I Dream of Sleepy

Do any of you have sleep issues? Insomnia? Excessive daytime sleepiness? Too much sleep? Crazy-ass dreams that make you consider therapy?

I have a myriad of sleep issues. It takes me a while to fall asleep, no matter how tired I am. It's like my brain has to just go through random song lyrics, conversations, recipes, lists, etc. to quiet itself down. Before you go jumping down my throat about how I should "write it down", let me tell you that it doesn't work for me. There could be other strategies I could try, but writing isn't one of them. I also blame a few other factors. I need a new bed desperately and I'm almost certain I suffer from sleep apnea, so I'm not getting quality sleep all the time. I have been on the fence about setting up a sleep study, but I wanted to try something first.

Oh and I guess I should mention, I just got a gym membership. I work in a building that actually has a gym open to the public with all the ammenities (minus a pool). I get a discount and it's located one floor above my office. I have NO excuse not to use it...but have made plenty for almost 2 years. Now, I don't like New Year resolutions as they are typically a recipe for FAIL, but it just so happens that my gym membership starts in January. What does this have to do with sleep? I'll tell you.

My goal, my desire, my hope...is to spend the last few weeks of December working on becoming an early riser. I'm not a morning person. Now, oddly I don't use an alarm clock. I wake up naturally but I will still try to stay snuggled and warm in bed as long as possible. I do love my sleep. However, I think realistically, I need to become the kind of person that exercises in the morning...at least, for now. If I can knock out my workout first thing, I greatly reduce the risk of blowing it off after work when I'm tired and ready to go veg out. Also, exercising after work can often cause me to become wired and makes sleep even harder. How easy will it be for me to work out, then get ready for work and walk down a flight of stairs? Fortunately, I wear jeans and t-shirts to work and don't worry about hair and makeup most of the time, so getting "ready" for work is showering and drying my hair. Easy.

That being said, I've done some research and am going to try a few combined techniques that will allow me to start shifting my sleep times. I'm in a good place to do that as work is rather low key right now, I'm not stressed and will have some time off for the holidays. What better time to start training my internal clock?

The hardest part is getting used to the idea that I'll need to wake up at the same time every day...even on weekends. Guess I'll have to train myself to power nap as well!

Tell me about your sleep/exercise routines. What works for you? What doesn't? How did you make the change?

Lardo Captcha

I can't think of a more appropriate CAPTCHA to get when creating (one of a billion) weight loss blogs, but my word was LARDO. Point taken.

Hello there gentle reader...it is true. As of 3:05 pm on this fine (well, actually it's cold and rainy) December afternoon, I am definitely a LARDO. Weight for me has been a life-long struggle. I can hear so many of you nodding right now...you know what it's like. I know some of you probably haven't had to struggle all your life, but struggle now for whatever reason. I feel your pain, kids. I do.

My intention with this blog is going to be like a delicious lasagna...full of layers. I don't even know if it is possible to "blog" in layers, but I'm gonna try. There are several things I want to accomplish here, so keep reading and maybe you'll find something you can relate to.

Today, in honor of my first post, my layer will be all about me! I have a little over 33 years of experience with myself, so I do consider myself an expert. Here are a few tidbits for you.

1. I'm fat. Ha! Bet you couldn't have figured that out on your own.
2. I'm tired of being fat.
3. I've said that for about 20 years.
4. I've tried and failed more times than that Duggar woman has been pregnant.
5. I'm determined to change.

Ok...so, I bet you can relate to a few of those statements, right? Do you want to change? Why don't you stick around and follow me...maybe together we can do just that!