June Runfessions, and Halfway Day Check-in!
June is drawing to a close, and that means two things: it’s time to join Marcia for runfessions, AND we’re almost halfway through the year. Halfway Day is July 2nd, so it’s a perfect time to assess the year so far and see how we’re doing. My word for 2023 was “nourish.” So far, so good with that… for the most part. One of my main projects for 2023 was to increase my protein intake, and I do well with it on most days. On the days I go to the gym, I drink a protein shake, and other days I’ll add protein powder to my oatmeal or a smoothie. On days where I previously was “too busy” to eat lunch, I now eat a peanut butter sandwich on Ezekial bread (20 grams of protein, as opposed to zero.) On the days I don’t add protein powder to my oatmeal, I’ll make it with soymilk instead of water. Little changes like that definitely add up. Dinners have been protein-packed around here, thanks to my son. He’s been working out and tracking his protein intake. He manages an incredible 150 grams a day ON A VEGAN DIET. I don’t come anywhere near that- but I don’t weigh as much as he does, and I’m not a body builder. So that’s going well! I’ve also been reading some incredible books, and am on track to read 50 books this year- although I’m usually on track with that until November-December, when life gets crazy, and I inevitably come up short. This could be the year, though! Great! So I’m nourishing my body with healthy food and my mind with great books. How about sleep? Sigh. My sleep isn’t terrible, but I’m definitely not getting enough. I’ve fallen into my old habit of getting in bed seven hours before my alarm goes off. So if I fall asleep instantaneously and sleep soundly for the entire night, I would be getting seven hours. But that’s obviously not happening. I’m probably getting more like six hours a night, and it’s not enough. I don’t know why this is so hard for me! There are always so many things to do at night- but specifically, I love reading after everyone else has gone to bed. The other day my son said he thinks the biggest component to building muscle- other than going to the gym, of course- is sleep. GREAT. It’s always the one thing you’re not doing, right? For the second half of the year, I HAVE TO get more sleep. Let’s call this my “runfession” and a demerit. The whole point of giving yourself a demerit is to identify the problem and plan to do better, right? For the second half of 2023, I resolve to get better sleep. My Garmin tracks my sleep, but I’m always afraid to look at the data- which makes absolutely no sense. I resolve to LOOK at the data my Garmin is giving me, and track it in my planner. I’ll report back- and feel free to mock and ridicule me if I don’t improve. Thanks for listening to my “runfession!” Do you observe “Halfway Day”? Do you like to reassess your progress for the year? Do you think you get enough sleep?