This may seem a bit obvious, but feeling sick has made me think about my health. I’ve been pretty focused on the exercise (and weight) element of my health for the past several months. I’ve been very good about setting goals for myself, and pretty good at reaching my goals (for the most part). I have to admit that I’ve neglected some key elements of health apart from that, though. I’ve been running around like a crazy person for a long time, and I think that my bad habits are starting to have a negative impact.
I definitely don’t sleep enough. I try to go to bed at a reasonable time, but sometimes I have so much extra work to do that there’s just no way that I can get everything done and get the 7-8 hours of sleep that I know I need. I also haven’t been eating all that well – sometimes, it’s just so much easier to order take out than it is to thoughtfully prepare a meal with lots of veggies. Living with my roommate has been pretty helpful, and when we actually go grocery shopping together I think that I eat better. This past week, though, was not so good in terms of eating healthful meals. I also have a lot of stressors in my life – whoever said that students have it easy is totally wrong! What with an internship, class, homework, and all the other things I do, I feel very pressed for time. I am definitely under a lot of pressure.
I really need to turn my focus to all-around health. Being healthy isn’t just about how many times a week I go to the gym, but is rather about maintaining an entire lifestyle.
-Hannah
What do you do for stress relief?
My problem has never been with eating breakfast – I’m a morning person and like to take my time getting ready in the morning. I do have a problem with getting to work on time, though, and I realized that having ready-made breakfasts that I don’t have to prepare would cut out a few extra minutes every morning. Now I’ll be working on finding easy recipes to make ahead of time. This week I tried these vegan whole-wheat raisin-carrot-apple muffins, adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I’m not a vegan, but replacing eggs with applesauce in this recipe helps to cut out calories and add a little natural sweetness. They turned out delicious! And unlike the huge sugary muffins you’ll normally find at bakeries or convenience stores, this recipe is full of fiber and fruits, with very little added sugar. It could definitely be improvised on to suit your taste, and what you have on hand, as well.




