If you told me to my face I don't think I would be able to believe you, even if you swore that it was true. All of us can relate to the concept of stress, we have too much on our plate, all at the same time, most of it time sensitive and no profession goes untouched anymore when it comes to operating in a stressful environment. We can't expect to avoid stress but we need to learn to successfully manage it.

Reflecting back on these last few weeks and the topics that I have explored, it is clear that stress can be a real sabotager in achieving any goals or aspirations. More successful individuals have coping mechanisms to be able to deal with and manage stress on a real time basis.

Managing stress doesn't just lead to you being a nicer person to be around, it has health benefits too. Stress and associated negative behaviors attributed to stress (such as lack of sleep, dependency on alcohol, increased intake of sugary foods and irregular exercise) can lead to a depleted immune system over time. This reduces your bodies ability to fight off infection and why stress can make you feel "run down".

Mentally stress just weighs you down, it's excess baggage, stopping you from living in your present and enjoying it.

What's my objective this week?

This week I will be looking at and documenting stress managing strategies.

Tips to not derail when real-life hits

What do you do when real-life happens? When you have conflicting priorities, not enough hours in the day to get it all done and you can see your personal goals and objectives unravelling in front of you? 

These are the top 5 things that I consider and do when I feel myself off track. 

1. Go back to your "why". Think back to why you started something in the beginning, what was at the heart of your decision. Figure out if this is still a priority before you quit. If you can reengage with your "why" and it's still something you can feel is a priority you've got to figure out a way to keep going.
2. Bring it back to the basics. Chances are that you've thrown yourself into your new project with such gusto and enthusiasm that you've added a few bells and whistles along the way. If you find yourself losing focus and becoming derailed, strip it all back to the fundamentals. Remember it's not about perfection - it's about progress.
3. Clear your mind. Usually by the point that we are derailing there is an enormous amount of noise going on in our heads. Find a way to clear that out. I do something called my 5 minute meditation that helps me to sort and organize my thoughts in a logical way making me feel more focussed and in control. Plus it only takes 5 minutes.
4. Stop with the self defeating talk. Talking down to yourself or negatively isn't going to help get you back on track. In fact it's probably going to stick the final nail in the coffin on whatever project you're trying to finish.  
5. Get some sleep. Anxiety and emotions are heightened when we are operating on not enough sleep. Rationale decisions are harder to make and logical thought process out the window. 

Finally (this isn't a tip but words to live by) comparison is the biggest thief of joy. No one else's life is perfect, even it appears all wonderful and shiny via Facebook / Instagram / their chat. Don't worry about others, just focus on yourself, take a deep breathe and get back on track.

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 10 - Staying on track

The last few weeks it has probably been clear that what I am choosing for my "topic" is being driven by what's been going on in my life. I didn't necessarily intend for the project to happen organically, rather I thought that I would plan out my 12 weeks in terms of my mental and physical well being and how that relates to my cancer and see what I uncovered along the way. 

Actually what has happened is a deeper knowledge and understanding at the beginning of the project around the things that I value and hold important to me such as gratitude, nutrition and my own learning and educating. Then it started to morph into something else as my "real-life" resumed, my integration back into the world at large, the care for my son, my job, finding time for exercise, cooking and my semblance of a social life started to happen. Suddenly my order and planning slipped regardless of my intentions, talking about certain issues like navigating financial wellness and medical expenses (a topic I had previously chosen) just didn't sit right with me when I was struggling and had an overall lack of energy. So I pivoted, changed direction, realized I needed to dig deep and preserver if completing my project was something I wanted to do, which I did / do. 

This change of direction and more apt topic made me realize that my lessons are happening in real time, in life around me right now and it's not about remaining rigid and unbending and sticking to the plan but instead learning how to identify where the lessons exist and my own response to that.

It also made me realizes that set back still happen, even after something as horrible as cancer. Maybe the set backs aren't quite as large as that but they are still set backs, they still affect me, I'm not immune, I have a new perspective granted but it's not all kittens and mittens and rainbows over here. There are still the average, everyday struggles that we all suffer with and they are just as much of a pain in the ass now as they were before the cancer.

So all that pre-amble leads me to what I am thinking about this week which is staying on track. In thinking about this project and feeling like I had lost my way both in focus and dedication and how I would figure that out, I thought that similar principles could be applied to many aspects of life where you may find yourself wandering off track. Healthy eating, fitness routines, personal pursuits. Typically when life happens and time becomes constrained we start to reprioritize unconsciously. tackling Items and things we consider "must dos" such as our jobs, feeding our children, paying bills. There becomes little time for other activities and we wander off track.

In all of this the first thing I have recognized is that it's really ok that I wander off track sometimes. Rather than beat myself up that I've missed some self imposed deadline of posting my topic update on a weekly basis I've instead let it slide because it happened. No one died, it's not a tragic mistake. What's actually more key was the recognition in myself that I wanted to get it back on track, that I was still committed to it. Being able to answer the question of "is this important to me and something that will benefit me in a mental or physical way?" was far more constructive for me than just kicking myself verbally in my own head for "failing".

Staying on track is really about the long game. Figuring out what's important to you and refocussing at an appropriate point. Short term quitting may seem like a more palatable answer but rarely will you be glad that was the decisions that you took a month later.

So here I am, several days late but still in the game and THAT is the important part.

What's my objective this week?
To figure out what will help me stay on track.

Sleep

I have such mixed emotions writing this particular post. When talking about energy, sleep is an obvious topic to cover. Not sure that anyone would dispute the link between the amount of sleep that you get and the direct collation with increased energy. We are always being told to get more sleep to increase immunity, reduce overall body inflammation  cope with stress, increase concentration and decision making capabilities. For women we are driven into a frenzy of fear that our lack of sleep is contributing to an inability to shift some pounds of weight.

The reason I have mixed emotions is because I believe the research and I love sleep, but for some of us it's just not as simple as attempting to sleep more. Some of us have lives that require us to work peculiar hours, children that don't or won't sleep through the night, multiple priorities and a whole life that happens at 5am before we even get into the office or are having chemo and then sleep is literally impossible. So whilst I think it is important to understand that there is a strong linkage between sleep and energy levels I focus on quality over quantity because realistically speaking it's just not feasible to try to fall asleep in some instances or squeeze an extra few hours in. The rest of my life would simply stop functioning.

This isn't a science lesson so not going to go into the minutia, but your sleep pattern of an evening is comprised of different stages or cycles. The most important cycles of sleep are the deep sleep phase where most of the great restorative work happens and the REM stage. The damaging effects of sleep deprivation are mainly felt when we lack deep sleep because this is where the body repairs and heals itself and creates energy for us. To maximize your ability to gain deep sleep you should try and create an environment where you are disturbed by light and noise as little as possible. Be conscious of drinking or smoking in the evening. We also need REM sleep though as well as this phase plays a key role in restoring learning and memory and a brain functioning on all cylinders without the aid of coffee is our objective here.

In summary we should all be aiming for 7.5 hours sleep a night where possible. Where that might not be realistic simply ensure that you're doing everything you can to maximize the amount of time you have asleep or helping yourself fall asleep in the first place. Make sleep a priority, set a regular bedtime, don't watch TV or check your phone in bed, minimize noise and light where possible and if your mind is cluttered do my "5 minute meditation". Some things you simply can't control but those are aspects of your sleep schedule that you can so start there!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 9 - Energy

Last week was all about digging deep and persevering. Boy what a week it was. It can be tough juggling multiple priorities including things that you have to do and finding time for the things that are priorities for you but you don't HAVE to do. Then if you layer that onto an environment of uncertainty and instability it can be downright overwhelming and much easier to just allow yourself the ability to stop or park whatever initiative you were in the midst of. It's why so many new years resolutions fail, or any lifestyle changes become unsustainable. We start new projects with gusto and enthusiasm which lends itself to us feeling like our new project is no effort, once that initial shine wears off and then life throws challenges our way we want to throw in the towel. This is where perseverance comes in and the position I found myself in last week. Clearly I've given no detail around the circumstances, quite frankly I didn't have time to write although I would have loved to have done. I had to reprioritize in terms of what I could accomplish, at some points I felt like I have simply taken on too much but then it's sad to think that you would end up doing less of the things that make you happy because you quit.

The experience last week lent itself to what I wanted to explore this week - the concept of energy. If I think about the original reasoning of this project and why I doing this, it comes down to energy, rebuilding that energy that was diminished from the cancer treatment both from a metal and physical perspective. 

But energy is so crucial to our overall functioning. It's the first thing that is impacted by bad health, disease, poor lifestyle choices and a big reason as to why people look to make more health conscious decisions. When we have physical energy it's easier to keep momentum going and our enthusiasm and passion. Tasks are easier to accomplish, we see everything from a place of gratitude. It feels like it's hard to start but easy to keep on going once we have done. 

Likewise positivity seems easier when we are coming from a place of mental energy. Negative mental energy can be created from within if we talk down to ourselves, live in the past or the future (neither of which we can control) or we draw comparisons to ourselves and lives to others around us. Negative energy from others really does drag us down. Ever had that situation where you hate spending time around a friend who you brings out the worst in you by their own complaining? Yup negative energy.

So if energy is so important to overall wellbeing how do you ensure that you're firing on all cylinders?

What's my objective this week?
To explore the ways in which I can develop more energy be through nutrition or lifestyle.

Understand what situations or circumstances deplete energy.

My Ultimate Health Project - Week 8 - Perseverance

Perseverance. Defined as "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." 

My plan for Week 8 was to explore a different theme entirely and suddenly before I knew it life started getting in the way of simply everything. I didn't have time to do all the things that I had planned out like working out, writing, preparing food and cooking on top of looking after my son. There were some real curve balls thrown in at me, let down at the last minute on some big stuff and finding myself stuck seeing the things that I wanted to do but just not being able to.

It's so frustrating being in a position like that and it can happen in other circumstances, work related, fitness, health and relationships. It got me thinking that there probably comes a point in all journeys, whatever they may be, where you need to apply some perseverance. Even when life is proving difficult or delaying you achieving the things that you want to achieve or reaching success you need to persevere. Quitting is just kind of madness. Sure it's probably easier and you can rite it off to stress or all the other things you have on your plate, people would understand, friends would be sympathetic, you tell yourself you will always go back to it, pick it up again, but the reality is it will probably never happen. After you've ridden out that high at the beginning of something and now it's become mainstream and your adrenaline is running out, that's the time you've got to dig deep inside of you and find this perseverance.

It's pretty timely for a topic given that I am on Week 8 of my project. As with any projects even those you enjoy, you have to preserve. it's all about prioritization and what's important to you but not beating yourself up if you're not on track against all your timelines 100per cent of time.

So that's what's happening with me this week. My theme has changed, my post is late but that's ok - because I am still getting it done!

What's my objective this week?

To identify throughout the week the types of situations that make me feel like I need to persevere  To then see how I actually tackle the situation and what that means to me.

Exercise is a privilege not a chore

Somewhere in the world right now, right this moment there is someone praying for what you take for granted. The ability to move your body, to push yourself, to get your blood pumping, oxygen flowing, the initial pain followed by that wonderful endorphin rush. Exercise isn't a chore. 

Only several weeks ago I was one of those people, unable to move and be active, exercise, be healthy, because it had all been taken away from me unexpectedly. 

My cancer treatment left me physically ruined in comparison to the healthy person I had been. Basic tasks were impossible like brushing my teeth, showering and even walking. My lowest point came when my husband had to push me in a wheelchair. I will never forget being in it, unable to walk, devoid of anything that resembled physical strength, people staring at me but I was so sick I didn't care. I wondered if I would ever be the person that I once was.

I always loved exercise but now I see it in a different way. I am BEYOND grateful to my body for fighting my disease, not letting me down and slowly repairing itself. I exercise because I can and because my body deserves to be treated like I care about it.
 
So who knows what is round the corner for me but I'm not taking a second for granted and I am loving every workout and everything that I am doing! Anything is possible.

Excess baggage

2015 is now underway.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting on 2014. It was a big year for me for a variety of reasons and as I was looking forward to 2015 and thinking about my year ahead something occurred to me. I realized I had a lot of negative emotions associated with my year and that it pretty much translated into excess baggage for me. 

We carry a lot of baggage around with us on a daily basis, how we view ourselves, how we think other people view us, a variety of emotions and our responses to traumatic events that have occurred to us. Traumatic events don't need to be dramatic events like cancer or having a child. They can be things like falling out with a close friend or not getting a promotion at work. They are events that upset the equilibrium in our worlds, that unsettling us and make us slightly unsure of who we are.

It is really easy to let this baggage follow us around and weigh us down. Eventually it starts to redefine who we are and shape our outlook. Moving into a new year is a perfect time to draw a line under any excess baggage. Goodness knows I've had my fair share. But it's freeing and empowering to leave it all behind, to turn the new page and recognize that this year doesn't have to be defined by what has come before it. Get a new perspective. See things from a different angle. Anything is possible.