Oh my goodness, what a horrible day!
As shoes, dress clothes, and bra comes off, I try to shed the tension of the daily grind but its not working very well.
The kids start off tattling on each other, but go silent under my death stare. (I wish.) Before long, they're whining about being forced to do chores and asking what's for dinner. The email inbox reveals another agent rejection (boo) and still no word from my editor (boo hiss).
I start wishing I'd stopped at Krispy Kreme on my way home.
STOP!
I don't know about you, but more days than I care to think about go this way. A lot of it is, I live in my head and I'm a worrier, so I tend to add snow to the snowball as it rolls downhill. And the first and last thought when stress hits me? EAT! It doesn't make sense, but its still there. I'm not going to pretend to have a handle on this -- not even close! But exercise has helped. I don't turn to it as quickly as I should but I'm getting there. My other big stress reliever is a nice, long bath. Shut the door and sink into the hot water -- it can only help! :) Challenge: How do you keep from reaching for food when you're stressed? I can use all the pointers I can get.
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
One thing I'm really enjoying is how this challenge has helped me establish a regular exercise schedule. If nothing else, I'm moving, which makes my body healthier, helps me control my blood sugar, decreases my appetite, improves my mood, and give me more confidence.
I really do enjoy my exercise of choice. It's a lot easier to remember that when I do it more often. I think a key to regular exercise is finding something you do enjoy. For me, its an elliptical machine. I get on, set my resistance (which I vary throughout my workout), adjust my headphones and crank up the music. On the really good days, my characters come along and we plot to the music. :)
My other favorite exercise is swimming, but I don't have access to a pool at this stage in my life -- so the elliptical it is.
Here are some other cool exercise option that you can do while writing, plotting, promoting, etc.
-Treadesk (the hottest trend for writers because you can walk on the treadmill while you write, emails, etc.)
-Take a walk outside/on a track/ hike (bring a recorder for brilliant ideas that pop up, or bring a fellow writer along to bounce brilliant ideas off of)
-Swim laps (plotting)
-Yard work (plot, work out problems while you pull weeds, push a mower, rake or dig)
-Mini-cycle (like a bicycle, but just the peddle part, to use while sitting at the computer, watching tv, etc)
-Free weights (use during research breaks, in one hand while searching the web with the other, or in between bouts on social media)
Challenge: What is your current exercise plan and how is it working for you? Is there anything on this list you can add over the summer to help increase your calorie burn?
Dani