A day in the life.

In  case you didn't notice, I haven't posted any updates in 4 weeks. I'm so incredibly sorry for my disappearance! I intended to write about once a week, but who knew 17 credit hours and work would be so time-consuming?!

Well I'm back. And I will do my best to make sure we don't spend another month apart.

Since I've been gone so long, I thought I would give you a snapshot of a day in my life and what I'm doing to stay my healthiest during this time of transition.

7 weeks. That is how many weeks of school I have completed. I have begun to count my life in weeks- one reason is that it helps me keep track of time, kind of. If I've spoken with you in the last month, I may have mentioned that I'm not always fully aware of the day of the week or date of the month, but I somehow make it where I need to go with what I need. Steph tells me this is normal for graduate school....I'll take her word for it, hope that I'm on the right track, and remain grateful for my phone's ability to sync all my calendars and random notes. Another reason I think in weeks is that it helps me keep track of all my class syllabi- what readings do I need to do? Do I have assignments, quizzes or tests? And lastly, it is helping me gauge how I feel about where I am. This may not be a good long term strategy, but for right now I can say "Oh it's only been 5 weeks, give yourself some time".

So what do my days look like?

5:00 a.m. hour- This is for getting up to take care of Emma and to either get some quick form of exercise (running, yoga or dog walking) or finish homework/reading for the day.

6:00 a.m. hour- This is for getting myself ready for the day. You know coffee, packing food, etc.

7:00 a.m. hourish- I'm out the door by 6:50 and traveling for the next 1+ hours. I catch the first bus by 7:15. The next 45+ minutes gives me time to study while someone else drives me to campus.  Although this has greatly extended my travel time, I'm able to get some work done. More about the buses in future posts.

8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.- Each day is a little different, but it involves some combination of studying, catching buses to work and back to campus, work and class.

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.- This is travel time home- walk to the bus, ride the bus, then drive home.

The evening hours involve some food, more studying, and trying to get a little time with Josh and Emma.

My goal is to be in bed by 11:00 p.m., or sooner if I fall asleep sitting at my computer ;).

This makes for a pretty packed schedule, which could make it super easy to skip out on a healthy lifestyle. I feel fortunate that I have spent so much time working with people about how to incorporate healthier choices in to their lives, because now I'm using some of their, and my own, advice. If you lead a hectic life, believe me I empathize. A student income and public transportation has given me great perspective, but I realize there are people who face more time, stress and money constraints then me. This experience will only make me a better researcher and practitioner to help people live healthier lives, no matter their circumstances.

Am I sleeping as much as I would like, or eating exactly how I would like, or exercising as consistently or as much as I would like? No. But I do feel good about what I can and choose to do. Here are some ways I choose to build in healthy choices each day. Hopefully one of these tips will provide inspiration for how you, or someone you know, can continue to build a healthy life in spite of craziness.

• I'm working to stay realistic. Sure I know all the recommendations, but the reality is I have to prioritize and do the best I can. 
• I plan activity in to my day. 
• I have a plan for the number of days I will exercise and what I will do. This plan allows for flexibility so that I can change things around when needed. For example, yesterday my running plan called for 4 miles. I stayed up later than anticipated and was really tired, so I opted to snooze once and cut down to 3 miles. And some days that assignment needs to be completed before I walk out the door, so I slide my exercise to the evening or to a day that I originally planned as rest. Something is better than nothing :)
• I get off and on the bus before my 'stop'. This allows me to walk a little extra each day.
• I started taking a multivitamin. I wasn't ever one for supplements, but since my eating can be sporadic and unpredictable at times, I have opted to take a basic multivitamin as a safety net.
• Hello coffee. I love you. But I limit the caffeine to 2 cups in the morning. The rest of the day it is water or hot herbal tea (non-caffeinated)- oh and of course the occasional happy hour. I'll tell you about Linda's another time. I carry a to-go mug and a water bottle with me at all times. This allows me to refill any time and stay hydrated. 
• I pack meals and snacks for the day. I think I already told you about my snacks- fruit and nuts. They are easy to tote around and provide great brain fuel. I also pack my breakfast and lunch. Breakfast involves fruit and either yogurt and nuts or bread and peanut butter. Lunch is a gamble but usually involves some sort of leftovers.
• One final thing that has made a huge difference, but probably won't be an option for many, is my awesome roomies. Many long days I have come home to a balanced dinner. Let's be honest, some days I would probably just eat peach cobbler and milk if that was what was available, not that I have done that or anything ;) When I don't have help with meals, I cook a lot on the weekend and eat leftovers for the week, or I plan things that take 20 minutes to prep. In that case, I still make extra so that I have lunch or another dinner for the week.

That's all for now. I have so many ideas and topics to share with you! I look forward to getting back in to more of a routine.

Until next time :)