Wek 20: Nikki wrestles with her schedule...again

This week Nikki and I discussed a topic that she is no stranger to…….stress!  Everyone has some stress. It becomes problematic when we are consistently running all day, playing “beat the clock” to get all of our many tasks, play dates and kid’s activities completed.  When stress continues for a long time, cortisol (a stress hormone) remains high. When cortisol is high it causes the body to resist losing weight.  Cortisol tends to move fat to our abdomen, which creates more inflammation and insulin resistance in the body. This puts you into a cycle of food/sugar cravings and difficulty losing weight while increasing health risks for diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, lowered immunity and suppression of thyroid function – the list goes on.  So what’s a gal to do?

1)     Get control and seek more balance in your life - what can I change about my schedule to create a little more peace for myself and family?

2)    Incorporate 1 stress management technique today:

A) Exercise – releases “feel good hormones”

B) Deep breath technique – scientifically proven (in a seated or lying position, count to 4 breathing in slowly and deeply, hold to the count of 4, and exhale counting to 4 – continue for several minutes)

C)  Outside/Nature – go for walk/bike ride/– enjoy the sunshine

D)  Maintain a spiritual practice

      3)  Laugh- it is the best medicine!   

 

Nutritional Homework

Nikki’s busy lifestyle is a constant theme in her weight loss journey.  While she is finding success with this program, juggling and managing her busy lifestyle is still a problematic concern.  She is losing every week but it has been a slow process. One that I believe could increase if her schedule was more balanced.  A famous quote I keep bringing up, “Insanity: Doing the same thing and expecting different results.”  We have discussed her schedule and luckily things should slow down this summer, therefore, I have asked her to chart her schedule on an open calendar for the month of June. I have asked her not to chart on her IPhone as this has prevented her from seeing how overbooked her schedule is becoming.  I would like to see her schedule some “down time” every day so she has time to practice some stress management techniques and can also dedicate more forethought and planning with meal preparation.  If we want to be successful in anything we do we have to prioritize and plan – the same goes with weight-loss.

Exercise Homework

Nikki will continue her same workout as last week but will bump her weights to the next increment of weight – further challenging herself and raising the bar of intensity.

Nikki’s Comments

Well yes, we are still talking about my hectic lifestyle hindering my weight loss. It’s so frustrating to me that this keeps tripping me up! I’m realizing that I’m excusing busy weeks as “temporary” and just trying to survive to get to a more “normal” schedule.
But they keep coming – more and more stretches of time that I’m wishing away and running ragged to keep up. The people and areas I care most about will suffer when I continually have little energy, attention and time to give. So I’ve got to get my schedule under control!
I’ve made some great strides with working in regular exercise, but now I need to carve out some downtime or “margins” in my life. I’m taking a hard look at my family’s summer calendar and am committed to staying home more, relaxing, and focusing on improving the quality of my life - body, mind and spirit. I want to look back on this journey as the time in my life when I stopped running away from dealing with my lifelong weight issues and started running toward my goals of a truly happy, healthy life!