Do you remember my big goal for December, 8 hours of sleep at night? Remember how I was really confident it would all work out perfectly? I said, “I’ve identified all the little obstacles to achieving the 8 hours of sleep a night goal, and I’m actually feeling good about getting there, even with the holidays approaching.”
I’ve been doing such a great job with my mini-monthly goals since using my Believe I Am Training Journal and I was feeling confident about my sleep goal. When mapping out all the reasons behind my lack of sleep and making an action plan, I knew I could definitely start to sleep more.
The month started off great… sort of. December 1st = 9 hours of sleep! Amazing! December 2nd = 4 hours of sleep (the night after my marathon)! Uh-oh… This was easily explained by my normal trouble sleeping the night after a marathon, plus early morning flight, with the added problem of a domestic abuse situation right outside our hotel room leaving us listening to screaming, crying, security coming, then finally the police taking the people away. December 3rd-6th, all solid 8 hour days.
Then, some curves. Christmas shopping and prep. Get-togethers. Jeff out-of-town. Being home for the holidays and just wanting to spend every minute with family. The list continues… the sleep declines…
So, while I was far from the 8 hours a night every night, I did hit 8 hours more this month than any in the past since my daughter has been walking. And that says a lot considering everything that was going on this month. It’s nice to have a goal written, in my own handwriting, at the top of a page that I look at every single day. It makes me more mindful, more likely to do what I set out to do. It reminds me of a friend who was keeping a food journal this summer and she started choosing the salad bar every day for lunch because she knew she had to answer to the food journal/herself.
I’m thankful for this journal. It’s helped me through a lot the past 3 months. I use it in addition to an online running log that auto-uploads my garmin data. I like the handwritten process of the Believe I Am Journal. How I can write anything I want (including space for a novel in back if I wanted… well almost)! How I can see my own handwriting, my own thoughts, my dreams, desires. As I said before, this is the second Believe I Am Journal I’ve owned and it’s even more helpful the second time around because I’m finding more uses, more deeply ingraining the visuals, and figuring out more about myself. I now carry it around in my purse, a great idea I got from another Sister in Sport. I would recommend the journal to anyone and EVERYONE. Except my 8-year-old nephew who called it “a girly little thing” when I pulled it out after a run during Christmas festivities. Maybe ask before buying it for your 8-year-old nephew.
I’d like to finish by saying that I used the GRATEFUL visual a lot during my training and racing these last few months. After a few heartaches in early October, I started using the visual shown below:
I really connected with the last line “It’s amazing how many doors start to open when you are grateful for what you already have.”
I loved it so much I got it in cozy sweater form.
So there you have it! For January, I’m back on the strength goals again. I’m already feeling weak in the glutes/hips/hamstrings from just a month of taking it easy post-marathon. I need to get back on board. This time, adding some … weights!!
Feel so much stronger when I get enough rest and sunshine! It’s time to crank up the consistent workouts. Jeffry too!
I just began the attempt to sleep more. I do a lot of mindless TV watching. Now I go upstairs around 9:30-10 and read a little. It helps so much!
I really agree with the last line of the “grateful” section. Too often, I fall into the trap of wanting more, doing more, the comparison game, etc…. so it is a refreshing reminder to focus on the positive. Thanks!
I am happy to see such a good review of the Believe I Am journal. My family is coming to visit next week and we are going to celebrate a delayed Christmas with them and it was on my wish list. After reading this I want it ten times more than I already did. I love the idea of mini goals. Hope you had a great holiday season!
Getting more sleep is always a great goal! I have a haphazard sleep schedule as a graduate student trying to get my thesis done…pretty sure its just going to get worse until after I graduate! And then it will be a huge relief!
I definitely love using my journal (first and only so far!) for the same reasons you listed: seeing my own handwriting, using visual cues etc… so funny you mentioned “grateful” because I actually put that cue in my final update post at the bottom (from BIA website)! Grateful for having the journal, this community, and being able to run again! Good luck with your strength training goals, I’m sure you will do great!