The A-B-C's of Zzzzzzs

A lot of this blog has talked about diet and exercise and stress. All of these are fundamental obstacles to my overall health. As I begin to tackle them I realize that managing my health isn't simply like finding a combination on a combination lock, rather it is layered like an onion. Each of these layers is riddled with a cause and effect scenario.

Do I stress because I don't exercise enough or do I not exercise enough because I'm stressed?
Does my intake hurt my output or vice versa?

The truth is everything about one's health is a push pull effect. I am stressed and don't eat well, because I am not working out enough. I am not working out enough or eating well because I am stressed. Eating poorly is the reason I am stressed and have no energy to work out. Understanding my health is like solving the mystery of the chicken versus the egg. Which came first? Did they both arrive together.

A couple big hurdles to my health and well being are my sleep issues. Poor sleep causes a lack of energy (yeah, duh) but also lowers one's will power, makes one feel hungrier, leads to weight gain, and makes one prone to depression and anxiety.

Up until this point, other than "trying to get more sleep" I havent really done much to address my issues. I inherited a lot from my dad: His keen sense of observation, his analytical mind, his drive towards excellence. I also inherited his insomnia and his sleep apnea. Like my dad, I haven't done much to approach the problem aside  from being prescribed sleeping pills as a teenager. I didn't like the way they felt or having to rely on a chemical to get rest, so I didn't continue taking them.

I've been considering what I eat and when I work out in terms of sleep, but that hasn't made much effect. I am beginning to wonder if my sleepless is, after all, more of the cause than the effect.

Now that the exercising has become second nature, I have decided to tackle sleep rather than food. I know throughout my life whenever I've been rested I have had a ton of energy and self control and dropped inches fast. I also know that I go through bouts of poor sleep that last months at a time.

I'm a functional zombie.

I've tried meditative music and yoga. My trouble is definitely staying asleep long enough for my body to really repair itself. Most nights the best sleep I get is after 5:00am, which isn't good if one still works in the morning.

My apnea is less consistent than my insomnia. It really only comes out in full force when I've been suffering from sleeplessness and anxiety. This is not to say it isn't there, just that its less severe when I am not stressed. One of the symptoms of mild apnea is repeated awakenings throughout the evening-- that totally happens even when it has been months since I've woken up gasping for air.

Anyhow, I decided to experiment with ways to sleep better. I've invested in some mildly calming organic bedtime tea, a good sleep guided meditation, a jaw guard to help keep my airways from collapsing (I'm petrified of this), some breathright strips for the same reason, and Frolov's breathing device to help me strengthen my lunch capacity.

I know this must seem excessive, but for anyone who has ever spent 85% of their nights tossing and turning, you don't know how frustrating it is to not sleep, when sleeping should be the easiest thing in the world.

Hopefully, once I retrain myself to rest, the clean diet and low stress lifestyle will be accomplishable, but deep down I know, unless I am able to rest, I'll never truly be able to be healthy.

Into The Swing of Things

I have a routine down now, I think, and am finding myself really enjoying my morning and evening workouts. It is still like pulling teeth to get my hubby or my sister active, and I still cannot stand the idea of being on display because I am the only one working out in front of them. My morning workout is better because, for the most part, they leave for work before I do. This allows me the time and space to really push myself without be self conscious about how I look or whether I am sweating too much.

I feel I am in the beginnings of a good routine. I am learning my triggers and trying to keep positive moving forward. I still have a lot of work to do in the evenings as far as keeping on track, but other than that, I am in a good place.

I need to work on sleeping. I was told working out hard would make me sleep better. It hasn't. It has done the opposite. I don't drink a lot of caffeine or have a lot of sugar, so I need to figure out how to control my sleep cycle so I get appropriate rest. That is a huge challenge for me and I am open to any suggestions.