Last week I exercised with vigor, logged my food and exercise more regularly and overall ate better.
That being said, I struggle a bit to write this blog this morning at a time when I would normally be sweating it out like a champ on a bike in Spin class. Yet, last night as I was watching some TV, I crossed my legs and something in my hip started to ache. It was tough falling asleep as I could not get my left leg comfortable. When I woke up, it felt a little stiff, but when I got out of bed it wasn't sharp pain, but an ache enough that my body said, "Rest." After an extra hour of sleep, my leg is still a bit off, but not spinning was the smart choice. I know I would not have been able to go easy in that class and I was worried about making this injury worse.
I told a friend last week that rest is key in healing...I needed to repeat that to myself over and over in bed this morning. I know (in the long run) a rest day today will be beneficial. It's tough, however, to begin my day out of the regular routine of checking in with gym buddies and beginning my day with exercise.
Depending on how the leg feels at the end of the day, yoga is an option to stretch it out. We'll just have to see how it feels later.
In the meantime, I can say that in general I've been feeling much better, health wise. I feel like the weight loss over the past few months is now showing and clothes have been fitting better and I have more energy. :) These are all wonderful positives even when the numbers on the scale are not going down.
In other realms of my life, my word for the year is wholehearted. This month I've been focusing on cultivating a resilient spirit - letting go of numbing and powerlessness. Thanks to Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection, my guidepost for this month addresses how we numb things in our lives. We find additions and use them to numb feelings and emotions. The thing that she has come to realize or discover is that you can't numb just the things you don't like. When you practice numbing, you numb the bad AND the good. I've realized that my phone screen takes up much of my time. When I'm in the room with others, I'm drawn to check the screen. When the tv is on, I'll scroll facebook or my instagram feed and truthfully not fully be engaged in either screen. So, I've been actively limiting my time on social media and silly cat games. I've been more aware of my surroundings at home and will check facebook from time to time on my desktop and try not to be sucked into my phone.
I've already found much more time to read, which is a bonus.
I'm also aware that when I'm home with down time, it's much more of a challenge to curb myself from my phone. Last week's snow day was a tough one.
Oh, my one other self-inflicted rule is that I don't check social media in bed. For one, it means I'm not staring at a screen for many minutes or more before falling asleep, but also I'm not waking up and staring at a screen before I begin my day. This simple change has made the biggest difference in a good way for my sleep habits.
I've taken to journal everyday, as well.
I end with a simple entry: the Vowel Check. (Found in The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown)
A- Have I been abstinent today? How have I refrained (or not) from the items that numb me? - for me social media/phone screen time
E- Have I exercised today?
I- What have I done for me today?
O- what have I don't for others today?
U- Am I holding on to unexpressed emotions?
Y- Yeah! What's something good that happened today?
Needless to say, some letters have longer daily entries than others, but as take the time to write more and more each day, I've also found my mind actively processing emotions and experiences more than I have in the past. Here's to more self-reflection, insight and discovery.
Blessings to you all this day.
+peace
No comments:
Post a Comment