Today was the first morning in 2 weeks I woke up without a sore throat! Holla. (literally).
Right now I can swallow without any pain and it’s a MIRACLE. A bad flu really makes me appreciate when I am in good health I tell ya. I just need to get rid of this tickly cough now!
Yesterday, I mentioned that May is going to be my ‘getting my groove back’ month. April’s injury and sickness left me feeling crappier than crappy and I’ve been feeling out of shape and just, blah.
May also happens to be my birthday month, so naturally I want to be feeling my best to kick off my 28th year with gusto.
First, let’s talk about slumps.
Slumps are also known as ruts, rough patches, potholes, *&^*#&!!, or damn I feel crappy lately.
[Slumps are different than depression though, so if you think you might be depressed please talk to a professional as soon as possible.]
Even though I blog about healthy exercise and eating, I go through slumps just like any other person. I’m human…I mess up…I trip up…I get down on myself. I like to blog about the good times and the bad times because I think both are equally important to talk about. Whether they are exercise slumps, eating slumps, business or school slumps, health slumps, relationship slumps, or even, I don’t know why slumps…they just happen.
Slumps can occur at the same time and create a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of. First, I had my sciatic injury which put me out of my half marathon training. That negatively impacted my exercise, eating, and mood. My mood impacted my eating. Then I got the flu which took me out of exercise completely and also affected my eating habits. This impacted my work and personal life. Negative mood –> official SLUMP!
It is hard not to feel down when going through a rough patch, but I’ve found that if I take matters into my own hands and create positive solutions, I feel much better, faster.
To help create a plan for myself, I first had to identify the slumps in my life and then create solutions for each.
|
SLUMP |
SOLUTION |
| 1) Sickness | Stick with healthy flu fighting habits. |
| 2) Sciatic Nerve Injury | My sciatic nerve isn’t sore anymore (yay) and I want to continue stretching and yoga as a preventative measure. |
| 3) Exercise | I was unable to exercise during much of April (except for the elliptical a bit during the sciatic injury) and I’m feeling out of shape. My solution is to create a few exercise goals that I will be able to stick to in May. More on this below. |
| 4) Eating | For me, it is extra difficult to eat healthy when I’m not working out. When I am working out, I find it much easier to eat healthy. They go hand in hand. My eating in April has been all over the map. I lost my appetite and taste buds during my flu so I have had no desire to eat vegetables like I usually do. This also left me craving super sweet foods. In May I need to get my eating back on track. |
I’m a very goal-oriented person so I broke the slumps down into achievable goals for May.
Exercise & Eating Goals
Exercise Goals: Strength – Stretch – Cardio – Rest every week.
- Strength: 1 Body Pump class per week
- Stretch: 1 yoga class per week (I’m going to try hot yoga soon), plus stretching after workouts
- Cardio like running, hiking, elliptical 5-6 days a week for ~30-60 minutes each.
- 1 Rest day a week, or as needed
While I was at the end of my half marathon training in March before this all began, I won’t be jumping back into training just yet. I want to ease into running and focus on my overall fitness before getting lost in a training plan again. I feel like this is a good chance for me to direct my focus elsewhere.
Eating Goals:
- Eat more veggies: wash & chop up a bunch every Sunday and keep in containers in fridge as a time saver.
- Green Monsters few times a week
- Juicing most mornings
- Structure Meals and limit snacking: Good sized breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner & treat.
- Cook! I’ve been going through a major cooking slump (basically not wanting to cook at all), but I want to get back to cooking more dinners and having more structured meals.
- Meal Planning: Along the same line of cooking more dinners, I need to plan out meals that I can cook each week. I hope to do this on the weekend before grocery shopping for the week.
Not only do I think these goals are achievable, but by the end of May (and probably sooner) I will be back in the groove. I also hope to blog more about these goals throughout May to let you know how I am doing.
Oh, and I’m printing out my goals and putting them where I can see them. :)
Right now, I’m off to do some meal planning for the week. Any ideas for me?
Do you struggle with eating or exercise slumps? How do you get back in the groove?
This past week i have been in the exact same slump! sick, and not exercising or eating right during it. I took a week off from all exercise and in the process i pretty much ate bagels, ice cream, and granola bars, with a smoothie thrown in here and there. I finally felt better today so i went on a run and i feel so much better now. I hate being in a slump but it’s good to be working out of it!
Thanks for the inspiration to stay motivated! How about a request for a recipe that has raspberry & lemon?? Something like this, but vegan http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/raspberry-breakfast-bars/
I totally understand how you feel! I injured my knee almost a month ago and then almost immediately after caught a seriously intense flu, which I’m just now getting over. I’m finally getting back to the gym this week and am so excited. Did you know that May Day (yesterday) used to be celebrated as a new beginning? It’s the end of the winter half of the year and people used to have big May Day parties to celebrate this fact and the coming more productive months of the year. So what better time to start fresh? Congrats on your positive outlook and a new beginning!
Odd question: I am starting to eat healthy but can’t keep my fruits or veggies fresh for long. What do you use for storage after you wash and cut them? Thank you for your time.
Lately this (Cinnamon Spice Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad <– http://flavorator.blogspot.com/2011/04/tuesday.html) has been my go-to meal. It is simple, quick and it tastes' heavenly. When I get into exercise slumps I just try to think positive thoughts and remember what reasons I'm working out, good health, to not get flare ups (health reason), to feel good about myself etc… I know it's a simple thing, but it works. It reminds me that we all fall down sometimes but we have to pick ourselves back up. You're strong and you'll get out of that slump in no time! Good luck!
Samantha
http://flavorator.blogspot.com/
Going through a major slump right now< my jeans are feeling very tight because I haven't been exercising and eating properly. I need to get back on track and pick up where I left off instead of just giving up. Your post has been very helpful.
Hi Angela, I’m not a frequent commenter but I have been a reader for a while now and I just wanted to thank you for all of your inspirational posts. I can really relate to you and your goal-oriented mentality. This post came at the right time and is very helpful!
i’m going through a slump right now! I was on holiday in April and just haven’t got back into the routine of working out and healthy eating, but yesterday i decided its time to change! :) great post!
You will LOVE hot yoga! It seriously is my favorite! It will definitely help you in getting back in the groove also!
I definitely get in slumps also.. and when I do it just seems to negatively affect multiple aspects of my life.. so I definitely agree with your post! Thanks for always sharing from your heart! I find what usually pulls me out of the slump is forcing myself to get back to exercising. When I get back into that, I feel better about myself, desire to eat healthier and have alot more energy. Its a win win win situation :)
So I’ve recently stumbled upon your Blog and I must say that the recipes are awesome and your helpful and encouraging words are a blessing. After a long trial period I’ve just made the permanent switch from meat-eater to vegetarian last week and it has already been a struggle. Some of your recipes have really helped when I have come home from working 9 hours and I stand at my fridge just staring-Very frustrating!
I know that slump that you’ve been speaking of and I 100% understand. With summer beginning to knock on our doors I find a lot of my happiness being in the garden and digging in the dirt. We have a very lovely veggie and herb garden, Asparagus has been our first harvest of the season and it is just wonderful. The garden did need to be tended to with removing pesky weeds, mulching, adding compost to the perennials, and tilling in the veggie beds. Needless to say-Our weekends have been spent outdoors and the added sunshine has put a nice pep in my step. It’s been very nice to sit outside enjoying the warmer temps. So, that’s my advise-Get outside and gets your hands dirty! I know, for me, playing in the dirt seems to be the best medicine!
Great advice! The soil just arrived today :)
Hi Angela,
I’ve just been catching up on posts- thank you for this one! I’ve been in a slump lately, with me it’s also like if I don’t work out right, my eating becomes terrible…it really goes hand in hand. I’ve decided to get out of my slump, can’t wait to feel fit and healthy again! :)
Angela & fellow readers: I realize this post is roughly five years old, but it so resonated with me that I had to comment : ) I feel EXACTLY the same about every point made. Exercising and healthy eating go hand in hand. When I’m ill, or injured, or unable to work out for a week, or even just a few days, my healthy eating goes out the window and it becomes a downward spiral from thereon. Extremely depressing and frustrating to lose what you’ve worked so hard for in a matter of days! Particularly with age (I am 48 and in good shape), I find the excess pounds come on SO much faster than they come off. A grave injustice! I also find my cravings for carbs and sugars increase with illness and basically every time “that time of the month” is nearing. This inevitably spurs yet another setback in healthy eating. Nevertheless, it is essential not to simply give up and go crazy eating everything you know you shouldn’t–which is the mindset that sometimes sets in: Oh, I’ve blown it now, so why not eat the whole cake?! Of course, slumps apply to all areas, not just health. I am a fiction writer and find when life takes me out of the groove of writing, it is quite difficult to begin again. I like your idea of putting *ACHIEVABLE goals (*key word) in writing as a means of getting back on track. I plan on doing this myself next time I find myself in any sort of slump. As always, thanks for sharing. Funny how your lows have a way of lifting others up ; ) Yours, Leslie