Reality Check

I’ve had a Fitbit HR Charge for a couple of weeks now, and there are a few key things I’ve learned as a result:

• My quality of sleep blows.
• I’d benefit from giving my weekends a health overhaul.
• I have good intentions, but terrible follow-through.

The quality of sleep thing doesn’t surprise me, but it hits you a little differently when you check your stats in the morning and it says you slept for 7.5 hours, but were awake six times and restless 26 times. That’s the worst it’s been so far, but not by much. I would love, love, love to get to a point where I sleep through the night without being restless. I know there’s a plethora of tips and tricks to help people sleep better, but when the heat spikes and there’s no AC, you have a puppy who gets into all kinds of mischief, and you can’t help but drink water right before bed, well, that uninterrupted sleep becomes more of a fantasy than a possibility.

And then there are the weekends. My routine during the week is pretty solid – for the most part – but I get to the weekend and it’s like all bets are off. Eat too much, drink too much, and lounge around like a slug. Once upon a time, I was out hiking a mountain every Saturday morning. Somewhere along the line, I decided that wasn’t as important to me.

Finally, the follow-through. I tell myself I’ll get up and go for a run in the morning. I don’t. I start off my day eating well and staying within the range needed to continue to lose weight. Then I get home from work and a good day goes out the window. Even regular chores and errands have taken a back seat.

So, what it comes down to now, is starting over with a clean slate and starting small. It’s Monday, which means it’s another opportunity to get it right. So here’s the plan:

• Run or do yoga – something physical – at least two mornings before work this week.
• No skipping afternoon workouts. This means kickboxing today, tomorrow, and Thursday, along with my softball game on Wednesday.
• No work on Friday, so that means there’s either ample time for a hike, run, or trip to the gym.
• No fast food. I’m a fast food junkie – it’s pretty ridiculous – but this week the focus will be on eating lunch at home, not going out for dinner, and making smarter food choices, even after the work day is over.
• Give myself a break, but don’t use it as an excuse to go overboard. Even if I lose track of my resolve and go overboard on one meal, that’s not an excuse to eat like crap and be a slug the rest of the day.

I’m going to be honest: Some of these things sound pretty terrible to me right now. Right this second, I’m exhausted, grumpy, hungry, and don’t feel very good. I’m in prime “screw it” mode, and in desperate need of an attitude adjustment. There are going to be days like this, and I can’t fall into “screw it” mode every time I wake up grumpy.