It seems as of late I’ve just been burned out. I’ve adjusted my lifestyle in so many ways and at such grand measures that I don’t even know where to begin. Still, lately I’ve found myself just exhausted all of the time, not wanting to get out of bed… basically feeling unhealthy. I have so many projects going on and so many opportunities, but I have absolutely no motivation to do anything. I also find myself feeling bipolar… having a few really good days, then a longer bout of rough days, which generally consist nostalgia and sorrow, guilt, anger, all that good stuff.

I finally decided that I need to start taking care of my body. After about 4 years of pounding my body with my late-teens and early-20s, I think it’s time to start the restoration process and get myself back in shape. It’s not a weight or appearance issue so much as my state of mind.

I’m going to begin a simple diet and workout routine that I hope will stick with me for a long time. I’ve done a bit of research and I think a simple answer to a number of my issues all boil down to my metabolism, the balance of my body’s chemistry, and in turn the lack of energy I have. I’m blogging about this because I feel that if any of you are suffering from anything similar, I would like to let you see the results of the changes I’m making.

I’m starting with my metabolism. I think that one of the main things missing from my lifestyle is breakfast. I’ve read up a lot on breakfast, and it really is extremely important in your body’s functioning on a day-to-day basis. When you sleep at night, you take a substantial break from your body’s processing of nutrients, and without breakfast, your body begins to rely on other means of energy (I imagine this is where many get hooked on caffeine and intense moments of hunger, which result in junk-food and fast-food intake). I won’t go into too much detail about metabolism, but I definitely need to start a normal eating routine, which includes eating breakfast every morning.

Metabolism also has a lot to do with how tired you are during the day and at the end of the day. If you’re like me, you might have a problem where you seem tired all day, and immediately after dinner, but generally end up getting a “second wind” that keeps you awake all night. This is because dinner is your biggest (often your only solid) meal of the day, and your body is high on energy. If I can control my metabolism, I’ll be able to develop a healthy sleeping routine, which will allow me to wake up more easily in the morning without feeling exhausted all day.

Which leads me to exercise…I am also going to start exercising. Nothing intense, but I’m going to try and jog every weekday. Exercising is a natural form of neurotransmitter stimulation. Your brain releases endorphins and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine while you exercise. Naturally, we were supposed to get this release from our work (physical labor) but with our modern lifestyles (or mine anyways, which involves sitting on my ass) we don’t get this. Exercise in turn gives your body more energy by strengthening it’s distribution and maintenance of that energy.

My new routine is going to consist of:

In general I’m going to:

I think after about two weeks of this, all of my objectives will start feeding off of each other… for instance, I’ll be able to sleep more because my energy will be balanced across the day (allowing me to work more efficiently) and make me tired by the time it’s late (according to normal human beings anyway, when you become accustomed to thinking 4:00-5:00am is “late” and 1:00-3:00am is “night-time” then something is wrong). Once again, I by no means feel I’m overweight or anything of that nature, but my body just isn’t functioning the way it was meant to.

I’m being a total dork about this (I guess I have to), I even have a calendar and everything. I’m starting my routine on as soon as I get back from Cocoa Beach (summer vacation) on June 27th. So I guess I imagine I’ll start seeing the results within two weeks of that day. I’ll be sure to let you know how it’s working out.

Until next time,

“Hide the telephone in case you realize that sometimes you’re just not okay.” - Our Lady Peace : Clumsy

<</J.\W/>>