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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted, but now that Spring is right around the corner, it seems like a good time to re-start and refresh! My boss posted about rejuvenation this week, and I’m making a few changes on that front too, albeit mainly in my life outside of work.
Some of the steps are basic health-giving ones, that I’m excited to make a regular part of my routine:
- Drinking a huge glass of water on waking each morning. I’m trying to get into the habit of setting a large glass of water on my bedside before I turn in each night. Then trying to gulp it down first thing, before even shuffling into the shower. It’s actually pretty difficult at first – that’s a lot of liquid at 6:30am! But i’ve read enough about this tip to be giving it a try.
- Drinking less coffee, better coffee. For Rick’s birthday, I splashed out on a beautiful tomato red coffee maker (try that link for a good list of options), and we now start the day with a lovely, small cup of freshly ground and brewed coffee. Even better, we also bought some beautiful espresso and cappuccino cups from La Colombe Torrefaction. One cup is enough, and we enjoy it together at home before the craziness of the day starts. No more being jostled in line at Starbucks to buy a coffee larger than my own head? That’s a win.
- Adjusting my work hours. A tricky one this. I start work really early, but I had gotten into a bad habit of staying really late too. And it was hard finding time to work out, and the energy! After I saw a few sneaky extra pounds appear, I knew it was time to make a few changes. So i’m trying to leave a little earlier, in order to make a commitment to exercise. With smartphones and laptops, it’s actually pretty easy to be a little more flexible with your hours and still be productive. In fact, it might even increase my productivity. So, I’m definitely going to try and make this a consistent part of my routine.
- Eating home-cooked food. I love to shop for food, and I love to cook. It’s super relaxing and great for your focus. And it HAS to be better for you to eat less processed foods. I’m really enjoying creating new dishes, and using my local farmer’s markets for fresh produce.
- Getting more sleep. Arianna Huffington is famous for her Sleep Challenge, and I’m a believer. Lack of sleep not only makes me irritable, but it also leads to me making less than stellar decisions about food. And of course, feeling refreshed is the best tonic for a busy and challenging day at work. So, i’m trying to get more sleep than I think I need. Most people need more sleep than they think they need.
I’ll be exploring more on this over the coming weeks and months, and I’m excited. Spring is here!
After nearly two months of getting back into a regular yoga practice, am i more flexible? Yep. Can I hold a plank position until most other people collapse? Yep. And can I hold poses until my legs shake and quake? Yep.
But to me, the real prize has been this. Whatever mood I enter the yoga studio in, I always come out feeling better. 100% of the time. Yoga’s ultimate gift is that it can take your emotions and use them to shape your practice in a meaningful way.
Feeling a little tired and under the weather? Take it slow and steady, and your poses will reward you, by letting you sink into them, without needing to force anything. The yoga breath takes you there, and it feels loose, fluid and graceful.
Feeling exhausted and wrung out from a day at work? Sat in a chair, with a to do list that stretches to the ceiling and glued to your chair? Impatient and stressed? Take those feelings into your practice and you’ll find strength, again through your breath, that enables you to go deeper into each pose. You actively enjoy the feelings of discomfort as you stretch contracted, knotted muscles and connect with the stress, so you can let it go. Again, it’s all about leaning into the sharp corners.
The poses in yoga remain much the same. So much so, that people ask me if i get bored with doing the same ones, in a similar order, most days of the week. But there is endless variety and challenge in each one, they take a lifetime to master, and they can always be improved. Better yet, you can get a different read on each pose, every time you sink into it, using your mood and emotions to guide you.
To me, yoga’s ability to take what you’re feeling, and use it to better your practice, deepen your understanding and improve your experience, is priceless. And a hugely valuable life lesson.
As part of the “no TV” kick that i’m currently embarking on, I’ve been pleased to find out that i have a little more time for exercise and working out. I used to be a massive devotee of the gym, yoga, dance class, anything that would get me moving, and get the endorphins flowing. But the stress of recent months has taken its toll on my body and on my health, and the gym has been a sad casualty of that.
But how to find time to exercise when your work hours don’t really allow? For me, the optimal time to work out would be in the morning, but with an 8:00am office start every day, it would be testing the boundaries in a big way to get up even earlier than i already do. Especially while it’s still cold and dark outside… And by the time the work day usually ends, i’m usually wiped. Would a lunchtime work out slot do the trick? Maybe, but not really feasible given my daily schedule.
The solution? Well, i can’t pretend to have it licked, but I’ve experimented over the last week with getting to work a full 30 minutes early. This is easier than getting up 60-90 minutes early in order to work out at the gym, believe me! And those first 30 minutes can be really productive. Often disproportionately so. Coupled with taking my own healthier lunch to work, it means i can be more focused during the day, and leave on time (when i can), to make it to the gym at a more reasonable hour. 6:30pm say, rather than 7:30 or 8:00pm. My energy level is just about still high enough, and i can work out before enjoying the rest of the evening, as well as checking in on any urgent emails.
I’m only two days in so far, and i can’t pretend it will work every day, but so far, i’m enjoying the slight change of pace. The best work/life balance experts tell you that finding your own rhythm is an important facet of being productive. Make the most of your best hours, whether it’s for work or play. I happen to power through work in the mornings, while my own energy levels dip a little toward the end of the day, so i’d rather re-charge by going to the gym instead of lagging behind at my desk, night after night. Like anyone, i’ll pull the hours when i need to, (12 hour plus days have definitely been my friend in the past!), but for right now, this is working for me. Will keep you posted on my progress!
Rick and I were at dinner with friends last week, and halfway through a very fun evening, I glanced around their living room and realized there was something missing. No TV. Now, i’m a TV lover, I’ll admit, but even I have never gotten over the disappointment of moving to a land that gives you 400 channels as standard, yet rarely anything good to watch. Back in the UK, we grew up with three main channels, slowly expanding to five over the years (i know, crazy, right?), and even when cable became de rigeur, most people still just watched those five channels. With so little choice, the programming quality somehow seemed to be a lot higher, and there was always something good to watch.
Recently, it seems to have gotten even worse in the States. Apart from my top shows Lost and Top Chef (plus a few others that i’ll enjoy if they’re on, but don’t call ‘appointment viewing’), there’s nothing worth watching. So, why did I recently find myself delaying my Sunday by watching repeats of repeats of bad, cheesy shows? I had no idea, but i knew i didn’t feel good about it. Not when there’s so much in life that needs living! Rick kind of agrees, apart from his beloved sports of course…
So, we have a new rule that we’re going to try and stick to. The TV doesn’t go on, ever, by default. If there’s something we want to watch, that’s great. But if not, and the only option is a Lifetime movie starring a z-list actor, we’ll pass! It might be hard to go without the comforting background buzz at first, but we got excited by all the other things we might do if the tube stayed blank. Here’s our starter list:
- Go to the gym
- Take a walk together, and with Sophie
- Take a dance class
- Go to the movies
- Cook together
- Go out with friends
- Go to dinner
- Finish decorating our apartment
- Read more books
- Start writing our own books!
- Watch a great Netflix film or documentary (yep, this counts!)
- Get more sleep
- Take an evening class
Sounds like a pretty great list, huh? Of course, we do these things now, it’s just that the TV has a nasty habit of becoming a convenient excuse for being sloth-like. No more! Let’s see how we do, and hope i don’t get withdrawal symptoms…
Ok, my favorite TV show. Ever. (copyright: BBC/Adult Swim)
It’s still only January, but my new year’s resolution to blog more has already gone horribly awry. Suffice to say that it’s been an intense year so far, both at work (especially at work!) and home (our new home!). So, Rick and I are taking a quick, and well deserved break to re-charge, at the Bachelor Gulch resort in Colorado. Hopefully a lot of ski-ing, and lot of R&R will be on the menu!
Hope to be back at it soon.
x
So, inspired by one of my favorite lifestyle bloggers, Anh Minh, here’s my year in cities during 2009. It definitely tells a story for me, this year, one of love and new family, and new experiences, book-ended by plenty of time in my home country of England. And no, it doesn’t include my lovely current residence of San Francisco (although outliers are included!) Here it is:
- Denver, CO
- Bachelor Gulch, CO (hmm, not really a city, but a destination nonetheless!)
- London, England
- Wolverhampton, England (and I’m disputing this claim by the way!)
- Orlando, FL
- Boston, MA
- White Plains, NY
- New York City, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Maui, HI
- Sonoma, CA
- Napa, CA
- Half Moon Bay, CA ( again, not sure if this is really a city?)
- Calistoga, CA
- New York, NY
- Manchester, NH
- London, England
- Wolverhampton, England
Pretty good I think! Represents plenty of both work and play, and of course, lots of family time too. And let’s just say, we definitely enjoyed the full breadth of Wine Country! On the wish list for next year? Rome and Positano for our belated honeymoon, perhaps a little more ski-ing if we’re lucky, and Minnesota to visit Rick’s family. Oh, and Chicago – has to be done! Let’s see how I do.
Usually by the time Christmas rolls around, i’m really tired, very stressed out, and often feeling very unhealthy indeed! Lots of social events, work projects that need completing before the annual pilgrimage to the UK, and not enough sleep – not a good combo for the body and soul. Especially when you throw in a 12 hour flight, twice in 10 days!
So this year, i thought i’d try a slightly different approach, as i needed to get back into balance. But no Blueprint Cleanse craziness for me, (although I hear great things about it, and might try it to kickstart next year). I needed something a little more accessible. That meant cutting out alcohol for a good couple of weeks, getting more quality sleep, cooking and eating home-cooked food (one of my life goals from a while back), and trying to focus on productivity vs worry at work. Nothing major, and nothing radical. But small steps toward a more balanced life, and good preparation for the guaranteed frenetic pace of Christmas in the UK.
It also meant taking control of some of the worries that overall anxiety can give rise to. That nagging fear of flying that cropped up a couple years ago, the recognition that I could be eating better. You get the drift.
So, a few weeks on, how did i do? Pretty good actually! Here are a few of the things that really worked for me:
- Drinking delicious juices, fancy (healthier versions of) sodas, and grape juices that, poured into a beautiful wine glass, can almost pass as the real thing! Try Trader Joes’ French Berry Lemonade or Wine Country Soda for a non-headache inducing way to relax
- Not feeling guilty about ‘just hanging out’ – trust me, i always have a personal to do list as long as my arm, but after Thanksgiving, I was so burnt out from various things that I literally holed up on the sofa and watched TV all day. Would I want to do that forever? No. Did it feel good to have nothing to do for a little while? Yes!
- Finding little treats that wouldn’t derail my good intentions completely. This is a British thing, but I’ve been eating delicious little 100 calorie pack of Maltesers – sooo good and chocolatey, but not as much of the guilt…
- Taking evening walks with Rick and Sophie. I have to confess that weirdly enough, my slightly healthier lifestyle hasn’t necessarily coincided with going to the gym a lot. I think I need to find a new way to work out actually. Gym has kinda burned me out, after all these years. So, a brisk evening walk with my two favorite housemates has been a great way to work out a little and more importantly, de-stress from the day
- Going for a consultation with a nutritionist. No decisions made yet (there are too many delicious baked goods in my office to start a real healthy eating kick!), but I have all the information i need to commit to sessions in the new year, which feels good
- And on the topic of ‘knowledge is power’, i finally attended a ‘Fear of Flying’ clinic at San Francisco Airport. To my surprise, the clinic was full of women just like me. Professional, intelligent, rational women, who suddenly had a fear creep up after many, many years of happy flying. I could never work out what sparked this a few years ago, but it was a very practical, useful day and I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to take control and arm themselves with the facts they need to enjoy flying and travel again
I hope I can keep up some of these things into next year. I’ve found they’ve really helped me a lot. But I still have a long way to go! A diet and exercise overhaul is next, and after the huge slice of pizza I ate today for lunch, there’s clearly some work I have to do! Plus, we’re now entering the real danger zone of the festive season of excess – work parties, friends’ cocktail bashes, visiting family and friends in the UK (and you know how much English people love pubs!). So, i can’t promise anything, but at least I’m going into it feeling good! Wish me luck…
I was reading Self magazine recently while waiting for a doctor’s appointment and read some great tips on how to switch off from work. The tips came from a women about oooh, a thousand times busier and more stressed than me, Mona Sutphen, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy. Not only does she have an incredibly demanding job, she also has a family to raise, and looks enviably slim, relaxed and polished. As someone, with no children (yet), who still breaks out the chocolate treats daily at the first sign of stress, I wanted to know her secrets.
They were pretty straightforward, focused on things like making time for regular work outs, good quality date nights with her husband and learning how to process a work crisis calmly, rather than just panicking! But I was impressed that she seemingly managed to put these good intentions into practice. Something I often think about, but don’t always do. It got me thinking about some of the ways I can instil a little calm and balance into my life. I’m not as busy as Mona, but I have my fair share of stuff to do! Here’s the stuff that works for me:
- Like Mona, I try and carve out a little quiet time at work each morning, to process any emails that have come in overnight, plan (or re-plan!) my day, connect with the people around me on my various social networks and communities, get an update on the news, and most important, make a great breakfast. Starting the day right is the best way for me to feel like I have a handle on things, so I usually get into work a little early to mix up some yoghurt and fruit before the co-workers descend, and mainline a little coffee! Ten extra minutes at the start of the day often pays dividends, so I try and make time for that.
- As a recent dog owner, and thanks to my amazing allergist, I find it extremely therapeutic to spend time with our old lab, Sophie. In the same ways that kids must be, dogs are the perfect shield between work and home, and just 10 minutes spent playing fetch with Sophie when I come home, is enough to mark a clear transition from stressed time to chill out time!
- Working out is a classic de-stress mechanism, and although I don’t find as much time to do it as i should, it really helps turn off the whirling dervishes in your brain. And if you do it after work, it’s another great marker between work and home, allowing you to process any residual stress before you get through the front door. It’s my personal goal to find more and better times to work out, perhaps even over a couple of lunchtimes (like Mona does, yes, even at the White House!).
- This one will really vary person to person, but for me, learning something new is actually super relaxing, yet stimulating in a very positive way. For a while i was taking creative writing classes, but now the current passion is Lindy Hop. It’s something Rick and I can do together, and it needs complete focus. Which is pretty zen! For some reason, all these classes seem to happen on a Monday night, which is a major challenge. Mondays are just urgh, aren’t they? But, even though it takes a lot of willpower to get there, the pay off is worth it.
There are a ton of other things I could list, but these always work for me. Being creatively and physically challenged is always a good way to switch off the chattering monkeys in the brain, and who doesn’t love a cute dog? C’mon!
What are your best de-stress tricks?
Whoah – over the last few weeks, things have gotten seriously out of balance. Lots of work priorities, (including work socializing), and some really heavy duty personal paperwork, have meant that a few other things have suffered. Namely, my usual commitment to at least try and eat healthily and exercise, and sadly, my relaxing, ‘hanging out time’ with my husband and my friends.
With less than a month to go until Christmas, it’s time to get back on track. The gym has seen my tracksuited self again this weekend for the first time in an embarrassingly long time. And it’s hard work! I feel dejected at having to ramp up to fitness again, but know that it’s going to be better in the long run if I take those small steps, rather than really go for it, and burn myself out.
Homecooking is back on the menu! I’ve always thought this was an easy way to get back to health. There’s just something about home-cooked food which makes me feel better, even if there’s cheese and olive oil! At least you can control the amount you put in. And cooking relaxes me too.
Sleep. Ah yes. That would be good. Stress always stops me sleeping well, so i’ll be trying to get some early nights in while I can. At least before the Christmas party circuit starts up. I’m always tempted to stay up during the week, so I can get more stuff done, squeeze more stuff into my day, but sometimes, you just need to recognize when enough is enough.
And dancing? Yep, back on the dancefloor as of this week! Rick and I have slipped a little from our Lindy Hop trials, mainly due to other commitments, work trips etc. But we both miss it, and it’s a great way to spend time together.
I’m hoping that these things combined can get me on the road to feeling good again. And of course, the hanging out with my friends bit too, but with our ‘urban family’ Thanksgiving just around the corner, that’s looking in good shape. Time for me to get started on my special brussel sprout recipe. For all the sprout non-believers out there!
Lastly, I’d like to re-commit to my blog. Sadly, it’s been another thing that’s slipped in the last couple weeks, and I’m not happy about it. So, I need to carve out the time for that too.
So, while I might not be hitting all of my November goals anytime soon, I feel good about getting everything back in good shape. Just in time for an exciting Christmas trip back to the UK with Rick!
Check back here to see if I can keep things on track…
Where did the time go?? I actually can’t believe it’s already November, but after being prompted by Sapana’s post over at NYCFullHeart, i can’t risk being ‘tardy to the party‘. Yes, you know I live and die by the Real Housewives - don’t judge me!
So, here are my November goals. I had thought it was time to be a little more adventurous than October. But then, October did contain a pretty monumental event – my wedding! So, i’m still trying to catch up to the rest of my October goals. And you can’t really blame me now can you?
Here’s a recap of my October goals:
- Overhaul and update my wardrobe for Fall/Winter: Erm. I have a heap of clothes on my bedroom floor. I guess that’s a start? I need a rainy SF day to continue the purge! On the flip side, i did buy some great basics – details in another post to come soon.
- Conquer my nascent fear of flying: I tried all my techniques on a flight to NYC, and it worked great! My best tip is remembering to ‘move with the turbulence’, which essentially means jumping around in your seat to your iPod, instead of clinging onto the seat for dear life. Sounds crazy, and people will look at you like you’re nuts. But it works.
- Master at least one great new recipe: Aha! Even in the midst of all the craziness, i DID make something new. Roasted pork loin, rolled in rosemary scented salt from the farmer’s market and served with roasted butternut squash. Delicious, and very, very easy. Next up, poached eggs in red wine sauce, a Balthazar classic, and also recommended by my new sister in law Kirsten!
- Spend at least one day this month completely and blissfully free of chores, admin, or ‘to-dos’: Hmm, still not quite there! Although, a Saturday full of the King Tut exhibition, lunch and Muir Woods, might just qualify! Clearly, more work needed here on the “do absolutely nothing at all and don’t feel guilty about it” front
- Oh, and last but never least – enjoy being married! TICK!
So for November, I need a mix of easily achievable and something a bit more fun. It’s a crazy month, work and visitor-wise, and also my birthday month. So i reckon i deserve to chill out a little bit:
- Indulge in a full day of pampering and relaxation: with my birthday coming up, that’s all the excuse i need! No chores, no admin, no life projects. Just chilling out. Easy. Right???
- Ok, FINALLY sort my closet out, once and for all: capsule wardrobe here i come!
- Take plenty of time to really enjoy my friends: if anything has suffered most in the last few crazy months, it’s been my long lazy days hanging out with the girls (and boys). Time to make some positive changes there.
- Go to a Lindy Hop club and dance the night away: Rick and I are still loving our Monday night classes. But of course we never find time to practice inbetween times, and we’re still too shy/scared to actually go to a live club and dance with strangers. This is a big one for both of us, but i think we’re ready! Rick might not be quite so sure…
- Hit the gym BEFORE work, at least once a week: I start work at 8:00am. Yes, you read that correctly. Have done for years. So it’s pretty hard to fit a work out in, before the work day starts. But recently i’ve been so busy after work, or soooo tired and drained at the end of a 10/11 hour day, that i’ve been skipping the gym altogether. Not good. I actually did this once last week, and while it required a little planning and a lot of will power, it felt pretty good. The challenge is to make it a regular thing.
So, there they are. Pretty modest actually. But maybe that’s what i need right now. I’ve always been the type to have a big long list of goals and projects. It just feels so good to tick them off! But i do need to step and just enjoy the ride sometimes. Something i learnt from an adorable little girl this past weekend.
Feel free to nag me about any of these! Encouragement, nagging, it’s all the same, right?
