To Be, To Sleep, To Balance

Knowledge is just information,
unless it is paired with action, at which point,
we may call it Wisdom.

Did you know that proper rest and sleep are absolutely necessary for weight loss? We all know that under-nourishing our bodies (aka - not eating enough) will cause our bodies to go into survival mode, storing fat for nourishment, uncertain as to when it will receive more of the necessary nutrients to keep it going (if you didn't, then there you are). Anyway, when we deplete our energies and deny our body sufficient time to fuel up from rest, it does the same. Storing up nutrition for energy reserves until it is able to relax after a decent amount of sleep.

Now, I am by no means a medical or nutritional professional. So, please feel free to take my thoughts with a grain of salt, I am merely forwarding my experiences and recalling information from my college nutrition class. However, let me share my week with you.

After several weeks of operating on an average high of 6 hours and overall average of 5.5hours of sleep every night, I spent a couple of days struggling with over-indulgence. Mind you, this doesn't mean that I spent several days bingeing on ice cream and sweets, or bingeing at all. For me, it has meant increased grazing, lack of tracking, increased sweet content and returning to artificial and high dairy ingredients*. The result? Nausea, headaches, upset stomach, and fatigue.

*Disclaimer: I still eat dairy and some processed foods. But since beginning my journey 7 months ago, these items have gone lower and lower in my consumption. Failing to balance sleep and rest time with my increasing fitness have led to failed planning and apathetic attitudes.

After 2 nights of 9 hours of sleep, a day of rest without heavy burdens and intense workout sessions, I woke up refreshed and stepped on the scale with a 5 pound loss! I am not endorsing the scale's numbers as a defining tool in my journey, just a tool in general that gives me an idea of where I'm at. It informed me that I need to go back to the drawing board of my time management and figure out what my weeks need to look like (i.e. more sleep and consistent meal planning) as opposed to what I think they should look like (i.e. over-exercising and pushing through fatigue to keep my house tidy).

Too. Many. Goals.

I have yet to sit down and evaluate my goals and prioritize my needs from my wants. To recognize my shoulds from my whys. I cannot wait to share what comes from these evaluations with you all, but at the same time, I am nervous about what I might find. As much as I love to write and journal, sitting down and doing self-reflections is difficult to consider. Inasmuch as we all love to have the "who-has-it-tougher" showdowns to vent about our life's frustrations, we know that it means we have to sit down and have the "tough talk" with ourselves about where we need to purge.

Don't get me wrong, I actually LOVE to purge. I throw out clutter all of the time. By no means am I a physical hoarder. No, but I am an emotional hoarder. It might be worse. I refuse to let go of those things that make me feel just a little bit more important. To clear my schedule that is full of things that enrich my life. Yeah, when I type it, I sound ridiculous.

To cleanse or not to cleanse? That is the question. Yes, I know the answer. The question is when will I take the time to STOP?! Ask me about it next time you see me ;)

"To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub..." -William Shakespeare, Hamlet.