After spending time with family this weekend, I made a very important realization.
My sister-in-law and her husband and son stayed with us for a night. Right about the time they were ready to leave, my sister in law plopped down into the chair, looking exhausted and about ready to cry. I had hoped that a long weekend with family would have made her feel fulfilled, loved and rested. I realized that it wasn't physical exhaustion, since it was still mid-morning. It was mental and even emotional exhaustion, and she wisely took that moment to stop and take a breather.
I felt that way too. After all the hustle and bustle of time spent with family, and even sometimes in the midst of the hullabaloo I start feeling like a dark little rain cloud, floating around my house, so weighed down with the cares of the moment or the day that I droop on the floor or start to drip.
This was one such moment. I had been so busy with everyone that when they were gone and the house was quiet again, I just crashed on the couch. I didn't want to workout. I wanted to take a nap, and stay in my jammies, wasting the day away. I watched a few episodes of my favorite show, but then came thoughts of the things I needed to do in order to continue making healthier choices. I knew that my workout wouldn't do itself and reaching for some chunky monkey ice cream wasn't going to get me out of my dark cloud funk.
Later in the day, after I had enjoyed my time meditating, I was thinking about my sister-in-law that morning. I realized that her "breather" and my time spent meditating were good techniques for essentially hitting the reset button and helping us to deal with the emotional or mental overload and start afresh. As a massage therapist, I know that there are more elements to health than diet and exercise. The realization was that hitting the mental/emotional reset button is equally as important for my health as regular physical activity, exercise, and healthy eating behaviors.
Stay tuned!! This week, I will explore "5 Ways to Handle Holiday Stress".
So, how do you identify triggers or moments where you need to hit the reset button?
My sister-in-law and her husband and son stayed with us for a night. Right about the time they were ready to leave, my sister in law plopped down into the chair, looking exhausted and about ready to cry. I had hoped that a long weekend with family would have made her feel fulfilled, loved and rested. I realized that it wasn't physical exhaustion, since it was still mid-morning. It was mental and even emotional exhaustion, and she wisely took that moment to stop and take a breather.
This was one such moment. I had been so busy with everyone that when they were gone and the house was quiet again, I just crashed on the couch. I didn't want to workout. I wanted to take a nap, and stay in my jammies, wasting the day away. I watched a few episodes of my favorite show, but then came thoughts of the things I needed to do in order to continue making healthier choices. I knew that my workout wouldn't do itself and reaching for some chunky monkey ice cream wasn't going to get me out of my dark cloud funk.
Later in the day, after I had enjoyed my time meditating, I was thinking about my sister-in-law that morning. I realized that her "breather" and my time spent meditating were good techniques for essentially hitting the reset button and helping us to deal with the emotional or mental overload and start afresh. As a massage therapist, I know that there are more elements to health than diet and exercise. The realization was that hitting the mental/emotional reset button is equally as important for my health as regular physical activity, exercise, and healthy eating behaviors.
Stay tuned!! This week, I will explore "5 Ways to Handle Holiday Stress".
So, how do you identify triggers or moments where you need to hit the reset button?
This Week's Dinner Menu
Homemade Chili
Asian Chopped Salad with Baked Chicken
Pork & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Sausage & Lentil Stew
Homemade Chili
Asian Chopped Salad with Baked Chicken
Pork & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Sausage & Lentil Stew
Portobello "Pizzas"
Thai Chicken Curry
Chicken & Mushroom Wild Rice with Almonds
Tomorrow, I will post my shopping list and pantry items needed for this menu, and stay tuned this week for a few recipes!
FOOD
Breakfast: 2 HBE and some cinnamon oatmeal
Snack: 2 HBE and a banana
Lunch: Split pea soup and some mini bell peppers
Dinner: special dinner out - a flying chicken burger with crispy onion straws, and a margarita!!
EXERCISE
Today was a full day, with work, errand running and then dinner out to watch the Hawks game! I slept in this morning, and took a day of rest.
Thanks for reading all!
Thai Chicken Curry
Chicken & Mushroom Wild Rice with Almonds
Tomorrow, I will post my shopping list and pantry items needed for this menu, and stay tuned this week for a few recipes!
FOOD
Breakfast: 2 HBE and some cinnamon oatmeal
Snack: 2 HBE and a banana
Lunch: Split pea soup and some mini bell peppers
Dinner: special dinner out - a flying chicken burger with crispy onion straws, and a margarita!!
EXERCISE
Today was a full day, with work, errand running and then dinner out to watch the Hawks game! I slept in this morning, and took a day of rest.
Thanks for reading all!
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