The Wellness Plan

So, I started back to school today, which is wonderful. I was so glad to be back and see my classmates. I gave and received many hugs. Of course, we hit the ground running, so there is already tons of work to do, but it still feels so much more purposeful than my desk job.

To make it through last semester, I had a rough outline of my wellness plan in my head, and I did a pretty good job of sticking to it. This semester I thought I would write it down and share it.

So here it is, in a nutshell: clean living. As clean as possible, anyway.

1. Proper diet: including taking a daily multivitamin and limiting the refined sugar and white flour, etc. No fads or crazy diets, just nourishing my body with lean proteins and veggies etc.
   
2. Proper sleep: That means as few all night study sessions as possible.
   
3. Time management: even if I have to write myself a to-the-minute schedule daily (with breaks, of course), I have to stay on task, especially if I want to get some sleep.
4. Exercise: SO important. Even if it does take an hour a day away from my books, I need to get up and MOVE.
5. Very little alcohol
6. Meditation time: sometimes a good workout is a good mental break, but I need time to attempt to still the torrent in my mind.
   
7. Family time: accomplished most readily with family dinner, but I can't be nose in a book 24/7.
8. Art: The hardest thing to make time for in my science curriculum. But I drag my poetry notebook around in my backpack, just in case.
9. Brainless entertainment: especially TV that makes me laugh. Gotta break up the stress.
10. Study, study, study: Nothing would give me a better endorphin rush than getting good grades.
11. Proper Hand Washing: you would be surprised how this one simple thing will keep you from getting sick.
    

Go me! Yay!

Some days this is HARD to do. But just trying to be mindful of it daily really seems to help.

You look like a giant hot dog

Dagnabit, I'm too fat.

So, I am on a diet starting yesterday. It is already taxing my frayed nerves.

I'm hungry. Or rather, HUNGRY. If I were a cartoon, say on a desert island, you would look like a giant hot dog to me and I would chase you, thinking you are food.

I'm even on a structured and balanced diet plan that is supposed to get the craving thing under control, but damn. This is only day two and my body is all annoyed with me. I actually feel like a drug addict, the way my brain fixates on what everybody else is eating. I'm ready to tap up a vein for the next bag of pretzels. It's embarrassing. I notice food everywhere, especially the stuff I am absolutely not supposed to have. I don't even want to write the names of the foods I am craving, for fear of shorting out my nice ergo keyboard with my drool. Does Pavlov ring a bell?

I hope that in a few days, I will not be feeling such strong urges to basically pig out. I think a lot of it is stress over the upcoming court proceedings for "A". Stress always makes me want more chocolate than is strictly reasonable.

Yes, I am drinking lots of water. Yes, I am taking vitamins. I just wish I could go out and take a walk in the fresh air rather then being at work right now.