Monday’s Management Plan: My Energy My Meals
Good morning 🙂  Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.  For myself it was a much needed rest and reconnect with the ones I love dearly. I also enjoyed doing a few of my favorite activities.
I have been daydreaming for a while now of all the things I would do and accomplish if  I only had the energy. For years now I have been completely exhausted from my JOBs to the point that the best I could do with my brief moments of spare time would be to ‘crawl’ through my life. The exhaustion mostly stems from the never-ending demands of my work life, but this “season” shall pass and I want to make the most of my work life breaks.
I will skip the work demands and we all know the must-dos of home life, such as, cooking, dishes, laundry and finances (gotta pay those bills).  Ugh I fell like an elephant is sitting on me right about now just thinking of all the things in my life that I MUST do.  So with that said, I am going to change the tone of this post by sharing MY ENERGY MY MEALS management plan 🙂  Now I feel the happy positive energy beginning to surge again.
Happy Happy Joy Joy 🙂
First my energy levels need to be improved and need to be maintained for longer periods of time each day. Â Right now my very best energy is being consumed, no wait, devoured during my working JOB hours, leaving NO energy for my home life. Â I believe this must change in order for me to maintain a healthier, happier and more fulfilling lifestyle for myself, so that I can enjoy even more, my loved ones and the ones I serve and connect with through my passions like my job as a teacher.
First things first!! Â Manage my energy by way of my meals.
Decrease coffee consumption by a fourth within a week’s time. Â Right now I am quickly consuming 4 large mugs (12 ounces each) of coffee at home each morning.
Increase my water consumption  Most work days I only consume 1 bottle (16-20 ounces) of water and this is at lunch and then maybe one with my supper. I know can make a better effort with this if I put some thought into a plan. The first 4 hours of my work day are bell to bell classes with a quick 20 minute lunch then 90 more minutes of class leaving me with no time for water or the bathroom.  Besides the fact, nearly every working day, I have to search out a bathroom key from one of my co-workers. Sorry I know TMI.
Increase my number of meals and snacks Right now I have 3 meals and no snacks.  I eat breakfast (toast) very early before work and do not eat again until 6 hours later (pbj and water) then supper at 6pm ish.  My new plan will start with snacks and a snacking schedule.
I will keep us posted here on my blog for my accountability, otherwise odds are I will just continue with my ‘same ole same ole routine’ , which I must change in order to have a healthier and more enjoyable lifestyle.
I would love to hear from you on what works best for you and yours. Â How do you enjoy a healthy balance between work and home life? Â How do you recharge your energy levels after its been depleted?
Thanks for sharing your time with me 🙂  Best Wishes always
back to digging
Dana
Dana, I would suggest making small changes and then adding as you get accustomed. It’s too easy to get discouraged with a massive life change.
For the coffee, perhaps partly switch over to black or green tea with no sugar. Coffee is an appetite suppressant, so if you replace, say, the third and fourth cups with tea, you may find you have more appetite during the morning. You’ll get some caffeine, but a milder dose as you taper off. You’ll still have a cup in your hand, if it’s a matter of habit.
If toast is all you’re used to, you could add to that with peanut butter on toast and make sure it’s a really good bread rather than a generic loaf. Or you could experiment with various breakfast and granola bars. My kids really life Clif bars, if they’re available in your area.
For your snacks, try vegies rather than chips or crackers. I like pea pods, strips of bell pepper, or baby carrots. You can use hummus as a dip, for a kick of protein. Raisins also come in a handy size for snacking. At lunch, be sure to include fruit with your pbj. Bananas and tangerines are both easy to peel.
To add exercise, consider parking farther from the door so that you walk a little. If you’re working with children and they’re doing something physical, consider joining in.
Good luck!
Deby thank you so much for sharing your helpful tips and suggestions I’m look forward to trying them all. 🙂 Hope to have them down pat by my summer break. Best Wishes always