Last March, before the world shut down, my cup was literally bone dry. In the midst of everything that goes on in a busy family, I had spent the better part of the winter driving my kids around New England for ski racing. There was a week in early February that I put over 1300 miles on my car.
I was running on empty. I was SO.TIRED. The kind of tired you feel in your bones, the kind that more sleep doesn’t even touch. I was going to bed earlier and earlier and waking up exhausted. I am embarrassed to admit that some days, I had to nap after lunch just to get through the day. I felt hungry ALL the time and my digestion was way off, leaving me feeling bloated and uncomfortable. It was March 13th 2020. I had just packed us and a long weekend's worth of GF meals, to watch my son race in the Eastern Championships at Sugarbush. I had just clicked “book” on a VRBO in NH where I would take my daughter the following week for her postseason races. I remember thinking that if I could
just get through March, I would be able to rest and have some “downtime”. We got the call moments before our trip, that the races had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution”. It was In that mom
ent, that I went from running 100MPH, to a screeching halt.
As caretakers (parents or otherwise), we give all of ourselves to our loved ones, we wouldn’t have it any other way. But what version of yourself are you sharing with your family, friends, loved ones and co-workers? Last March, my people were getting the burnt out, exhausted and cranky version of me. The version of me that was trying to be the best mother, wife, friend, cook, volunteer, advocate, race mama, the list goes on....Ironically, I was in the midst of my completing my first health coaching certification course. Why does taking care of yourself first sounds selfish? I assure you it is just the opposite. I knew what I needed to do and it was more than just modifying my diet, just getting more exercise, or simply getting more rest. The first thing, was to do less things. Given the current situation, that first part kind of worked itself out. The rest was mine to figure out.
Fast forward to today. I woke up early, feeling rested. This is my new normal (I still can hardly believe it) No alarm needed, but I still set one. I served my family breakfast and got everyone out the door. I pushed through a couple of quick strength workouts (which for the record, I do not love) and got outside to walk my dogs in the freezing cold of the western Maine mountains. As I stood at the highest point in our mountain neighborhood, a feeling washed over me that I can hardly put into words. I had so much energy. I felt awake, and alive and clear headed. My stomach didn’t hurt. I felt like I could walk a million miles if my little Frenchies weren’t ready to quit on me - I clearly don’t have exercise dogs!
That feeling kinda took my breath away in the moment, because less than a year ago I felt pretty much the opposite. I love feeling strong and energetic and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Getting here took work and focus, trial and error, a lot more vegetables, eating mostly what I had been eating, but on a much different schedule, some high quality supplements, and MUCH more mileage on my sneakers than my car. Yesterday, my 14 year old decided to do his 1 mile of dry land training completely up hill, and when I say hill, I mean mountain. I went with him. Did I run the whole way up, no, maybe ⅓ of the way and power walked the rest. I felt energized and exhilarated vs. tired and exhausted. As a woman in her mid 40’s, I’ll take it!
Post college, I have fairly consistently maintained a healthy diet and lifestyle, but let me be clear, I am not a perfect eater. I LOVE sweets (chocolate is my kryptonite). I don’t count anything related to my food; not calories or macros or anything else. I don’t own a scale. If my favorite jeans (or these days, yoga pants) fit, I'm satisfied. If it’s someone’s birthday, I am definitely eating the cake (as long as it’s GF ;)). I don’t believe in deprivation. I do believe in balance. I love outdoor cardio with a friend, but dread treadmill and strength workouts. I’ll do them, but it’s a struggle. I haven’t belonged to a gym since the late 90’s and I don’t do group exercise classes. At home exercise is my jam. I believe that every “body” is different, and what works for me may not work for you. THAT is ok. That is what makes us individuals and that is also why a personalized wellness plan is so important.
So, that’s my story, and I would love to hear yours. Whatever is holding you back from feeling your best, whether it's a poor diet (not enough of the right things OR too much of the not so good stuff), lack of motivation, brain fog, exhaustion, feeling bloated and sluggish... it doesn’t have to be your future. If nothing else, 2020 has shined a big bright light on the fact that our lifestyle can leave us particularly vulnerable to disease. While this is not new news, it has never been more relevant. The time to act on it is now.
If you are feeling ready to make a change, or just feeling stuck, why not book 30 minutes with me - it’s free and there's no obligation to work with me. I finally figured out how you can book with me via Facebook - there's a “BOOK NOW” button on my @savvyhealthandwellness page, there for the clicking.
Not ready to chat, but want to take a great first step toward wellness? Click here to join my January Functional Medicine Detox. Grab a friend or your spouse and do it together!
In good health,
Jamie
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