Life isn't a Race
Last week I reached my record high fuel points earned on my Nike Fuel Band, earning 9396 points in one day! On Thursday I took over 20,000+ steps and in the last three days combined I’ve only taken a mere 1500; 1000 or so of those steps coming from today alone. I have been teaching more than ever, and loving life even more than ever! Teaching is my passion and I just can’t get enough of it! Instructing fitness classes also doesn’t feel like a job so when I woke up Friday morning at 3am with definite flu symptoms I had to remind myself that perhaps I need to take it easy, eat better, and sleep better. I am teaching 10 classes a week currently, some early morning, day time, and evening classes, all on the same day. My schedule isn’t consistent and I think it is catching up with me.
The last three days have been anything but pleasant, barely being able to get up to walk a few short steps to get a drink of water. We all know what the flu feels like, and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, especially someone who can’t stay still, like myself. However, these past few days I have spent in my bed, or on the couch if I could make it that far, have given me what I feel has been far TOO much time to reflect on my busy summer so far. I have been overwhelmed, not in the way of being unable to manage and prepare for my classes but in managing everything else. I choose to nap in betweenclasses instead of prepare food, do dishes, or laundry and then when I am back at the end of the night, my apartment that used to always be in order looks as though a tornado struck through. I do not have a consistent sleep schedule because my daily class schedule varies, and I have not been eating my best.
So what have I learned from this weekend? Well, if you think SLOW DOWN is one of them, well that is not my first option. Instead I need to modify a few things in my own life to stay more organized, receive adequate sleep, and stay properly nourished.
1. Grocery shop and prepare for the week. Easier said than done for me because depending on my weekend I don’t get back downtown until a few short hours before I teach but this is number one. I don’t work well off of bad food. A treat every once in a while is one thing but my body craves good food. I need to prepare a few days’ worth ahead of time so I can eat while I am on the run.
2. Go to sleep earlier and nap whenever I can. Okay, not ideal but napping has changed my life since university! Especially because I don’t work multiple hours in a row all of the time and my job is physically demanding, I must take advantage of even the 20 spare minutes I have. Since I will be more prepared in terms of food from point #1, I will be able to sleep and not stress about what I will eat in the 20 minutes I have. But, going to sleep early is the biggest thing I need to change with my sleep habits. Having even that extra hour in the night will no doubt benefit me the following morning and day to come.
3. Manage my personal training. As some of you know I am not playing field hockey next year, which means my own personal training in the gym is quite different. Although I still work out, I am not training as intensely. Instead, I am now working towards achieving overall health goals rather than pushing my body to lift more weight all of the time. I tried maintaining this but simply put, for me it isn’t realistic. I currently am training with weights much less than ever due to a combination of an increased teaching schedule and my training for the Nike Women’s 15km coming up on June 14th. I am okay with that and I know that once the race is over, I can begin to focus again on my own gym work.
Regardless of your life, whether you are a high performance athlete, a fitness instructor, busy mom, or heavily invested into your career, we can all learn from better time management, a proper or more balanced sleep schedule, and healthier food choices. Sometimes it just takes a setback like being sick to realize it.
This weekend has showed me that getting sick is inevitable and can happen to anyone even, if you do all of the right things. Times like this just give us time to reflect on what we are currently doing, give us a mental and physical break, and recharge us to get back at it! I am feeling ready to go as we head into the final stretch before the Nike Women’s Weekend in Toronto June 11-14th!
Be fierce. Be strong. Be vibrant.
Rachel