I did not sleep well last night…
So, who is with me? I did not sleep well last night. I have been trying to practice what I preach in living a well-rounded healthy lifestyle. From cutting back on screen time and social media, to interacting more with loved ones, to eating all of my vegetables and “saying no thank you to sugar”, to exercising at least 3 times a week for 60 minutes, to cooking dinner each night and having an engaging conversation with my teenagers, to wearing my mask, to washing my hands, to doing my yoga for back pain relief 3 times a week, to keeping a regular bedtime routine with a consistent light out time for 8 hours sleep, to drinking enough water, to breathing deeply, to sitting up straight at my computer, to remembering to stand or get a stretch break every 30 minutes, to… Wow! Is anyone else tired and stressed just thinking about all that is involved in leading a healthy life and doing EVERYTHING you can to not end up dying an early, horrible death? It can be exhausting!
So, that brings me back to the fact that I did not sleep well last night. I wonder why? I exercised on my treadmill in the morning. I had a well-rounded breakfast complete with whole grains, chia seeds, and Organo healthy coffee. I talked to my mom and engaged well with my teenagers. I sat up straight at my computer and stood at my standing desk. I had vegetables at lunch AND at dinner. I had Skinny Pop Popcorn for my snack. I don’t think I ate any refined sugar. Oh, wait, I collapsed on the couch at 8:30 PM, zoned out to Virgin River Season 2 episode 4 AND 5, and then decided to cruise quickly through Facebook only to find an engaging conversation to weigh in on. Well, I had a perfectly healthy day and screwed it up at the end – darn! Of course, I did not sleep as well as the nights before when I correctly turned off the TV, put down my phone, did Yoga from 9-9:30 and fell asleep at 9:45 for a solid 8 hours of complete rest!
Is living a healthy life this hard for everyone? It certainly is for me. And I am IN the healthy living industry. Balancing your mental, physical, and emotional needs to design a healthy life takes a lot of conscious effort, yes. But you do not have to be perfect and you do not have to navigate it alone. Last month I talked about goals. I relooked at my goals this AM and decided that I needed to recommit to making sure that I worked harder on my goal for a regular, media free bedtime routine. It does make a huge difference and I know it. I will do better, but I will make mistakes along the way.
For those living with a physical, mental or chronic health challenge, setting goals and sticking to them can be even harder. Often, you will not be successful on your own. That is what ExercisAbilities is all about – and we want to help you to lead your best life. Whether you want better tools to control your pain, access to equipment or skilled assistance to meet exercise and wellness goals, or a proven program to lose weight, we have a program for you!
Let us help you be successful – improve your health, and make this the year that you reduce your risk of early health deterioration for good!
*Remember, we are breaking down financial barriers to getting the rehabilitation, health, and wellness help that you need. We will make sure that you get the care you need without money standing in the way!
**Want to support someone who needs help to get healthy this year? See our donation or volunteer page to see how you can help! Together, we can make our community members improve their health, happiness, and independence!
To your 2021 health journey,
Melanie Brennan