How are you feeling after the election? Up front here, if you voted for Trump, I don’t think I can ever understand, but I love that you’re here.
Many friends and members of my community are frightened, saddened, disillusioned. It’s been almost a week since the results were called, and I’m still working on what to do with the feelings – mostly helplessness.
My instinct when circumstances cause stress is to get busy, be productive, find distraction. It usually helps.
I took a long walk this morning along the boardwalk. I listened to We Can Do Hard Things podcast from the day after the election. Glennon Doyle, her sister, and her wife, Abby Wambach always have a deeply thoughtful discussion from a woman’s perspective. Also giving a fan shoutout to Rachel Maddow for the header on this blog post: ‘This is what we train for”. That hit me.
It’s a gorgeous day. I stopped to stretch, lunged, squatted, pushed and pulled against the railing, saw a few friends and chatted, feeling a bit better today than I had last week. A fun visit to grandkids this weekend was a tonic too.
This is really, truly why we train – it’s for life.
What works for you in times of uncertainty or stress? I’d love to know. Here are some ways that could help us:
- Accept what can’t be changed, or change it if you can: Consider if you can change the cause of your stress, accept it, or be open to trying.
- Practice mindfulness: Pay attention to the present moment. Is there anything I do about it right now?
- Take a break: Step away and do something you enjoy. Get a massage, or stretch right there on your floor.
- Exercise: Regular, (challenging, alternating with restorative) physical activity really helps. Lift heavy things. Walk fast.
- Sleep well: Stick to a consistent sleep schedule and get enough sleep. But don’t beat yourself up about not getting 7-9 hours. Do your best.
- Eat healthy: Enjoy regular, healthy meals.
- Get social: Reach out to friends or family members, or consider talking to a mental health professional.
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Practice relaxation techniques: Try meditation (any way that suits you), box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing
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Spend time in nature: Doesn’t have to be in the woods. A city park can help to refocus and calm down.
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Sit with negative thoughts: Identify negative thoughts, but don’t force them away. Acknowledge them, and consider the ways you can deal with them.
- What should I eat? What should I not eat?
- Should I count calories, or time nutrients?
- Does intermittent fasting work?
I coach my nutrition clients to do what works best for them. Together we figure it out considering various elements like genetics, culture, family, lifestyle, food preferences, intensity of workouts, goals (weight/fat loss, muscle building), age, and even stress and sleep are factored in.
It works best for me to eat when I want to – I don’t time nutrition or count calories. Emphasis on “for me”.
On most days it’s 3 good meals in a day, and healthy, yummy snacks too. I don’t count macro nutrients “macros”- protein, carbs, and fat, but the healthful content is top of mind, and good thing that I like all kinds of food.
The goal is to get a good nutrient balance to support daily activities, and for aging well. Caveat, there are legitimate uses of nutrient timing for certain people.This article from Precision Nutrition (my certification) breaks it down really well.
Some thoughts on nutrient timing and fasting:
- Does it matter if you eat before workouts? Not surprisingly, it depends. Should you eat before or after a workout?
- Should you exercise on a fasted state? Yup, again, it depends.
- Here’s important intel on intermittent fasting and what to know about carbs, hormones, and supplements.
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A last little nugget:
“The End Is Not Near”. A humorous and very accurate sign that was held up by a spectator at the beginning of a recent marathon.
Onward~
x
Polli
