Showing posts with label quality sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quality sleep. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2014

November 21st, 2014 A Well Rested and Fun Friday

November 21st, 2014 A Well Rested and Fun Friday

I was asleep before 9:30pm Thursday night. I woke up at 4:30am feeling truly rested and ready for a productive Friday. As much as my schedule is a mess sometimes, with crazy hours and little sleep, I must acknowledge it is that way because I choose to make it that way. It all comes down to the importance level assigned to whatever element we're discussing. If it's my abstinence from sugar--then it's no exceptions, non-negotiable--24/7/365. If I placed that same importance level on getting enough sleep, it would do me incredible good! Seven hours sleep felt amazing. And I've had that much and more on weekends, occasionally, but something about this seven hours felt even better. I don't know why--perhaps the sleep was better quality.

It was a busy Friday, for sure, and by the time I walked through the door, it was about time to get ready for a big classic country concert with Mel Tillis and T.G. Sheppard. My intention was to get my workout done in the middle of the day, but it just wasn't possible. I had a choice--skip the pre-concert visit-on-the-tour-bus invitation from T.G. Sheppard and go workout, then show up at showtime--or plan to workout late, after the concert.

I decided to not pass up a visit with T.G. Sheppard on his tour bus and opted for the later workout. This late workout idea was another thing that didn't go as planned. I didn't get away from the venue until well after 11pm, walking out into a dense fog and mist. The idea of going to the walking trail at midnight wasn't appealing and instead of choosing a good home workout choice, like PiYo, I decided to be okay without--again today. I do not like going two days in a row without a good workout. What would be worse though, would be beating myself up over it and feeling horrible. Instead, I'll have plenty of time to hit the YMCA after my location broadcast tomorrow. All is well.

Meeting T.G. Sheppard was a nice experience. I grew up listening to his hits on the radio when KOMA was country and we blared it in mom's old Rambler and later in our Ford Pinto station wagon. I never in a million years thought I would be sitting across from him on his tour bus having a casual conversation about music, family and fatherhood. He couldn't have been nicer. Even though he's nearly 20 years my senior, we both have two daughters of similar age. Mine are 24 and 21, his-23 and 19--so, as you might imagine, common ground fueled a fascinating conversation. He shared some incredible stories from his career, too. About thirty minutes before showtime, we wrapped up our visit and T.G. asked his bass player to snap our picture.
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I'll be playing more of his music on my radio show. The guy is pure class. T.G. was amazing and Mel Tillis, even at 82 years old, sounded fantastic. It was a great show, for sure!

It was a super late dinner tonight, after the concert. I did well. The two side orders to my steak dinner were not on the menu as side options. My options were baked potato, french fries or mashed potatoes--and the only veggie option was corn. But I noticed a fruit plate listed under salads--so I knew they could possibly throw together a small cup of fruit--and the cottage cheese wasn't mentioned anywhere on the menu--I just lucked out on that one. I made the two special requests and the restaurant accommodated without hesitation. The steak was 10oz, a full 450 calories--so I trimmed it almost in half, down to approximately 6oz. I'll eat the left over sirloin with my breakfast Saturday morning.

My Tweets today:












Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

Sunday, November 2, 2014

November 2nd, 2014 The Family Visit

November 2nd, 2014 The Family Visit

I enjoyed not setting an alarm as I hit the pillow early this morning. I almost typed "last night," but really--it was this morning a little after 3am--and it felt like a little after 4am because of the time change. I slept almost seven hours and it seemed to work for me. I can't even begin to formulate the words worthy of expressing the level of gratitude I have for good sleep. After going through my sleep apnea experiences, to now be free of them, is incredible. Of course--it could come back--that's a very real possibility, but for now, I'll give thanks for the blessing of quality sleep.

The plan for today included a trip to my hometown for a birthday get together and visit with my aunt and uncle who are visiting from Michigan. It's been a year and a half since I've had the chance to visit with them. Okay--that's not entirely true. I had an entire week a year ago to make the short trip to Stillwater for a visit, but I didn't want them to see me in my condition at that time. When I told my uncle how bad it was before turning this ship around, he commented "That's why you didn't make it down to see me last year, because of your weight gain." Yep. Uncle Sig is a very smart man.

It was a good family visit. Aunt and Uncle got to meet Noah for the first time, and he stole their hearts, as expected!! And as he does with everyone!

Uncle Sig isn't familiar with what I do these days--so when he noticed me snapping a photo of my food he immediately called me crazy. Aunt Jean corrected him quickly as I smiled at the comment. It honestly doesn't bother me one bit to be called "crazy" or "obsessive" or whatever--what I do is working for me very well! I explained to him how everything I've consumed in almost 7 months is photographed, calorie counted and tweeted--and available to see on my Twitter page. It might be considered "extreme" to some, but I make it fun and enjoyable. AND--it's had a monumental positive effect on my food selections, not to mention the care I take in preparing what I enjoy eating. It's not for everyone, that's for sure--but for me, it's crazy brilliant.

It was a good visit--and not just because I've lost a lot of weight this year. That was a part of it, I'm sure--I mean, how could it not be? I avoided them last year because of my weight gain and how I allowed the gain to make me feel. But now, so many changes have happened and I feel great about me regardless of my weight. It truly comes shining through in all I say and do.

My favorite part of the trip was riding in the backseat of Amber's car with Noah. We had a wonderful conversation of jibberish on the way back. I love that little guy. We started playing "Make this sound" and he's really good at this game!



My Tweets today:
















Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean





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