Project Sleep

There are countless studies out there that talk about the benefits of having a good night's sleep...and by good night's sleep, the "experts" mean 8 hours a night.  Most people don't get enough this much sleep for lots of reasons, hence, many of us suffer from poorer health than we should.  I am one of these people.  I love my sleep, but I am almost resistant to falling asleep.  I cannot for the life of me relax enough to get to sleep these days and it is driving me crazy.

Part of my problem is that it takes me a long time to wind down and my "routine" has not a set time nor a set timeline.  Instead of fighting this, I've given into my inner sleep clock and decided to start relaxing much earlier in the evening  so that I'm ready to sleep by the time I hit the bedsheets.  I'm on day 4 of this and so far so good, though one minor hiccup yesterday when I exhausted myself from spending the day wardrobe purging.   Relaxing earlier means switching off the computer earlier, preparing for the next day much earlier (getting lunch together and outfit picked out) and eventually getting into bed much earlier.

It's hard to imagine a time where I could function fully on just four hours of sleep (ah those were the days, weren't they?), but now getting to bed a bit earlier and getting that extra bit more sleep is helping me feel much more productive throughout the day.  Fingers crossed that this is the start of a permanent, more healthy attitude towards sleep!

Motivation

Sad but true fact about me:  when it comes to working out, I'm a lazy bitch.  I will do just about anything to avoid having to exercise, even if it is a something that I enjoy, like zumba.  But...working out is a necessary part of life if you want to be healthy and be fit, so I have to find new ways to motivate myself.  Usually I only get to my breaking point when I look in the mirror or step on the scale and I am totally disgusted with my body.  That usually snaps me back to reality but at that point getting back to my ideal shape is all the more difficult because I've let myself go so much.  Not good at all.

The other day while trolling through Pinterest (yes, one of the things I should stop doing so much so I have more time to work out), I found a pin about motiviation which I've decided to adopt as my motivation to work out more often.  Essentially, every time you exercise, you tip yourself.  What you decide to do after a certain amount of work outs is up to you but it seems like a simple way to not only get motivated but also reward yourself if you can keep it going for an extended period of time.

Work out motivation, from my Pinterest board Skinny Bitch

I've decided I want an iPad and I'm going to work my ass off to raise enough to cover 1/2 the cost of one.  A qualifying workout will be physical activity of at least 30 minutes, which for me includes walking (could be at work on the treadmill at lunch or after dinner around the block with a friend) a yoga class at YYoga, or a simple set of exercises at home with my new resistance bands.  I'm REALLY excited about this plan, though I do foresee some hiccups that I need to be prepared for.  

First off, I could treat this just like any other "plan" I've had to get healthy and fall off the wagon.  Second, I haven't set a time frame for what's an acceptable amount of time to get to my goal, which could be an issue.  And last, it is summer and I have numerous plans in the next few months, including 8 days wine tasting in the Okanagan, two weddings and possibly a camping trip.  This could be difficult to sustain for many reasons but I think keeping my eye on the "prize" will be great motivation to get me to my goal.  It will involve some lifestyle changes but I am up for the challenge!  Wish me luck and hopefully soon this baby (in white) will be mine:

iPad2 in white:  my motivation to work out 30 minutes a day, at least 4 times a day.
If I keep it up,  I may have one by Christmas.

Baby Weight Drama (for your Mama)

Aishwarya Rai is Miss World 1994, the "most beautiful woman in the world" according to Julia Roberts, and a top Bollywood actress who married into Indian film royalty.  She also just had a baby about 6 months ago and apparently it's a crime of some sort to not drop the weight she gained while being pregnant in the usual unattainable timeline that most celebrity moms do.  She's been villified by many in her home country of India, which is thoroughly embarrasing for anyone of Indian descent, including me.

I personally think she looks freakin' amazing for someone who just had a kid and is adjusting to being a mom.  All those people that are harping on her for not being a size to their liking should be ashamed.  She's still stunning, size 0 or not.

Aishwarya Rai a few days ago at the Cannes Film Festival

New Year, New Body?

Like 99.9% of women out there, I am forever monitoring my figure.  When the jeans start to fit a little snugly, as they often do after the holidays, I know it's time to be more careful with my diet and start to exercise again (I often fall off the exercise bandwagon...like once a month.  Whoops.).

Life is crazy and demanding already, so I try to look for ways to incorporate changes that don't require a complete overhaul of my routine or preferences.  Here are some of the things I'm going to try to help lose the pounds I put on over the last month or so:

• I love tea but not all teas are created equal.  While green tea is known for it's metabolism boosting properties, I cannot stand the taste of it, so I was happy to hear that peppermint helps with digestion.  I think drinking more peppermint tea instead of the black tea I normally drink will be an easy change to make.  Bonus:  peppermint also helps energize you.

• They say to eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper.  Well, since I'm often famished in the mornings when I wake up and starving by the time noon rolls around, this suits me just fine.  Since protein is so filling, I am going to aim to add more protein to my breakfast in the form of a shake with Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer or even just a boiled egg.  

No I'm not getting paid to promote them but it's from experience.  Vega is amazing.  More info at http://myvega.com/

• Schedule exercise into your weekly planner.  I hate just going to the gym on a treadmill so this is an easy one:  sign up for fun exercise classes and throw them into your iPhone calendar (with reminders!).  You can change things up when you get bored with certain classes because there are so many different options out there.

I start Zumba in less than a week.  Looks like so much fun!

Hopefully these little changes help my body get back to what it was before the holidays.  We will see in a month or so!