waking up feeling good

[Elgama]

OK I am so sluggish due to my fibromyalgia - I really want to improve my ability to get moving in the morning - I am not wanting to wake up like Sportacus doing back flips but feeling better than I do and better able to care for my children.

Of those of you that wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day what is it you do in the mornings and evenings do you have a vague routine - when do you eat last etc?

I know my Dad is the kind of person I would love to be he can't sleep past 5am and I know it will require willpower on my part but willpower alone doesn't appear to be enough I need to have some sort of plan

-Charley

[skalenfehl]

Nutrition plays a huge part of my health and ability to maintain real energy throughout the day. I eat around 6 small meals a day, making sure always include protein (fish, chicken, eggs, veggies, etc.)

I also eat a few ounces of good fat a day (nuts, olives, etc)

I only eat complex carbs as necessary to maintain energy needs from whole wheat/whole grain sources. No bleached flour, fast food buns, burgers, etc...actually I stay away from fast food joints. Bad news.

Drink as much water as possible, a gallon a day.

About 3 servings of fruits and 4 servings of veggies.

I don't like eating processed foods that contain all the junk that is added and that have all the nutrients taken away. My groceries are usually picked from the perimeter of the stores (fish, poultry, dairies, produce, etc) and not the junk in the middle aisles like hot pockets, junk cereals, candy, pizzas, etc.

I try to get to bed early enough or at least get at least 7 hours of sleep so that I'm refreshed in the morning ready to tackle the day. I seldom can ever sleep past 7 or 8 am even if I've gone to be after midnight.

Daily exercise is an important part of my routine (weightlifting, cardio, yoga, stretching, etc.)

[MorningStar]

This is a problem for me too. I have a sleep disorder and my doctor says I probably don't enter deep sleep which is when your body heals itself from every day activities. My mom has been diagnosed with Narcolepsy and has gotten worse with age. I'm hoping I don't have that. It's not horribly serious for her - she doesn't fall asleep while driving, but she falls asleep when she's talking on the phone. I was cracking-up the other day because she fell asleep while talking to me, was disoriented when she woke up, hung the phone up, and when I called her back she said, "I'm sorry! I fell asleep!" Despite this, she has a terrible time sleeping at night.

Thanks for the tips, Skal!

[pushka]

I could do with some help in this matter too..I often go to bed too late, however even on the days/evenings when I'm 'good' and get a satisfactory night's sleep I'm sluggish the next morning.

I've just been on a weekend relaxing break, just Saturday afternoon till Sunday afternoon, and felt quite full of energy yesterday, was looking forward to the country walk today, but after 6 1/2 hours sleep I felt like a zombie at breakfast time...this was the one time I craved a cup of coffee!! I had to go back to sleep for an hour, a couple of hours after breakfast and was too shattered to do the walk afterall When I got home I was shattered and had to sleep for the afternoon too!!

[skalenfehl]

That's funny! I remember on my mission, having companionship study in the morning before going out to meet with people, I was reading out loud from our language book (german). We were taking turns reading. As I read, my words began slurring and I slowly nodded off and fell asleep. My companion just laughed as he watch the whole thing.

[MorningStar]

My dad fell asleep while counting his Blackjack money one time. My mom took a picture. He was sitting on the couch with the bills in his lap and they would move as he exhaled heavily. It was almost as funny as the time he burned himself with a flaming marshmallow and she took a picture of him sleeping with his bandage that sort of looked like a crown on his head.