Too tired to exercise

Ever felt just too tired to do any exercise?

I struggled to stay awake at work today. Got home and went straight to bed for a nap. When I woke up after a hour, I grappled with whether I should go for a walk. I felt guilty because if I didn’t go for a walk, I wouldn’t make my 4 walks this week. And I hadn’t done my mid-week weights routine.

Going back to sleep was a real temptation. I didn’t think I would be able to make it on my normal walk. And the weights? Forget it. I was worried that I would injure myself. But I knew if I went to sleep I would wake up later that night and then stay awake until the early hours.

What to do?

Well, I put on my walking gear and just did it. Surprisingly, after the first block or two I was energised. I felt awake. I even put in a run on part of my track. (The downhill part, but still.)

I got back from my walk invigorated. I was able to do my weights routine. And interact with my family.

The moral of the story: sometimes you’re too tired not to do exercise. Starting is the hardest part. Once you get going, it is easy. Exercise will energise you. Sleep and sloth and lounging around will make you more tired.

So put on your shoes. And walk!

Monitoring healthily habits Friday to Thursday

Friday
Have you done any activity today?

Yes, 30min walk.

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

No.

Alcohol consumption?

3 glasses of bubbles

Saturday
Have you done any activity today?

No.

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

No.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

No.

Alcohol consumption?

Nil.

Sunday
Have you done any activity today?

1 hour walk

Strong Women routine

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes. And finished the bit not drunk yesterday.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

Yes.

Alcohol consumption?

3 glasses of bubbles

Monday
Have you done any activity today?

No.

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

Yes, but did doze for a few minutes on the lounge.

Alcohol consumption?

2 glasses of low alcohol bubbles.

Tuesday
Have you done any activity today?

1 hour Pilates.

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

Yes.

Alcohol consumption?

1 glass of bubbles

Wednesday
Have you done any activity today?

45 min walk

Strong Women exercises

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

No.

Alcohol consumption?

Nil.

Thursday
Have you done any activity today?

No.

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

No.

Alcohol consumption?

Nil.

Way to go. Add to your collection another community chest card.

Monitoring healthy habits for Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday
Have you done any activity today?

1 hour walk

Strong Women exercises

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

Yes.

Alcohol consumption?

Nil.

Thursday
Have you done any activity today?

45 min walk

Have you drunk 1 litre of water?

Yes.

Did you go to bed by 11pm?

No.

Alcohol consumption?

Nil.

Well done. Take a get of jail free card.

Using triggers to change a habit

Having the jug of water on my bench is definitely working.

I cannot go into the family area without seeing it. And this constant reminder helps. I may not feel thirsty but I need to drink. I have had 2 small cups and one mug of tea, and a tiny bit of juice. Without the jug of water, I probably wouldn’t have reached for any water until I went for my walk. But now I have drunk my litre.

Go the use of triggers!

Nor any drop to drink

So you know you should drink more water. But how much?

8 glasses? And how big are the bloody glasses? 2 litres? What if I am tiny? Or huge?

All sites agree that thirst is not a good indication of dehydration. And water consumption needs vary depending on a lot of lifestyle conditions.

Trying to establish a new habit, I am going to take the steps needed to get a new habit.

Set one clear and achievable goal and write the goal down. I will drink a litre of water a day. (Yeah, maybe it should be more. But I don’t want to set myself up for failure.) This will be my focus.

Have a reason. Be healthy, stop headaches, aid digestion, improve skin.

Make a conscious decision to act in the first few weeks. I will use some triggers to help this for me.

Identify and remove obstacles. Not having water at the ready. Reaching for a cup of tea instead of a glass of water. Not having water at set times. I am worse at drinking water on weekends and holidays. To address these obstacles I will have a bottle of water on the kitchen bench at home and on my desk at work. I will fill the first thing so water is at the ready.

Identify triggers. These can be negative – those that have you do the bad habit – and positive – those that act as prompts. The bottle will be a positive trigger. I will also put up some post it notes to remind me to drink water.

Have a reward. Mmmm. Still thinking about this one. Any ideas?

Continue until the act becomes a part of my routine. When you act out of routine, you do something without having to think and it feels wrong when you don’t do it.

I will track my progress for the next 30 days. Join me. Let’s live a more healthy life.

Water, water everywhere

Water is essential for health and just plain living.

I have conquered my sleep goals, well enough to say that I’ve turned my sleep hygiene (still find that phrase funny) around. Now to focus on my “Drink more water!” goal on the road to healthy living (and gorgeousness, of course, haven’t forgotten that).

I think we all know why we need to drink water but as information often aids motivation, I will outline the reasons for drinking water – in no particular order or hierarchy.

Tap water is cheap. And has no calories. And doesn’t wreck your teeth.

When we think we are hungry, we may actually be thirsty. And we are probably slightly dehydrated, especially in warm climates and air conditioned rooms. So drinking water may stop you eating too much or unnecessarily and thus lose weight.

If you get headaches, they may be a result of being dehydrated. Drink water (and get some fresh air) rather than reach for a painkiller.

If you get most of your fluids from tea or coffee, you are doing your bladder no favours. Add to that pelvic floor issues (which many women have) and opps!! Did you know tea and coffee irritate the bladder and make you think you have to go more often? Water is better and helps address those surge incontinence issues you may think are just a sign of advancing age and childbirth. Drop the cuppa and have more water, and I bet you’ll see an improvement.

Water flushes toxins out of vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells.

Mild dehydration can cause muscle, joint and back pain. Water acts as a lubricant for our joints. Less lubrication, more friction, more wear and pain.

Avoid constipation, drink water. Enuf said.

Mild dehydration can result in poor concentration, fuzzy short-term memory, fatigue and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen.

Water keeps your cells healthy.

Water reduces the risk of cystitis by keeping the bladder clear of bacteria.

Water keeps the blood liquid enough to flow.

Water improves skin quality and texture by moisturising it.Cut the expensive moisturiser, drink water.

Water serves as a shock absorber inside the eyes, spinal cord and in the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus in pregnancy. Not that I need the last one!

Not enough water can lead to kidney stones. Ouch!

I am sure this enough to have you wanting to go for a drink right now!!!

I am off to drink two big glasses of water. This has made me very thirsty.