We started the lockdown, and I don't know if this has affected anyone else, I have had a lot of trouble sleeping. I am awake numerous times throughout the night, tossing and turning, going to the toilet, lying awake. I have tried simply shutting my eyes and trying to go back to sleep, getting up and reading, thinking of films I like and playing scenes back in my head until I fall asleep...nothing can keep me asleep. I don't know whether this is because of stress or worry, or the fact that I am not doing as much as I normally do, or whether this is a psychological aspect of lockdown that is, as yet, unknown in the world of psychological research. All I know is that it isn't great for my emotional wellbeing.
Some nights I can get to sleep instantly and stay asleep throughout the night, but more often than not the former prevails and I end up looking at my sleep patterns on Fitbit the following day and seeing lots of red zones where I woke. I often wonder whether or not this has contributed somewhat to my lack of resolve recently. I know that sleep is hugely important in terms of being successful in changing habits and staying motivated, but most of the time I can get along on not very many hours sleep, so I tend to dismiss this.
However, I recently realised, having reflected on my journey and rereading some of my past blogs since the lockdown (and also in. conversation with my wife), that I have been drinking far more tea and coffee than I would normally do. I think you may see where this is going now.
Anyway, since realising this, my wife and I have decided to cut down on caffeinated tea and coffee from 5pm...ish. That way we are cutting out the amount of caffeine we have and hopefully this will have the desired effect of stopping the 'awake' parts of the night and give me a more regular sleep pattern. I have also begun drinking more water during the day instead of coffee/tea also; this will also hopefully help my sleep also.
Talking of the Fitbit app, I now have a number of apps helping me in a lot of areas of my life. Fitbit is obviously helping because it is counting the number of steps I have been doing throughout the day. I also use the MyFitnessPal app to log my meals and this counts the number of calories as well as tracking the micro-nutrients in my diet, so that I can make sure that I am not having too much fat or too many carbs or not enough vitamin C etc. It's a great app, but there is also the Samsung Health app, which will work with my new Samsung Active watch, which should be arriving soon.
Another app I have purchased recently (I mean downloaded, it costs nothing) is an app called Habits. This is an app that is very simple. You simply type in the habit you want to do and how often you want to do it. You can set the habit for daily, weekly, monthly, twice a week etc and there is also a custom mode on it to make it even more personal. It is free and there are no in app purchases, so it is all free and simple. Additionally, if you click on one of the habits, it gives you a complete analysis of your routines with it. Things like you percentage total doing the habit daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, streaks, frequency of completion, graphs - all very sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing and, again, all for free. If you want to keep a track of the things you do to see how often you do them, this is a great app and I would highly recommend it.
Talking of habits, the ones I have written into the app are to write every day, exercise every day (these are all every day) write my blog, keep counting my calories, read, and learn something new. So far I have only been doing it for three days - well, two days and one evening - and I have managed to keep up with everything. It certainly helps to see the tick go in that you have done it. I will obviously keep you updated on whether it continues to keep me motivated to keep up my habits.
Finally, today I have managed almost 14,000 steps (going to have to nip the dog around the block to reach my target), I am about 260 calories below my 1680 for the day, so I am going to have a little something in a bit to make it up to 1680 - probably something high in protein to keep my muscle mass in check. I have done all the things in my habit app (mentioned earlier) and also been to work. It has been a productive day and I am beginning to become more energised again. I am grateful today for my returning energy and positivity, and also for the ability to talk myself through cravings.
I hope that your journey has also gone well today and that lockdown isn't wearing you down too much. Oh, and a quick mention to Sheperdess (on Healthunlocked.com) for reaching a part of her journey where she can now fit into jeans that she hasn't been able to for a long time. I will hopefully be there too before the year is out!
Until tomorrow, stay strong and stay safe.
Thanks for reading.
Sean.
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