Confessions of March: 100th Post and Goals for the next 30 days

🥇How many of you have managed to stay on track with your January resolutions?

If you have, I would like to first and foremost, congratulate you on this wild accomplishment.

I see you in the back, still hitting the gym every day and drinking your 2L of water 👀 🚿

💬Here’s my confession. I don’t feel well or healthy.

So if you think my 100th blog post would be awe-strikingly inspiring, you’re in for surprise. March is a month of regeneration. The forecast is improving, there are tulips springing up at the local markets, and nature is waking from its slumber to come alive. This is also a great time for us to reboot and get back on track with our goals if we’ve strayed a little from the path. 

So without further ado, here’s how I’m regenerating my “glow”  in the next 30 days.

Combating my Fatigue Head-on

Over the past week, I really struggled to wake up. Although I go to bed fairly early (10-11 pm), I found that when the alarm clock rang, my body fought every bit of it. This tiredness is consuming and affecting my productivity.

Correlated with that fatigue were body aches, strains, unhealthy nails, and just overall, not feeling internally good and healthy. Keep in mind, I’m not suffering from any type of cold or sickness. I was also made aware by my partner that I frequently sleep-talked and exhibited signs of nervousness in my sleep.

First thing first, I’m going to see a doctor. Following my own advice, I’m going to get a comprehensive blood test done to see if I’m deficient in anything. The normal culprits are iron and B12— I was deficient in ioon a while ago but have since then returned to normal levels. Some people don’t know this, but you can tell through a blood test if you’re on the verge of getting a cold or infection.

Once I get the result from that, I can better assess what supplements and vitamins I may need to stock up on. Currently, I take none (gasp).

Aesthetics –  Nail and Skin Glow

For my nails which have become quite brittle, due to multiple consecutive manicures (oops 💅) I will focus on consuming a protein-rich diet and making sure I have key nutrients in my diet.

According to Healthline, these are:

• Biotin (found in organ meats, egg yolk, dairy, yeast, salmon, avocado, sweet potato, nuts, and seeds )
• B12 and folate (dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and avocado | Animal products)
• Iron ( beef, chicken, fish, and eggs)
• Magnesium (greens, nuts, seeds, beans)
• Protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, soy, legumes, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.)
• Omega 3s( salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna and sardines)

Today, the only supplement that’s been backed by studies to have an effect on healthy nail growth is Biotin.

Nutrition for the Win

So here’s a win. I’ve been eating consistent homemade meals for the last while. 

Here’s the bad news. It’s not super nutrient dense. My lunches consist of one sandwich- made with whole grain bread, one or two slices of real cheese, deli meat, some fat, and maybe a romaine leaf. It’s not the most filling or nutrient-rich meal,  but it’s easy, inexpensive, and I can consume it in roughly 7 minutes in front of my desk while catching up on my emails.

Yes, I’ve become that person. Mindful eating is out the window because I always feel like I’m in a rush to do things, even when there’s no real valid reason in feeling that way. 

Last Friday, I had to go home because I was really feeling unwell. After a couple of hours of relaxation, I made myself a meal composed of leafy, dark kale cooked in olive oil and garlic, beans, some leftover pulled pork, rice, salsa, and avocado, and finished with a golden fried egg. And my god did it taste good!! 🤤 This is the type of meal I should be consuming every day to feel my best and makes me feel truly “nourished” after.

It really made me miss being able to whip up a meal at home and eat it with contention 🙁 It just goes to show that sometimes the quickest route comes at a cost. But it can be done. All that is needed is some strategic planning. I’ve stocked my fridge this week with a higher ratio of fruit and veg to animal meat. So we’ll see how I feel after a week— I will try to keep updated on the stories. I also bought a greens supplement (Organic, unflavored greens from Body Energy Club) just to be extra safe— in case I lose a serving of vegetables during my meals (which I often do, or don’t eat enough of). I mix that in a smoothie with blueberries (antioxidants + fibre), matcha (antioxidants), almond milk, and chocolate protein powder (25g of protein) from Leanfit or Vanilla vegan from Profi.

I’m a huge believer in how you start your day (what you eat, put in your body, move) will dictate how the rest of your day looks in terms of diet and exercise. If you start your day off with fatty pastries and coffee, you’re more likely to have something less nutrient dense at lunch, dinner, and vice versa. It’s because you already gave yourself that mental allowance to keep spending on less nutritious foods and behaviours.

Alcohol Reduction

My body’s really not been loving ethanol lately. I find that I’m more prone to feeling foggy or lethargic the next day when I’ve had a couple the night before. For someone who desires to be extremely optimized for work, I just can’t have the impact of alcohol dragging me down and affecting my productivity. Plus, reducing alcohol for the time being can help me reduce the number of toxins I’m ingesting which may lead to better skin and losing some weight as well (which won’t hurt for my upcoming vacation 🏖️).

Psychological/ Mental

I very much have a go-go mentality. That means sometimes I have an inaccurate analysis of how stressed I am unless physical or mental symptoms start to show up. For me, it has to hurt in order for me to stop. To help me gain more awareness of how much I take on, or what I have going on, I want to try to adopt a “stress journal”.

I will write down in one column every time I experience some kind of stress, regardless of how irrelevant it feels, and in the next column beside it a “counteractive” activity. This means I can still take on stressful activities (because this helps you grow), but I am aware that I am, and I have something that will help regenerate me at the same time.

There are two physical things that are my most reliable ways to deal with stress:

1. Working out
2. Hot tub sessions

There are secondary things like:

1. Massages
2. Therapy 

I need to ensure I’m getting the top two regularly because I find that physically decompressing really helps with the mental aspect as well. The secondary activities ensure I sleep better at night 😂

Final thoughts

For this month, I really want to focus on the things that are in my control— my diet and my activities. I know from experience that when I’m eating enough, and having enough variety in my diet, I have more energy and feel healthier. Even though I give up nutrition sometimes for the sake of productivity and work, ironically, it comes back to bite me in the ass. Fatigue and malnourishment are the real drainers of long-term productivity. Taking care of yourself, and your health is not selfish, it’s necessary if you want to continue performing at the highest level.

I hope this month you’re taking care of yourself and enjoying the beginning of finer weather 🌷