If you missed my post last night, you might be getting yourself a double-dose today. What fun! ;)
Hope you all are having a great week!
So you all know things have been a little hectic up in hurr. We've been out of town a lot recently, looking for a new apartment, and I am trying to get ready for my final exams, all while juggling lots of projects, and some pressure, at work.
I have to admit, all of this has been getting to me. I have been a little sick both mentally and physically this past week, and haven't been feeling much like my cheery go-go self.
Everyone has these times where it seems like there should be 30+ hours in a day, and the last thing on your mind is giving your body good fuel through food and taking time out to exercise.
Trust me, I've been there, I've done that, I've bought the entire wardrobe.
I wanted to share with you all some "healthy living" advice that I try to live by when I'm burning the candle from 5 different ends (didn't even know you could do that, right?!).
Nourishment:
1) Try to stick to eating meals/snacks prepared at home as much as possible. This can be VERY difficult when you are busy/stressed, because who has time to spend 1 hour at the grocery store and then deal with all of the meal prep? What I try to do is get to the grocery store on Sunday, and plan for meals that make lots of leftovers, or quickie, no-brainer meals.
For example, the pasta with the peppers is pretty quick to make, and you can eat leftovers of it for almost 3 days.
Other good recipes are "set-it-and-forget it" meals, like shredded pork for sandwiches (you will also have food for days with this one), or italian sausage with peppers.
Another one that is easy as a (sloppy) pie, is the sloppy joe recipe over on peanut butter fingers. A much better option that driving through Micky D's.
If I don't have these options on hand, I am very quick to revert back to my old ways of eating out for 2+ meals a day, and that will make your waistline, and your wallet, achy pretty fast.
2) Be prepared. If you know you are someone who tends to eat everything in site when you are stressed out, you better have some healthy options in that line of sight.
For example, yesterday, I was in the mood to drown myself in ice cream with chocolate sauce by the time the afternoon rolled around. Luckily, I had one of my Vita Tops stashed in the fridge at work, so I was able to heat that baby up really quick and feel comforted without any guilt.
3) Drink EXTRA water. Another tip for stress eaters. When you get the urge to get up and dive into that bag of Cheetos, take a minute to think about whether your really are hungry, or whether that stress monster is just nagging at you.
Try getting up to fill yourself a large bottle of water to switch gears. This will also help you stay hydrated & healthy when your body is getting beaten down. I like to add a few lemon slices to my CamelBak around finals time so that I feel extra pampered and excited about guzzling down the H20.
Sweating while stressing:
1) Do your best. Everyone knows that exercising is a great stress reliever, so do your best to get in a little work out even when your world is spinning. Maybe it's just a heated walk to and from the train while jamming out to your favorite Britney song. Or maybe it's just 15 minutes of a DVD, like Body by Bethenny!
This is the "awkward chair," but would be better titled as the "torture chair." Youuch!
Do your best. Any little bit helps!
2) Stay calm, your body remembers. I've had to tell myself this little "proverb" about 20 times this week already. Yesterday was the FIRST DAY I was able to get in a sweat since last THURSDAY. Maybe it makes me a crazy person, but I was really bummed about missing so many days of my runs/barre classes. When I'm feeling this way, I usually go back and re-read this article that I have shared with you all before, an I am instantly zened and drowning out the noise.
Overall wellness:
1) Get as much sleep as possible. When your body is running at 100 mph all day, you need to get some sleep. When I was younger, my mom once told me that "as long as I was resting," that was good enough -- i.e., even if you're just laying in bed with your eyes shut for hours on end, that is much better than staying up until 2am working or watching tv because you cannot quiet the noise. I'm not sure if that is actually true, but it makes me feel better! ;)
2) Be honest with yourself. I want to do everything, and I want to do it well. I often have to remind myself that it is better to only focus on 2 things, and excel, than to focus on 10, and to fail at all of them. Maybe you don't have time to put in 8 hours at work, 3 hours of studying, and then still meet your friends for dinner like you planned. Try to be honest with yourself and adjust accordingly. I always feel bad cancelling on friends, but I know that good friends will understand and we will catch up, after the craziness, like no time has passed.
3) Take a little "you" time. This is a big one. When you're go-go-go-ing and taking care of everyone else, don't you deserve 30 minutes to do something nice for yourself? Maybe it's just 30 minutes of your favorite trashy reality tv show after a long day, or maybe you've got 30 minutes to get a quick manicure (with some seche vite for the fastest dry you've ever seen). If that's too much, maybe you have 10 minutes to take a break and go get a warm, comforting skivizzle?
Don't forget to be good to yourself. You deserve it!
4) Keep calm, and carry on. When I'm on the verge of a major mental breakdown, I try to take some deep breaths and remind myself to take it one day at a time, and that this too, shall pass.
So, there you have it. I will be playing this post on repeat over the next week, and if you're feeling the stress, I hope you do too!
**Something to talk about: What are your tips for "healthy living" in times of stress? What is your #1 "downfall" when you're stressed out?
I hope you all have a great day! I'm off to tie some things up at work so I can go study my little tush off for the rest of the day.
See ya tomorrow for fuuhhhreaky Friday! :)
xoxo
Jess
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