October 15, Day 24

Oops! I missed a day.
Not a big deal. I've been trying to spend less time on the internet and was reading yesterday morning instead of scrolling social media.
Exercise has remained light due my back not feeling quite right yet. Long day of driving tomorrow and I'm hoping the back isn't going to be a problem.

Weigh-in this morning was still a solid 250.
Although a big part of good health is getting to a healthy weight (and I'm not progressing in that), I do feel better even though the weight hasn't been coming off. Movement is good.

Something that I haven't mentioned (but is big on the overall health front) is that I have been sleeping more. I'm getting an extra sleep cycle from what was once my normal 4 cycles, and I'm pretty much sleeping through the night. I sometimes wake up at the end of the first cycle and then sleep until morning. That puts my nightly rest at a little over 7.5 hours (my cycles run a little over 90 minutes each). I rarely nap, but do get in an occasional 17 minute power nap if needed.

John

June 12

Wow!

Yesterday was a work day! And it was a workday that included a few steps -- 11,197.

I went to bed early and slept late. Today will be a similar day as I finish some of the projects I started yesterday. I just want to say that I am really glad that I had a career that let me sit on my butt and use my brain rather than one that required manual labor.

In a way I feel that active fitness is better than working out regularly, but I realize that when days like yesterday are not the norm, planned exercise is also important. I'm still working on that part.

I had a meatless day yesterday (and it wasn't even Monday). It wasn't planned. It just turned out that way. Even after having milk and cookies for an afternoon snack, I was well below my daily calorie target. 

We have a few avocados that will reached use or lose status today, so I think Chris is planning on chicken salad with avocados for tonight.

Tomorrow is my 60th birthday and the first of my short term target dates. I reached the 240 lb. goal at Monday's weigh-in, but took a quick scale check to make sure I will still be at or below that weight tomorrow. It's been a good week and all is well.

Be well,

John

Sleep

It has been a while since I've had an exceptionally poor night's sleep ... until last night.

For the most part, I've been pretty mindful of my late day caffeine intake but I had a little more than my usual nothing yesterday and paid for it with a poor night of rest.

I thought about getting up several times during the night, but opted for just benefiting from resting even though I wasn't asleep. I have found that resting quietly often leads to a full sleep cycle before waking again and having to restart the sleep process. Now that it is early morning and too late to manage another complete cycle, I decided to get up and enjoy a cup of coffee and the quiet time.

Back in the day, afternoon caffeine never bothered me. I guess one benefit to sleep deprivation is that your body can shut off and sleep whenever you get the chance!

It's funny that it was just yesterday that I was posting on a thread about sleep. For the past year (since retiring) I have slept better than ever. My 4.5 hours per night (sometimes 3) has nearly doubled to 7.5 hours per night. I sleep until I'm finished sleeping and feel great. At 4.5 hours, I don't remember feeling tired and I usually woke up without an alarm. But a regular sleep schedule does wonders for an overall feeling of well being.

I'll do better about watching the caffeine consumption past noon, even on the unusual days like yesterday. I managed three full sleep cycles last night so I'll be good for today and will rest well tonight.

Live well.
Eat well.
Rest well.

John <><

Sleep

I spent most of my adult life as a short sleeper (sleeping less than 6 hrs per night), usually sleeping 4.5 hours each night. Now I am getting 7.5 or more hours sleep. I am still a napper. My power naps are 17 minutes long and incredibly refreshing.

Since I have generally planned my sleep to wake up at the end of a sleep cycle (and now sleep until I wake up naturally), I don't have issues with sleep inertia (waking up feeling groggy). For the most part, when I get up -- I am awake.

For all of the study I did on how to get by effectively on little sleep, I missed out on the healthful benefits of getting adequate sleep. As a much younger man, I developed the philosophy that sleep was a waste of time. It became a philosophy I would live by for decades. I wondered at people that could sleep away those extra hours in the day. It's not like I was doing anything great with my extra hours -- read, watch TV, surf the net, etc. I just didn't want to spend it sleeping.

Looking back over the last six months, I'd have to say that getting adequate sleep is a good thing -- a really good thing. I know that many people are not always able to get 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but you should get it as often as you can.

Today I would say that good sleep is as important as any aspect of good health. It is as important as a good diet. It is as important as exercise. Taking care to get good sleep should be a priority. If you are not sleeping well, figure out what you need to do to fix it. Cut the caffeine. Take a cool shower. Skip the evening alcohol and late night snacking. Get your exercise earlier in the day.
Continued insomnia is not normal and it is not healthy. Though I am not a fan of sleep aids, if you are not able to get a good night's sleep, see your doctor.

Do what ever it takes. Good sleep is way more important than you think it is. It's way more important than what I thought.

Sleep well.
Be well,

John <><