This is a bit off the subject of Pilates, but it's about looking and feeling great, so it goes along with the spirit of the blog. As a new mom, time is a commodity that you don't have a lot of, and often, your own image suffers. I am not saying that you should spend an hour each day trying to look nice, but taking the time to get dressed in clothes that fit well and look nice on you, put on a spot of make-up, and quickly fix your hair will help you feel more together all day long.
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Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Importance of Rest
Today is one of those days where I don't know if I could possibly drink enough coffee. I'm just plain exhausted. I had an incredibly busy week last week, complete with very late nights and very early mornings. Plus, as you know, I'm a mom, so all of the busyness of my life just gets compounded when you add in my amazing daughter, who, by the way, learned to walk last week!
Besides feeling just generally run down today and a bit crappy, there are some real problems with being too tired and it can cause long term problems. This story on 60 Minutes confirmed what I had long suspected about the connection between sleep and weight- it is about more than being too tired to exercise.
When I was in college, I worked a full time job that required me to work overnights 2-3 nights a week in addition to the 2:30-11pm shift three nights. I had a full-load of classes (15 or more hours) and I worked a 10 hour per week internship. To make all of this happen, there were times when I would have to essentially stay awake for 24-36 hours at a time and I was miserable. Despite my best efforts to exercise, I gained weight. I tried to eat well, but I developed stomach problems and felt sick a lot. I attributed my weight and stomach problems to stress, but it seems that they may have been more sleep related.
As a new mother, you are going to be severely sleep deprived. You may have heard the advice "Sleep when the baby sleeps." It is hard to heed that advice because that's when you can actually get things done, but you MUST get some sleep. Enlist your husband, friends and relatives for help. It's okay if your house isn't immaculate, but if that drives you nuts you won't be able to sleep anyway, so go ahead and ask for help. Ask if someone would come and clean once or twice a week. Your friends want to help, let them. If your relatives all want to come see the baby, stagger their visits and let them know that you will be taking a nap while they visit. They won't mind, they aren't coming to see you anyway, they're coming to see the baby. Uninterrupted cuddle time will be just fine with them. And don't worry if you're breastfeeding, the child will not let you sleep through a feeding :-)
Finally, don't be afraid to set boundaries that allow you to get the sleep that you need. Whether that is boundaries in your work: limit the number of at-home hours you will work, and make sure they end early enough that they don't effect your ability to sleep; your family: anyone who is awake after 10 is only allowed to have the TV at a minimal volume; or yourself: write down everything that is swirling in your head, keeping you awake when you lay down. Deal with the to-do list when you get up, by writing it down, you will know you won't forget, so you can sleep peacefully.
Exercise and meditation can help you sleep, as can good food decisions. Make sure you don't exercise or eat too close to bed time as that can keep you awake. Learning to quiet your mind through meditation can help you achieve the peace that you need to slumber.
Besides feeling just generally run down today and a bit crappy, there are some real problems with being too tired and it can cause long term problems. This story on 60 Minutes confirmed what I had long suspected about the connection between sleep and weight- it is about more than being too tired to exercise.
When I was in college, I worked a full time job that required me to work overnights 2-3 nights a week in addition to the 2:30-11pm shift three nights. I had a full-load of classes (15 or more hours) and I worked a 10 hour per week internship. To make all of this happen, there were times when I would have to essentially stay awake for 24-36 hours at a time and I was miserable. Despite my best efforts to exercise, I gained weight. I tried to eat well, but I developed stomach problems and felt sick a lot. I attributed my weight and stomach problems to stress, but it seems that they may have been more sleep related.
As a new mother, you are going to be severely sleep deprived. You may have heard the advice "Sleep when the baby sleeps." It is hard to heed that advice because that's when you can actually get things done, but you MUST get some sleep. Enlist your husband, friends and relatives for help. It's okay if your house isn't immaculate, but if that drives you nuts you won't be able to sleep anyway, so go ahead and ask for help. Ask if someone would come and clean once or twice a week. Your friends want to help, let them. If your relatives all want to come see the baby, stagger their visits and let them know that you will be taking a nap while they visit. They won't mind, they aren't coming to see you anyway, they're coming to see the baby. Uninterrupted cuddle time will be just fine with them. And don't worry if you're breastfeeding, the child will not let you sleep through a feeding :-)
Finally, don't be afraid to set boundaries that allow you to get the sleep that you need. Whether that is boundaries in your work: limit the number of at-home hours you will work, and make sure they end early enough that they don't effect your ability to sleep; your family: anyone who is awake after 10 is only allowed to have the TV at a minimal volume; or yourself: write down everything that is swirling in your head, keeping you awake when you lay down. Deal with the to-do list when you get up, by writing it down, you will know you won't forget, so you can sleep peacefully.
Exercise and meditation can help you sleep, as can good food decisions. Make sure you don't exercise or eat too close to bed time as that can keep you awake. Learning to quiet your mind through meditation can help you achieve the peace that you need to slumber.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Resources
I wanted to share a few of my blog/podcast resources:
Jennifer Gianni's blog has amazing, anatomically correct information for working different areas of your body.
Pilates on Fifth is a video podcast produced at a great studio just outside of Times Square in New York City. This is a great, no cost way to learn exercises when you can't make it into a studio.
Pilates Digest & Pilates-Pro are both great online magazines dealing with every aspect of Pilates and studio ownership. There are also discussion forums on each site.
Jennifer Gianni's blog has amazing, anatomically correct information for working different areas of your body.
Pilates on Fifth is a video podcast produced at a great studio just outside of Times Square in New York City. This is a great, no cost way to learn exercises when you can't make it into a studio.
Pilates Digest & Pilates-Pro are both great online magazines dealing with every aspect of Pilates and studio ownership. There are also discussion forums on each site.
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