Pretty sure we can all relate to the fact that our biggest barriers to reaching our goals are most often ourselves. Last weekend I had promised you an update on how Marissa, my Health Coach and I have been working together to change my eating habits but that will have to wait for another day. This week while chatting with her, I finally came to the realization that there is one big thing blocking me from progressing in all areas of my life.
I’m caught up in a viscous cycle of not getting enough sleep and have been for as long as I can remember. I am perpetually tired. Like many others I’m tired of being tired.
I’ve really struggled to identify why I make the same bad food choices, why I’m not getting the most out of my workouts, or why I haven’t finished that work proposal. In fact I beat myself up about these things multiple times a day. Maybe lack of sleep isn’t the only reason I’m not doing my best but I know It’s preventing me from being the best version of myself and my number one self defeating habit.
So what am I going to do about it? I’ve tried giving myself a nightly curfew and that didn’t work. Now I’m trying a different approach. I’m going to start guarding my sleep as a sacred part of my day and I’m simply making it a priority. If I’m going to train for this marathon and cross that finish line with a time I can be proud of for the rest of my life, I have to start getting some sleep now!
Tell me, have you been able to identify the main source of what’s standing in your way of meeting your goals?
Sleep has always been my number one priority. I aim for 8 hours (but 9 is ideal) every night! Through HS and college I never pulled an all-nighter or even stayed up late to get work done. Sometimes I would wake up earlier than normal to get things done/run/etc. but I always made sure I got a good solid nights sleep first.
Currently, a possible stress fracture is in between me and my MCM goals! 🙁 But sleep and hydration have both been issues for me in healthy training times. I’m working on it!
Oh no! I hope you heal quickly!
Sleep hasn’t really been an issue for me as I normally get 7 hours per night during the week and at least 8 hours during the weekend. My biggest issue is snacking during the week between 2-7pm while I’m still at the office. I think I’d be 10 lbs lighter if I could beat that habit!
Oh I so feel you. I have horrible sleep issues. Not so much in the amount of but more the quality of. I’m a very light sleeper so I wake up a lot during the night. So, maybe it is the amount too, now that I’m typing this I see that. I also, for some reason, like to get up and pee a ton during the night too. Not sure why either? I try not to drink to much too close to bedtime.
It is a vicious cycle 🙁
Sleep is like working out for me – meaning, I make it fit into my day. It is just not negotiable!
My self defeating habits have to do with food and drink. I think I could probably drop 10 pounds in the blink of an eye if I could reign it all in, but I love to eat and I love to drink. I recently tried to cut back the drinking to one night during the week and one night on the weekend. Not that I am always over-doing it with the drinking, but even one glass of wine a night adds up over the course of a week. As for having dessert every night…I don’t know if I can give that up! It’s like a reward at the end of the day.
Sleep is so important Jess! With age, hormones really can get in the way so I try my best under the circumstances. But for me, the mental is my biggest obstacle & not in fitness, in life…
Saying that about sleep – a family week for me with all 7 grandkids here so sleep may suffer this week. 😉
I hope you figure out your stuff & you WILL do well at the Marathon!