Health Check-In

Hello friends and happy Healthy Wednesday!

My apologies for the slow week…on this healthy Wednesday, I am not very well. Danny’s cold finally caught up to me and mix that with the new routine and I am pretty much the opposite of health. The cold stinks and has pretty much thrown me since Saturday evening….but my true health frustration is the everyday lack of health in the past week.

My sleep is limited, my energy is down, my food choices center around fast and cheap, my days are spent rushing around, my mind is constantly racing, my beverages only come with caffeine, and my motivation to keep going centers around edible treats. How is this life playing out - well my skin is a wreck, my eye lids constantly heavy, my cold lingering on, my anxiety amped high, and my mood is grumpy. You put all this into the blender of my life and I am overwhelmed. Both Danny and I are frustrated with this moment and committed to not letting what started out as strong organized effort and hopes for a new phase of life, that quickly transformed to just survival. To get back to strong health, good choices, a life lived purposefully - I have to start just one step at a time.

First and foremost, the sharing of a car or relying on family for rides was not going to cut it. This left us at the mercy of others - and they were beyond generous to help us, but we also had to be on their schedule. This meant not grocery shopping, eating when and where we could, errands and to dos getting backed up and schedules that were designed with catching a ride and not priorities. We had been looking at a second car - we have been sharing since I started working from home and we only needed one car- and last night we bit the bullet. This will allow us both to determine our own schedules, our own timelines, and get focus on our priorities. Plus - is there really a price you can put on a jam session in between work and your next stop. I LOVE the time - even in DC traffic - to just turn on the tunes and get lost in my thoughts. That time is back and with a new car AND sunroof….I am already feeling better!

Second step - get actually healthy. Danny has been sick for over a week now and I have inherited the mucus gang. So we are saying what NEEDS to get done today - doing that and getting rest, eating healthier (home cooked meals and packed lunches) and refusing to wind each other up about laundry piles, forgotten errands, and scary email inboxes. We have had some social things come up - but we have had to sit them out or attend but limitedly - not ideal….but our candles can no longer burn at both ends.

Finally although our week is being paired down to essentials and resting when we can - we are still keeping our goals in the forefront, sharing the must do’s to assure they get done and planning how to better approach next week. When I pictured health wednesday posts I am dreaming of long runs, dynamite recipes that exude flavor and represent healthy choices, and reports of endless energy and fantastic moods. I do not have that to report this week….but I can say that dialing it back, focusing, getting good sleep and lots of water can lead to good things….and just because we are hitting a roadblock we are not giving up.

No matter where you are with your week…..do your best to stay healthy - it is a step by step decision.