Recently, Huffpost Living gave us readers the opportunity to tweet about how our own personal energy crises affect our lives, relationships, and careers for the chance to win a total energy makeover with Ashley Koff, RD, as our Energy Makeover coach. I tweeted my case and then submitted an essay providing slightly more color as to why I hoped to be considered. Readers, along with HuffPost Living's editorial board, then picked me from a list of "exhausted finalists" as the most deserving of this life-changing energy makeover! Thank you! I am extremely grateful and excited!
Here is why I applied:
I wake up a little before 6 a.m. and drink a 12 oz. Red Bull. Once it kicks in, only then do I begin my day. As the red bull wears off and I find myself crashing (through irritability or general tiredness), I reach for another. This unhealthy routine was born out of difficult life circumstances -- it helped fuel my ability to function in survival-mode. But this choice has not been without consequence, and has contributed negatively to other areas of my life (relationships, my ability to focus for extended periods of time, listening skills, health, mood swings etc). Tara Stiles recently wrote a thought provoking piece on the Haitian Tragedy and in it she states: "When we mistreat our bodies, we are disrespecting not only ourselves, but others who come in contact with us, and the world."
Understanding that we live in an interdependent world, I believe these words. Upon reflection, however, these words cause a kind of introspection that is rather uncomfortable. I've been mistreating my body for years through a system that once seemed necessary to my functioning productively. This takes shape in a variety of forms: caffeine abuse, lack of sleep, overworking, lack of exercise, harmful eating habits and eating on the go. The by-product of these choices (the highs and lows of energy imbalances, irritability and low self-esteem etc.), has undoubtedly been difficult for those around me.
The challenge for me has been one of implementation. Although I read about healthy living, organizing a more sustainable lifestyle for myself has proved challenging. Certain fears always arise when I explore lifestyle changes: Will this compromise my ambitions? Will I become less competitive? Will I postpone deadlines or find difficulty in completing tasks without that extra jolt of energy I currently get from synthetic sources? The push/pull for me has always been the fear of falling behind, and I guess that is what encourages these unhealthy cyclical behaviors. Having HuffPost Living experts guide me through this journey is unbelievable for me, because organizing on my own behalf has proved nearly impossible.
Over the course of the next year, I hope to correct my energy imbalances by deriving energy from sources that benefit my productivity and health rather than compromise it. I realize that my life is not getting any easier and my health issues cannot be postponed indefinitely. When Ashley Koff said: "For a lot of people, their energy being off is the precursor to disease," it was a scary thought for me. My mom suffered a recent breast cancer scare and my father died from Alzheimer's disease. I am extremely thankful that HuffPost Living afforded me this opportunity to "unplug and recharge," because like many of you, I surely need it. I plan to live this journey openly and discuss it honestly, doing my best to present both the rewards and challenges of maintaining my goals.
Ashley started me off with a few tips to improve my energy. How did I fare?
Tip No. 1: Turn off and stow my BlackBerry and iPhone nightly.
So far, I'm doing OK here. People at work are mostly supportive of my energy makeover, so no yelling with regards to the sudden delay in returning messages. I've been keeping my BlackBerry and iPhone out of my bedroom, so if I do wake up, I don't contribute to my restlessness by grabbing these devices. I like this tip and think I can stick with it. What I have been having trouble with is not touching my blackberry three hours before bed. I work pretty late, so turning it off and putting it in the other room at bedtime is a great first step for me.
Tip No. 2: Exchanging my caffeine source for better quality (ditching Red Bull to get rid of unwanted chemicals and lower my overall intake of caffeine daily). I'm doing this. The first day, I substituted my morning red bull for a large black coffee and at lunch I had an eight ounce red bull. Since then, I have only had iced black coffees. I find the energy from the coffee is much different and the crashes aren't as intense. At bedtime, though, I noticed an alertness I normally don't feel. It's hard to tell if it is from general excitement or the caffeine change. I think I may have to work on the amount and track it a bit more with Ashley.
Tip No. 3: Magnesium at night (Peter Gillham's Natural Calm powder) I have been doing this for two days. I think it may be too soon to tell, but I don't remember waking up last night.
Tip No. 4: For an energy boost midday take a multivitamin/mineral (New Chapter's Unbounded Energy) I am starting this next week. I have to pick up a pack!
Tip No. 5: Dietary changes using the AKA menu worksheet as a guide for balanced eating occasions, about every three hours. This is a bit more challenging. I have been tracking my meals in a shared journal with Ashley, but making sure it's timed every three hours and balanced correctly is difficult. Ashley suggested trying one waffle with one or two tablespoons of nut butter (NuttZo) for protein and healthy fat, as well as 1/2-cup organic blueberries for extra sweetness, fiber and antioxidants. I have to do a little grocery shopping this weekend, but I have been using the NuttZo. Because I am out of waffles, I've been having one bagel with Nuttzo and honey for breakfast. I think one waffle may be too little for me, but come next Monday (after I pick up some more waffles), I will give it a shot.
I plan on diving into Dr. Frank Lipman's book Revive (an energy solution book that Ashley gifted me) this weekend, and will blog about reflections in coming posts.
Thanks again to everyone for this life changing opportunity!