Take Care Of Yourself

There is so much more to being healthy than just exercise and eating well. Stress, sleep, and water consumption are all very, very important. I know this, but it doesn't mean that I always pay attention to what I need. 

This week was a show week. Show weeks are always stressful. This one was more so because I had to cancel one of the last rehearsals due to the Artist's eye mishap. I haven't slept more than a few hours a night all week. I haven't been drinking enough water. I've been eating pretty well and exercising regularly, but that's not enough.

I had an ambitious workout plan. Yesterday was a perfect day. I got up early for a 6 mile walk with my friend. My legs felt surprisingly tired after all the hills. This was the first warning sign.

The Bean and I went for a 5+ mile bike ride in the afternoon. The weather was so perfect, I just had to be outside in the sun! 

We had a great ride and celebrated with tea and a smoothie at The Flying Disc. Did I mention that I consumed a lot of caffeine this week? Not a good choice, especially combined with not enough water.

I had a lot planned. Today was going to be a long run. Monday a long hike for my friend's birthday and TKD. My body had other ideas.

I woke up this morning with a cramp in my calf. Cramp isn't the right word. It was incredibly painful, and I couldn't get it to relax. I now have a painful spot in the middle of my calf and can't put a lot of weight on it. I didn't take care of myself, and now I'm paying for it.

I had to bail on my run. I'm probably going to spend most of today resting. I'm not sure I'll be able to do a huge hike tomorrow, but I'm hoping if I rest it will be possible.

It's frustrating. I like being active, and I've been working so hard to be more consistent and push myself. Health requires a multifaceted approach, and I have been neglecting 3 out of 5 this week. My brain wanted to push through, but my body knew when to stop me.

Moral of the story: Take care of yourself completely, or your body will make you.

Good.

Ahhh... Life is finally getting back to normal. I've gotten some sleep. Spent some time with my family, and I've gotten in some good workouts and clean eating. I'm feeling calm and centered again. It's so nice to feel balanced.

I've had some good workouts this week. Wednesday I was not feeling 100% and slept most of the day. This always happens after a show. I put everything I had into the show, and I needed to recover. Thursday started out the same as Wednesday, but I felt better as the day went on. My friend, Michelle, and I went for a walk before TKD and had a great chat. I really needed it. It was a great warm-up for class, too. My flexibility was a lot better than normal.

TKD was great. I couldn't go for the last two weeks, and I was really missing it. I was a little nervous and expected to get my butt kicked. I was not disappointed. Class was excellent. I feel like I learn quite a bit and have a lot to work on. That's why I love TKD. There is always something new to learn and something to improve. I just got a book on TKD, and I'm excited to learn more of the history.

Friday the Artist and I did a lot of walking. We covered almost three miles during the day. It was perfect to keep myself loose after TKD.

This morning I joined a couple friends for a bike ride. It's only been a year since I started biking again, and I haven't done much. My longest ride was about four miles. Today we did twenty. It was a gorgeous morning. I saw a rainbow as I drove in to meet my friends, and it was lightly raining when we started. The sunrise was beautiful, and we enjoyed the scenery as we rode from Enosburg to Richford.

I was getting tired as we got close to the turnaround point. I forgot to bring any kind of fuel and my breakfast was gone. I was hungry and tired. Luckily, Kelee brought her fabulous Super Healthy Cookies to share with us. I felt 100% better and the ride back was pretty great.

We finished off the morning with drinks at the Flying Disc. It was a perfect start to a Saturday morning. We're planning longer trips, and I am so excited to do more biking. It was fun, relaxing, and an amazing workout. Plus, I got to hang out with some awesome ladies. It's nice to have some social time again.

In other news, my new writing project is going well. I've always wanted to write a musical, but I don't have any experience with writing music. I'm excited to work with such a talented and creative musician and even more excited to work with my friend!

Life is good.