Monday, August 19, 2013

Too many irons in the fire.

Last week I was talking with a friend, who happens to also be my daycare provider and I was telling her about all of the new things I have going on. She laughed and said it sounded like I had "lots of irons in the fire." I agreed, and added that there were too many, actually, and that they'll probably put it on my tombstone.

You see, I have this terrible habit of forgetting that I'm human and not Superwoman. I overbook, over-commit and overestimate my time. Can I do it all? Nope. Time and again, I've proven that to myself. So why do I always think I can?

Maybe the issue isn't so much that I think I can do it all, but rather that I want to do it all. I set these goals and make these promises to myself that I will fit everything in, but at the end of the day, my hours only contain 60 minutes, and my minute is only 60 seconds, just like everyone else's. I burn my candle at both ends, sometimes sacrificing sleep (and if you know me, you know that is one of my ultimate sacrifices) and often sacrificing downtime with my husband and son. And why? When I accomplish one of my goals or finish a big project, it feels good, but not great. I usually feel burned-out and apathetic. Glad to have something crossed off of my to-do list, but looking ahead at the next looming deadline.

I think it's time for me to stop the glorification of "busy" and re-organize my priorities. It's time to find some balance and make more time for the things that really matter.

Does this happen to you too? What do you do when you hit your breaking point and it's time to re-evaluate your priorities and commitments?


Monday, August 5, 2013

8/5/13

Is it August already? I find myself saying that every month. When I set my resolutions back in January, I didn't think 2013 would fly by this fast.

This month, I'm working on my hydration. This is one area of my heath that I seriously suck at. There are some days when I drink nothing at all besides my one cup of coffee or tea in the morning. I joke with Tots that I'm like a camel. I could spend one day drinking water and that's all I would need for the whole week. I just don't get thirsty, and I really don't like to drink while I eat. Unfortunately, this lifestyle has lead to a few cases of dehydration (to the point of vomiting and fever), not to mention severe hangovers back before going to bed by 10 was more enticing than having a few beers.

If you haven't noticed, rule number one about healthy living is to drink TONS of water. In fact, I think I read about it more and more. The basic rule of thumb is 8 cups a day, but now more health professionals are saying that it actually varies depending on your body weight and activity level. There are plenty of calculators out there to figure out what your ideal water intake should be, but they're all a little different. Slenderkitchen.com tells me I should be drinking around 93 ounces of water each day, but About.com tells me I need roughly 72 ounces. Yikes. Both of those are well above the 64 ounces I struggle to drink anyway!

If you want to know what you should be drinking, you can google "hydration calculator" or "how much water should I be drinking" and come up with a number of sources.

For the purposes of this month, and in the interest of setting attainable goals, the magic number for me will be 64 ounces. It may not be "enough," but it's a lot better than the 12 ounces I get each day from my coffee.

Do you struggle to drink enough water each day?