Tag Archives: rest

The Importance of Sleep and Rest

As I am writing this, I am basking in the fact that last night I got almost 8 hours of sleep. This is a big deal for me because it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it’s because of my own foolishness in staying up later than I should and other times it’s just a matter of dealing with menopausal symptoms. So what does any of this have to do with fitness? Believe it or not, sleep is a vital component to a fit lifestyle. A lack of sleep can mess with your mind, your physical motivation and even you’re eating habits. … Continue reading →

Giving Yourself Holiday Recovery Time

I have the unfortunate habit of getting sick over the holidays. It’s almost like my body knows that there are a few days off in my future, and saves up the sickness for those days so I don’t miss whatever important things are going on before and afterwards. On the positive side, it does kind of ensure that I use my holiday time for resting and taking good care of myself. Holidays (and vacations) can be wonderful and fun… but they can also be hectic and stressful. Travel can be full of worries, anxiety, and questions: will you make that … Continue reading →

Listening to Your Body (and Interpreting the Message)

Two out of the last three days, I was attacked by a ninja. A ninja nap. It snuck up on me after my usual post-work routine: walk the dogs, feed the dogs, feed myself. I found my limbs sluggish and my eyes heavy, so I gave into the ninja nap. Three hours later, I woke up. (Both times.) Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes a nap catches me off-guard. I’ve got things planned, work to do… but I find myself sinking down into sleep instead. It can throw off my whole schedule for the rest of the day, but sometimes … Continue reading →

Do Athletes Sleep Better than Non-Athletes?

Having trouble sleeping? If you tend to be an object at rest more often than an object in motion, that might be part of the problem. A study from the University of Basel in Switzerland looked specifically at teen athletes in their study on exercise and sleep. More than four hundred teens (the average age of study participants was seventeen) kept logs of activity and sleep patterns for a week. More than half of the participants were members of the “Swiss Olympic Classes“; the rest were more sedentary. The 258 student athletes exercised an average of seventeen and a half … Continue reading →

Feeling Rested?

I ask because I’m not feeling rested today. See if you can make sense of it. Last night, I went to bed at 9:30. The alarm was set for 5:30. I fell asleep pretty quickly — felt like I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow! So it looks like I ended up with about eight hours of sleep. Pretty good, right? But I felt like I hardly slept at all — like as soon as I closed my eyes, the alarm was going off and it was morning already. The night before, I slept really well. … Continue reading →

The Value of Vacation

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One of the drawbacks of being a freelancer is that just about every day is a work day for me. If I’m not writing, I’m at the cats-only boarding facility — a job I took mainly so I’d have some work outside the home, and a chance to interact with people. There are many days when I do both. This week, I took two days in a row off. I wrote ahead so my clients would have their projects covered. Time off was scheduled from the cats-only boarding facility. I had absolutely nothing to do. It was great. I didn’t … Continue reading →

Keeping the Energy Level Up

I have yet to meet the single parent who can stay perky and up all the time. That said, I also have to share my anecdotal opinion that single parents are some of the most energetic people I know! Perhaps I am a little biased but there is something about having a busy life that forces us to find a way to muster the energy to meet those expectations. Far from being magic, however, I think there are some practical things we can do to keep our energy level up. As I get older, I definitely subscribe to the classic … Continue reading →

Alternate Work, Play, Responsibility, and Rest

We cannot always keep things in perfect balance. As much as we may harbor a fantasy of an easy life where everything gets equal attention and we never feel the stress and pull of “not being enough” that just is not reality. It does not hurt, however, to try to keep our home business operations in perspective and alternate some work time with play, and alternate responsibility and duty with rest and relaxation… The reason this is such a poignant topic for me is that it is something that I personally struggle with. It can be really hard for me … Continue reading →

How Long Should a Good Nap Be?

I have mentioned before that concerns over whether or not a child is getting enough sleep start early for most parents. We start by fussing over how to get them to sleep through the night and how to balance out all the sleep needs and schedules in a family. Soon, we are trying to come up with a good, working bedtime routine and as our children grow and their sleep patterns change and shift, we have to adjust to these as well. One of the questions that comes up concerns napping–not only how old a child should be when he … Continue reading →

Start the Day Right

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day… but there are lots of other things you can do in the morning to start your day right. Make sure you sleep well the night before. The Families.com Health Blog is full of helpful hints to help you get a great night’s sleep! Keep your bedroom cool. Warmth makes it easier to nod off — but it also makes it easier to stay in bed. You may also wake up groggy in a warmer room. A cool room (between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit) will help you wake up alert … Continue reading →