Invest in Myself: Week 39

Welcome to the recap of Invest in Myself, Week 39.

It's been a rough week, but I see the light at the end of tunnel and I really am going to get back on track this upcoming week.

Let's review my week...

Motivation & Accountability

I'm up another pound and a half, definitely due to stress eating. I was doing well early in the week, but work stress piled up and I slipped badly during the latter part of the week. During week 39 of Real Appeal, we focused on rebounding from common stumbles.

One of my stress eating stumbles is overloading on sugary treats. Short-term fixes include skipping all sugary foods (except whole fruit) and replacing at least one excess treat with a piece of fruit. Longer term actions include not bringing treats into your home (or asking others to keep them out of sight), tracking treats in your food journal and mindfully cutting them back over time, and re-reading the tips from taming your sweet tooth during week 22.

Nutrition

Much like last week, I was overwhelmed at work and tended to grab something quick to eat like a protein bar rather than stopping to prepare and eat real food. These foods usually have more sugar and calories that my usual meals, and are less filling.

One thing I did this weekend when I was working and found myself in this state was ask my husband to heat up salmon and broccoli leftovers from the refrigerator. It enabled me to keep going on my productive writing streak while fueling my brain with healthy foods rather than quick energy from sugar.

Exercise

I had a solid exercise week. I ran three times and did yoga once. One of my runs was actually a trail race - the Wicked Wine 5k. I made new friends and it was a great stress release.

On Mondays in the 10 Weeks to 10K program,
I've been running with Anthony. Sylvia joined us this week!

Enjoying celebratory glasses of wine at the Wicked Wine 5k.
My friend Deb (pink hat) introduced me to
the ladies in the purple top hats. New friends!

Self-Care

Despite succumbing to work stress and overeating treats, I did pretty well with self-care this week. I prioritized my health and went to an allergy doctor on Monday. I've been intending to do that for close to a year now. It turns out I'm not allergic to anything (yay) but I do have nonallergic rhinitis (boo). That basically means that my nose runs and my sinuses get congested in response to all sorts of irritants like perfume, smoke, spicy food, temperature changes, and even exercise. Now I know why allergy medications don't work for me. The doctor recommended different medications and lifestyle choices (e.g., neti pot) to help alleviate my symptoms.

I had wonderfully restful sleep all week, which I haven't had in a while. I'm wondering if the medicine for my non-allergies was a factor in this, since it is the only thing that was really different last week.

I dedicated some time to my health plan's online happiness course. I'm committed to doing a little bit each week so I can reap the benefits of participation.

And the big news...the basement carpet was replaced on Friday! We finally have everything in the basement back where it belongs. I can't wait to start using my gym again. The aftermath of the basement flood has been a big part of my stress over the last month, so this is a huge relief.

Looking Ahead

I spent a huge chunk of time working this weekend in order to make this upcoming week's workload more balanced. I will use this greater balance to plan my nutrition and exercise more mindfully.

See you next week!