Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2014

Another Week Bites the Dust

I am officially three weeks down on my 1/2 marathon training schedule! Let's review shall we?

Monday - Stretch and Strength - I took Monday to relax a bit, I did a little stretching but over all, I'd call it a rest day.
Tuesday - 3.5 Mile Run - My legs felt like concrete but I was able to get through all 3.5 miles before it started to down pour!
Wednesday - 2 Mile Run or Cross Train - I was soo tired on Wednesday, achy, sore, exhausted. I planned to rest but the guilt hit me hard (you can read more about it here) and I went for a walk.
Thursday - 3.5 Mile Run - My body couldn't take it anymore, I needed a full on rest day. So I skipped my 3.5 miles, took a 40 minute epsom salt bath and rested instead. I regret nothing!
Friday - Rest Day - Yes, I took two in a row!
Saturday - 40 Minute Cross-Training - Woke up tired but decided to hit the pavement, with my bike! 40 minute cross-training - got in almost 6 miles.
Sunday - 5 mile run - It was slow and humid, but because of my rest, I didn't feel any pain in my knees. Success overall!

This week will be the same, program wise, but I hope to have more energy and less pain so I can complete my days.


PS - I have some super exciting things coming up, so please follow my blog! Think giveaways!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Don't Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

Raise your hand if you honestly think you get enough sleep? I hear crickets chirping and needles dropping.

I for one need a lot of sleep, ask my boyfriend or any of my close friends. A 5-6 hour night of sleep does NOT make me a happy camper. I personally get an average of 7-8 hours of sleep. But I am a tosser and a turner (tossin and turnin all night). Some nights I sleep pretty well and can live my life normally. But on days I don't get enough sleep...the following things begin to happen...

1) I am HUNGRY, ALLLLLLLLL DAY. Like ravenous. Like put anything in front of me and I will eat it.
2) Stress levels rise, I start to think about all those things that COULD happen, that NEED to happen, that I WANT to happen and my anxiety goes through the roof.

And guess what? This isn't just me. Study after study prove that sleep is imperative to living a healthy life.

So how do we solve this issue?

You can Google all day long about how to get better sleep, from lavender pillow spray to prescription sleep meds. If you are at the end of your rope and just need more sleep but nothing is working, I strongly suggest seeing a doctor. Sleeping is so detrimental to our health, so why play around with it?

So how do I get my sleep? First off, I get into bed at 9ish pm every night. Yes, 9. Granted I do not have children, so my evenings are not as filled as others, but I am in my bed by 9 or 9:30 each night. I turn off the lights, turn on my fan, and read on my Kindle. Typically I will fall asleep with my Kindle in my hand. Some nights I have to physically put it down and make myself go to sleep. It doesn't take me much to fall asleep, but staying asleep is my enemy. I wake up a lot, so when I wake up, I do not look at my phone, or my Kindle, or anything. I roll over, take some deep breaths, and lul myself back to sleep.

What's your trick to sleep?