rest the body, rest the soul

Whoa. Last week was a whirlwind for me. My routine got shaken up as I begun a new job last week. It was time for a new rhythm though. I like routine, but yawn… I like my routine in intervals, i.e. mix it up a bit, then get into a groove, then add or subtract a variable, etc. This is how I grow. Stagnancy is never a good thing for me. That being said, last week was all over the place. I felt emotionally and physically drained. My soul needed stillness. So, what did I do? I listened.

I tuned into my body and knew I needed more sleep versus waking up even earlier than the crack of dawn just to be able to hit my CrossFit gym. I think I only went once last week to CrossFit, not including the Open WOD Friday evening. I did get a few easy workouts in at the student Rec center after work.

I did not want to push myself over the edge. I knew if I pushed myself to workout hard on five or less hours of sleep, poor nutrition and high stress, my body and mental state would take a lot longer than a week to recover. Trust me, I’ve been there. It is not fun. (See posts from a year ago…)

Lately, the stressors have still been present, but I am handling it much better physically and spiritually. How? I have a plan before the stress hits hard. I encourage you to have a plan too, because in the moment, everything seems upside down and autopilot seems to be the best/easiest choice. Funny how those don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Having a stressful week? Take my advice: JUST CHILL!

If you want more guidance on an action plan, feel free to borrow some of my tips:

Get sleep- 6-8 hours; I won’t even workout if I get less than 6 hours
Vitamin C- my immune system is compromised in high stress situations, a little extra vitamin C helps keep my system healthier
Water- need I say more? Often times, when I’m tired, I just need more water, or a nap… and with that being said…
Naps- this one is personal choice, naps aren’t for everyone, but I am a master of the power nap; No alarms needed, my body just wakes up after 20 minutes feeling refreshed and ready to go!
Meditation- silence the mind
Yoga
Don’t fall for “easy” junk food fixes for a meal- eat greens and protein! If you know you are about to have a rough week, try meal prepping the weekend before.
Say “No”- don’t overload the schedule more than necessary. Prioritize the “yeses”
Tea- nothing calms me more than tea

Oh! This week I also received my acupressure mat! I have been spending some minutes on it this week before bed and in times of high stress. 20 minutes on this puppy and I felt so relaxed. I will do another post on acupressure and acupuncture in the future as I learn and experiment more, so stay tuned.