Four rounds with my floors (or how I don't do it all)

People tend to ask me often, "how do you do it all?" Well the truth is, I don't. As much as I wanted to be her growing up, I'm not Wonder Woman. I am far from perfect.

I was reminded of this washing my floors tonight. I honestly can't remember the last time I did it. I know, that sounds horrible...but we've all been there, right? Between work and activities and the return of allergy season creating havoc with my sinuses, I just kept putting it at the bottom of the list. I would guess its been about two months...and since I haven't had anyone over in more than 6 weeks, I wasn't as motivated to worry about it (yeah I know, me not worry is hard to believe!).

So somewhere between sweeping, dry Swiffer, wet Swiffer and then Swiffer wet jet rounds, it hit me ... Maybe it was the joy of tackling a nagging task (which Gretchen Rubin promised in her book would bring me happiness)...maybe it was too many Swiffer fumes (I used a WHOLE box of Wet Jet pads, which I guess is two months' worth) ... I decided to do the Brene Brown thing, be vulnerable and share my shortcomings.

Why? Because being honest can mean better health, and that means starting with ourselves. A recent study from the University of Notre Dame found people who lied less, even just "little white lies," had fewer mental and physical health complaints. So basically, keeping up the appearance that we are superhuman just adds to the stress of it all.

So I admit it. I had dirty floors. I'm going to try hard not to let it get out of hand again, but it could happen. I just need to start inviting people over more often to keep me motivated.

What's your shortcoming?

(And PS tile is the devil, not foosball...I am seriously considering investing in more mats and rugs for the kitchen!)

Sleep more, lose weight?

I haven't worked out since Wednesday. Almost a week off! That's not like me. But what I have been focusing on the last four nights is my sleep. And the scale shows I'm about 2.5 pounds lighter than my Saturday weigh in.

What gives? Is sleep more important to weight loss than exercise?

Maybe not, but it is critical. First off, lack of sleep leads us to poor choices. According to WebMd, it can also affect our metabolism, because the balance of hormones leptin and ghrelin are out of whack. As a woman, I have enough issues dealing with hormones since I had to quit birth control due to a blood clotting disorder (that's subject for another post). I certainly don't need to add to it.

But we've all been there. We're tired, we crave sugar, we eat bad stuff, we are too tired for the gym...you get the point. 

It's not as simple as getting more sleep and doing nothing more, though. A study cited in the Huffington Post from Laval University notes that it is part of the important diet+exercise+sleep equals weight loss equation. But many people focus on the first two and don't think about the last, myself included. I've been known to burn the candle on all ends before. 

So how much sleep do we really need? The National Sleep Foundation says every person is different. Most adults need 7-9 hours. Personally, I've gotten a little more than 7 hours the last two weeknights, and I've noticed a big difference in my ability to be productive. Heck, I'm writing this blog before I head to the office. I'm never so chipper in the morning! So much for thinking I could get by on 5.5-6 hours (which is noted as a level to make weight loss difficult in this Prevention article.)

Also, I've been using a new app called Sleep Time to track my cycles. I've learned I'm more of a light sleeper, and the nights I get more deep sleep, I'm better rested. It's been neat to track how often I may wake up in the middle of the night too.

So if you do one thing to take care of yourself this week, think about your sleep. Even just a little bit more every night may make a difference in your overall health!