What is it about sitting for extended periods of time that makes you so tired? You know, things like long car rides, cramped flights, meetings and trainings? I sat in CPR/First Aid/Oxygen/AED re-certification for a little over four hours yesterday and it absolutely wiped me out for the rest of the day. Although we had a personable and efficient instructor, I still emerged from the training grumpy and hungry.
Pre-training breakfast was overnight oats in an almost empty (seriously almost empty – I had to add more PB on top!) peanut butter jar. The overnight mixture was oats, plain Greek yogurt, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, cinnamon, chia seeds and almond milk. Extra peanut butter and Crofter’s on top.
A very late post-training lunch was a big salad with spinach, a Trader Joe’s Masala Burger, apples, avocado, dried cranberries, carrots and feta. Topped with a honey dijon balsamic vinaigrette. I love these veggie burgers – especially on salads. They’re slightly spicy and very flavorful.
I had a short break to catch up on work email before I had to head over to Y2 to teach the Monday evening hot class. I downed two mugs of hot tea (the best afternoon warm up when it’s chilly outside!) and tried to be as productive as possible. Things have been so crazy lately that I have to be very disciplined with my time. I know I’ve said this in several posts but I am really ready to be able to focus more on one thing and not be so all over the place all the time. It will be a very nice change of pace and hopefully allow me some room to breathe (and practice yoga again!).
Class was such a wonderful way to end the day but the icing on the cake was coming home to have dinner already prepared. My parents packaged up leftover beef stew and noodles (and banana pudding!) so dinner was as simple as heating leftovers and grabbing some green beans out of the freezer. Now, the only thing that would have made it better would’ve been to have my parents here to eat it with me! 🙂
I was hoping to get some cardio in after class but I just could not convince myself to do it. I had already taught BodyPump early and figured that would just have to be enough for the day. Dinner and relaxing sounded too good. I’ve been embracing rest and cutting back on cardio/running since I’ve been so overly active during the days. I know it’s just a cycle and once things even out a bit more I will be back to my normal workouts and yoga practices.
How do you juggle busy periods of life and working out?
I hate sitting for long periods of time, and I feel really lucky that my job keeps me active! I can’t imagine trying to juggle everything you do and fit in workouts… it is so inspiring.
Jealous of you Cate! My job has me sitting allllll day long, I so wish I had one that required me to move. I make up reasons to get up and walk around! Haha
thank you, cate! on the same thread of thought…i can’t imagine being a mom, an amazing runner and a full-time teacher. YOU inspire me! 🙂
You are SO very active, you totally deserve to relax! It’s hard to juggle though, when my semester is going on I have night class Tuesday/Thursday and I usually work out at night right after work, but can’t on those days. I could go at 8pm…or at 6am I could go to the gym…but the group fitness classes I love are not offered at those times and I miss them! I’ve kinda come up with a compromise – on Tues/Thurs mornings, I wake up around 6am and do a yoga practice. That’s my workout for those days and since I rarely take full rest days, I kinda consider them active rest. It works for me and starts my day with me feeling centered and energized!
it sounds like you’ve found the perfect balance for your busy tuesdays and thursdays and that a yoga practice is just the thing your body (and mind!) needs!
Hey jen!
I know what you mean about sitting for extended periods…thats how i feel when I am in lecture taking class notes.
Is crofters a really good brand of jam? Which one of their products is your favorite flavor?
Also, Do you have the recipe for the honey dijon balsamic salad dressing?
Have a great day! 🙂
I love the TJ’s masala burgers! They really have an incredible amount of flavors. I’ll eat them with smashed avocado, greek yogurt, and hot sauce on top. One of my favorite quick meals!
oooohhh – that combo sounds so good!
Actually, I don’t think I juggle them very well at all! But luckily I’m only able to wind down on busy days with a work out, so maybe it balances out somehow :). Also, I just realized I’ve been a reader for a year because I remember you making a King’s cake this time last year, and I am attempting one this evening! Thanks for being an inspiration in so many ways! Cheers 🙂
yes! workouts can be a great way to end busy days to kind of “let it go.” i actually ended my busy tuesday with 30 minutes on the treadmill and it felt amazing.
thank you so much for reading for a year! i so appreciate you taking the time to comment and let me know! 🙂
My body feels like its falling apart when I am not active. After a few days, my knees pop, my hips ache and my back is sore. SO odd!! In regards to the busy schedule, I just keep my priorities in check. Or try too, anyway!
i know! i just had a conversation with one of my students yesterday about how our bodies must have felt pre-yoga because now we’re so addicted to the way it makes us feel. i’m so tight and stiff if i can’t practice for a few days.
Hi Jen, I just want to say I think it is great that you make healthy meals at home…and do not run out to get food from restaruants (fast food or regular). You have such a great balance of making healthy dishes & eating out (more emphasis on eating at home, which is ultimately healthier). I would love to see you write comments such as “this took me 10 minutes to prepare” or quick tips like “you can make the meat /cut the veggies the night before so preparation is quicker.” I think a HUGE challenge of people eating healthy and making good food at home is just the amount of time they think it takes to make a healthy dish. In reality, it is not that much time at all but there is a perception it takes a lot of work to eat healthy at home!
I think these small preparation tips and tricks could really encourage readers to try to plan ahead, prepare and make things at their own house! This would lead to readers eating smaller portions, less sodium & an overall health(ier) quality of food.
I hope I am explaining this right. (I am writing this in a hurry over my lunch hour, eating leftovers that I made for dinner last night – at home!). If you want me to elaborate or think of suggestions, please email me directly. I am not a nutritionist but I am an assistant to a famous one (email me for details) and think that you are definitely on the right track with all your healthy eating advice – just wanted to add my two cents about more helpful tips that could be mentioned to encourage eating healthy at home!
Thanks!
M
maureen – thank you so much for taking the time on your lunch break to provide this suggestion for the blog. i think it’s a great idea! i would love to add more meal prep/simple instructions to my posts. i agree with you that it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking there is no time to cook at home but i find that if i have a well-stocked fridge and pantry, i can put together a meal in under 20 minutes.
again, thanks so much! i’ll definitely email you if i want to bounce any ideas off of you! 🙂
have a great day!
ugh… .i HATE sitting for long periods of time. unfortunately, my job has me doing exactly that and i am so irritable at the end of the day. yuck.
my only trick for balancing hectic work and working out is to workout early in the morning before my day gets started. there can’t really be any excuses that way. while i don’t necessarily like getting up early… i do feel better after a good workout!
morning workouts are a great way to start the day – especially if you know that you have to go to an office and sit. it feels good to get your body moving first thing!
I, too, sat through an 8 hour re-certification recently and was completely wiped out afterwards!! I would have much rather have taught back to back classes all day long! I hate that “sitting all day” tired! It is the worst! Glad it’s over for you . . .
i agree – i would have much rather have been teaching! i reach a point where i just can’t absorb any more information!
Agreed about the sitting- when I was studying for the bar, I stood 90% of the time and often paced around while going over my notes. It kept my stamina up and I didn’t want to nap. Now I just try to stand up at work alot, and take a quick 30 minute break during the day to hit the office gym.
Sometimes life just throws too much at you, and you just have to remember that this too shall pass and the fitness schedule will resume. I think it’s better to listen to your body and give it the rest it needs rather than squeeze in the extra workout that might not be of a good quality anyway.
i love that you stood while you were studying. i’m sure that helped you burn nervous energy and kept you from getting stiff and tired.
i completely agree with your point of rest being better than a lackluster workout sometimes.
I loveee avocados and I’m curious…how many avocados do you have on hand at a time?!
hahaha – i buy two a week (they come in a two-pack) and eat them one quarter at a time. soooo obsessed! 🙂
I am always exhausted after a long work training or road trip. Crazy, right?
I am a morning person so I used to (majorly passed tense) always get my workouts in first thing. This was an awesome tactic while juggling classes in graduate school, working and planning a wedding ALL at the same time! I have fallen off the work out bandwagon and am trying to get motivated to get back in the habit.
i love morning workouts too – it’s an amazing feeling to get it over with before the rest of the world is even moving. such a sense of accomplishment. hope you can get back on that train!
I use my workout time as my “me time” when I’m kinda busy. When I’m super busy, I just have to prioritize. Sometimes workouts are more important, but a lot of times they’re not.
Those masala burgers are amazing, aren’t they? Love ’em!
9 times out of 10 a workout is just what i need to stay sane on busy days but there is the rare occasion that it has to fall down the priority list!
and yes, the masala burgers are incredible. love them!
Sometimes on the busiest of days I just can’t workout and I decide that that’s completely ok. We set up such high expectations for ourselves, and it’s easy to get discouraged if things don’t work out as planned. Leftovers sound delicious, especially when they include banana pudding!!
i agree! sometimes you just have to give yourself a break and know that you can’t do everything! and banana pudding makes for a great day! 🙂
Working out is my centre…I’m more likely to get 6 workouts per week in when I have a lot of other things going on. I remind myself that:
1) Life’s about working smart, not working long or hard.
2) Exercise allows you to clear your head, release a little stress and be more productive.
3) Mortgaging your health for your work is a short-term plan in a long-term game…regularly working out can add years to your life and quality to those years.
As a result, I’ve set a “no meetings between 1-2pm” when I am at work rule. I block my calendar out and don’t feel guilty when I walk away from something to go work out. I’m better when I get back and I avoid that mid-afternoon “crash” that most people seem to get : )
How cute are those tea bags? What brand of tea is that?
yogi tea – i LOVE their green teas. the green tea energy and green tea kombucha are my faves.