Regime, sweet regime....
This is how you can undergo a complete overhaul to your old routine
And not lose your old routine. (or your sanity)-
I come from nearly six years of having "bankers hours".
I spent the better half of my 20's with the privilege
of having a "9-to-5"(ish) and only working the occasional Saturday.
But all that changed rather unexpectedly.
And now the job I was able to secure has the polar opposite of those hours:
Sometimes midday, sometimes late night.
Working weekends. Days off straddled throughout.
It might be enough to send some people into a total meltdown-
but for me, it was a smooth transition.
How?
Because I kept 3 very important things in a very rigid regime.
1) My sleep cycle-
During my banking years, I learned about circadian rythms.
They are the sleep rythms your body comes to know and follow...
if you're smart, and you let it.
Many people don't know about the importance of keeping a sleep routine
that's very similar from day-to-day.
They just sleep whenever they feel tired.
And this leads to feeling tired at the most inopportune times,
followed by getting run down,
followed by getting sick.
When I had the 9-to-5, in probably the last 2 years of it,
I was going to bed by 9:30-10 pm and rising between 5-6am.
That gave me time to workout in the morning, and left my evening open
to do other activities.
On the weekends, I would sleep in a little later
and "refill my sleep banks".
Now, to accommodate this job,
I merely pushed the rhythm up by 3 hours.
Now I go to bed at midnight or maybe 12:30
and rise around 8 am.
Since a lot of the time, the job has me scheduled
to go in at 4 and leave after 11pm,
I have all day to work out and do other activities
like swim and run errands.
On my days off, I go to bed at midnight anyway.
2. My diet-
I'm not on a strict diet by any means.
I allow myself some treats here and there.
But my diet for the past 3+ years has been predominately
gluten-free, low-to-no dairy, and no sodas.
I also don't consume fast foods, large quantities of red meat,
rarely eat shellfish (or any kind of seafood), and limit sweets.
That means my diet consists largely of fruits, veggies, rice, quinoa,
chicken and turkey, eggs, nuts and healthy meal replacements like larabar.
I do allow myself potatoes, which are not necessarily beneficial.
The way my body is just naturally, I have to eat small meals and many snacks.
I can't eat one massive meal and run all day, like my husband can.
In my 9-to-5 setting, I used to have the ability to pop into the breakroom
at any time and snack all day.
Now, I have regimented break times at work
and often nearly the whole day off before that.
I switched my routine from
three small squared meals and several small snacks
to four small meals per day.
-At breakfast, I always consume either a coconut yogurt and
a protein bar or a fruit/veggie puree pouch and a protein bar.
-I eat a small lunch around the normal lunch time
-I eat another small lunch late in the afternoon, either before work
or at the first break time
-I eat dinner at the latest break time.
Three of the four meals always incorporate protein, especially the dinner.
I don't need snacks anymore.
3. My workout schedule
During 9-to-5, I would go to the gym early in the morning.
I would go on one weekend day too.
Last year, I averaged only about 3 workouts per week.
Now, I'm to 5.
Because I work late, and get up a little later,
I arrive at the gym around 9 instead of 6.
(It's a 24 hour gym. That really makes no difference.)
Occasionally, things just work out so one of the days,
I have to go in the afternoon.
I still return in the morning.
I skip two days each week, but the two days vary.
Usually one of them is Sunday,
since as of late, I go to church and then to work.
The other one I usually pick a day that too much is
going on and it's easier to skip.
If one week, I only fit four in there, I won't beat myself up.
The gym isn't my only source of exercise.
I also swim laps in the pool or open ocean a few days a week,
try to get out and practice surfing at least one day,
and once a month, I treat myself to indoor rock climbing*
*We skipped this month
Oh...and let's not forget.... I'm not standing behind a desk anymore.
Now I'm running all over a huge store for seven hours a day.
(As soon as I get a fitbit, We'll know just how much running)
These three things have been the key.
It seems that some of my coworkers get tired by 9 or 10 at night
some even during the day....
....but not me. I am about to be 30 years old
and I'm like this at the end of the night.
^
Click the link, I dare you.
And not lose your old routine. (or your sanity)-
I come from nearly six years of having "bankers hours".
I spent the better half of my 20's with the privilege
of having a "9-to-5"(ish) and only working the occasional Saturday.
But all that changed rather unexpectedly.
And now the job I was able to secure has the polar opposite of those hours:
Sometimes midday, sometimes late night.
Working weekends. Days off straddled throughout.
It might be enough to send some people into a total meltdown-
but for me, it was a smooth transition.
How?
Because I kept 3 very important things in a very rigid regime.
1) My sleep cycle-
During my banking years, I learned about circadian rythms.
They are the sleep rythms your body comes to know and follow...
if you're smart, and you let it.
Many people don't know about the importance of keeping a sleep routine
that's very similar from day-to-day.
They just sleep whenever they feel tired.
And this leads to feeling tired at the most inopportune times,
followed by getting run down,
followed by getting sick.
When I had the 9-to-5, in probably the last 2 years of it,
I was going to bed by 9:30-10 pm and rising between 5-6am.
That gave me time to workout in the morning, and left my evening open
to do other activities.
On the weekends, I would sleep in a little later
and "refill my sleep banks".
Now, to accommodate this job,
I merely pushed the rhythm up by 3 hours.
Now I go to bed at midnight or maybe 12:30
and rise around 8 am.
Since a lot of the time, the job has me scheduled
to go in at 4 and leave after 11pm,
I have all day to work out and do other activities
like swim and run errands.
On my days off, I go to bed at midnight anyway.
2. My diet-
I'm not on a strict diet by any means.
I allow myself some treats here and there.
But my diet for the past 3+ years has been predominately
gluten-free, low-to-no dairy, and no sodas.
I also don't consume fast foods, large quantities of red meat,
rarely eat shellfish (or any kind of seafood), and limit sweets.
That means my diet consists largely of fruits, veggies, rice, quinoa,
chicken and turkey, eggs, nuts and healthy meal replacements like larabar.
I do allow myself potatoes, which are not necessarily beneficial.
The way my body is just naturally, I have to eat small meals and many snacks.
I can't eat one massive meal and run all day, like my husband can.
In my 9-to-5 setting, I used to have the ability to pop into the breakroom
at any time and snack all day.
Now, I have regimented break times at work
and often nearly the whole day off before that.
I switched my routine from
three small squared meals and several small snacks
to four small meals per day.
-At breakfast, I always consume either a coconut yogurt and
a protein bar or a fruit/veggie puree pouch and a protein bar.
-I eat a small lunch around the normal lunch time
-I eat another small lunch late in the afternoon, either before work
or at the first break time
-I eat dinner at the latest break time.
Three of the four meals always incorporate protein, especially the dinner.
I don't need snacks anymore.
3. My workout schedule
During 9-to-5, I would go to the gym early in the morning.
I would go on one weekend day too.
Last year, I averaged only about 3 workouts per week.
Now, I'm to 5.
Because I work late, and get up a little later,
I arrive at the gym around 9 instead of 6.
(It's a 24 hour gym. That really makes no difference.)
Occasionally, things just work out so one of the days,
I have to go in the afternoon.
I still return in the morning.
I skip two days each week, but the two days vary.
Usually one of them is Sunday,
since as of late, I go to church and then to work.
The other one I usually pick a day that too much is
going on and it's easier to skip.
If one week, I only fit four in there, I won't beat myself up.
The gym isn't my only source of exercise.
I also swim laps in the pool or open ocean a few days a week,
try to get out and practice surfing at least one day,
and once a month, I treat myself to indoor rock climbing*
*We skipped this month
Oh...and let's not forget.... I'm not standing behind a desk anymore.
Now I'm running all over a huge store for seven hours a day.
(As soon as I get a fitbit, We'll know just how much running)
These three things have been the key.
It seems that some of my coworkers get tired by 9 or 10 at night
some even during the day....
....but not me. I am about to be 30 years old
and I'm like this at the end of the night.
^
Click the link, I dare you.
Comments
Post a Comment