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Day 94: A Day of Experiments and Emotional Recovery

A woman in her 50s engages in active recovery NEAT exercise by carrying heavy bags of gardening soil into her greenhouse. She has shoulder-length gray hair and wears a straw hat, a light blue shirt, and dark green pants. The background shows a small glass greenhouse with shelves of potted plants, highlighting her physical activity as part of her daily routine, which contributes to her non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).

Hello, everyone! Day 94 has been a whirlwind of emotions and activities, heavily influenced by yet another night of broken sleep due to my period—a common challenge but one that hasn't troubled me this frequently in a while. Tired is indeed the word of the day, pun fully intended.

Navigating Through Fatigue

Today's lesson was making ourselves the experiment. I embarked on another scientific endeavor—collecting a snapshot of my body's current state, but not through photographs. Instead, I focused on tracking how I felt at various intervals, aiming to read my "inner compass" more effectively. This wasn't just about adhering to an abstract concept; it was about concrete data gathering to improve my day-to-day living.

Tracking the Inner Compass

Throughout the day, I used my phone’s timer to remind me every two hours to record my energy levels, calmness, focus, and mood on a scale from 1 to 10. These periodic check-ins helped me recognize the fluctuations in my feelings and condition over the hours. The process started with me feeling quite low on energy in the morning (a 3 out of 10), but a walk at the lake bumped it to an 8, showing me how responsive my body is to exercise and fresh air.

I would like to repeat this when I'm not having my period and compare because I haven't felt this tired and low energy in weeks. It's interesting to me that even though I had a coffee (not my normal drink) expecting that to boost my energy, all I ended up doing was having a nap for an hour or so. 

Coaching Support and Insights

One of my coaches reached out with a personal message that included thoughtful questions and encouragement about the progress I’ve made, which was a tremendous boost. It reminded me of the importance of support systems and personal acknowledgment in any journey of improvement. I responded saying that I think that the meditation practice that started with the program has continued and is definitely impacting my mood, sleep and emotions. Of course eating better and exercises is helping but for me, the biggest change I have noticed has been emotional regulation. Taking care of me has helped me to feel happier and I'm sure it is impacting everyone around me as well.

Also, our live session today with one of the coaches—an open office setup—offered a great platform to discuss anything on our minds. We delved into topics like dealing with FOMO when eating out with friends and the nature of dietary guidelines within our program. I asked about whether or not PN portions would be considered restrictive as I am also reading that Intuitive Eating book that he had recommended and for some reason was stuck on that in my mind. He explained that these are guidelines to base things off of, not restrictions and of course depending on if you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle the plates recommendations are going to change. Next week is that habit so I'm interesting to see what that brings. 

Active Recovery and Gardening Joy

Despite low energy and even needing a nap, I managed to stay active with lighter tasks like walking my dog and moving bags of soil in preparation for spring gardening. These activities not only helped me stay engaged but also brought much-needed lightness and joy, particularly when I noticed my lettuce plant reviving from what seemed like a terminal state yesterday when I checked into the greenhouse today—a delightful surprise that perfectly capped the day.

Muzzle Training

My dog is doing so much better with the daily muzzle training. My son and I managed to have her wear it and walk around a bit in the house as well today, of course with loads of treats, before she tried to get it off. I think this is a huge amount of progress in a very short period of time and I'm happy that she is being so patient with it.

Continuing On

Today reinforced the value of tuning into my body’s signals and using that information to adjust my activities and expectations. I am reminded that every bit of data helps in making better decisions about exercise, nutrition, and personal care. Tomorrow, I'll review all the data I collected today to see what other insights I can gather and how I can use them to better navigate my health and wellness journey.

Thank you all for staying with me on this journey. Here’s to learning from our bodies and finding balance in our days!

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Location: Canada

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