Keeping it very short this evening, because on the way home from work I got a visual migraine, and although the symptoms only lasted about 15 minutes, I'm reluctant to spend much of this evening staring at my computer screen (iPad, even). However, the challenge is daily posts, so a quick post will have to do.
No exercise today, mainly because yesterday was a double workout day and I have an early morning appointment at the gym tomorrow morning. The weather was absolutely vile today too, so I drove to work - my step count is a little over 6000 steps for the day. Food choices were poor, and I thought (yet again) about starting a food diary to track what I eat. I think at this stage, just a very basic list of what I eat - rather than anything more detailed or something that becauses a "task" - is probably a good idea. It'll help with the awareness, for my weightloss journey, but also now that it appears these ocular migraines are going to be part of my life (they're very new to me, the first one I ever had was over a year ago, but the second was only about a month before today's third one) maybe a food diary will help identify if triggers come from there. I know there are various triggers for migraines, including things like stress and poor sleep, but perhaps it'll help me rule out diet if I track these things. Anyway, I'm feeling exhausted, and I think getting a lot of sleep tonight is my priority. There are numerous studies that link poor sleep with obesity, by the way - so, an early night is probably an all-round good plan. x
Hope you feel better soon Sarah xx
ReplyDeleteI think a basic food diary is very helpful, I write mine in a little notebook and it doesn't take long - quicker than my fitness pal which I like but takes a while to get everything down.
Sleep well xx
Thanks Paula!! I think you're right, writing it down will work best for me. :-)
DeleteA diary with food, sleep, exercise, stress and general well being diaries might all be useful.
ReplyDeleteSteve Magness' latest blogpost is about tracking on various parameters of the college students he's currently coaching:
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2014/12/tracking-collegiate-runners-sleep.html
One of the findings is that a poor nights sleep often proceeds a day where the person felt stressed. It seems we cope better with the day to day ups and downs when we a fully rested. I believe this increased sensitivity to stress could end up a downward spiral if it starts impacting on quality and quantity of sleep.
So to me you plan of early night is the great way nip the cycle in the bud and get yourself back on more even keel. Bad sleep is associated with so many disorders, I presume because it's a fundamental component of how our immune systems work - we repair our bodies during sleep so if you miss out on sleep the steadily our bodies start to break down in various ways.
Having a mid day nap is something I tried to do during my build up to the WHW last year. I am not a great sleeper so it seemed to help, even just going to quiet, dark room and resting properly for 20 minutes was beneficial at resetting my body. It might be worth seeing if you can squeeze in a little time for proper rest or mediation during the day.
Interesting stuff - we really ought to try and catch up for a cuppa and chat sometime, be good to bend your ears a bit, lol!! :-)
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