Sleep Deprived

Hi friends! Happy HUMP day!   How’s your day so far?

Mine’s been okay– aside from the fact that I’m totally sleep deprived! The husband and I stayed up too late last night, and I got up at 5:30 am this morning to help him with work stuff! Ugh. I’m not a happy camper when I don’t get enough of my beloved sleep! Luckily, work slowed down for me this afternoon, and I was able to sneak in a quick nap over my lunch break! It wasn’t really enough to “make-up” for my short night, but it definitely helped!

Breakfast today was watermelon– eaten straight out of a tupperware at my desk. I was WAY too sleepy (and grouchy) to deal with my juicer this morning!

To be honest, it wasn’t that good. Is watermelon season ending already? Or did I just get a bad one?

I also enjoyed a hot cup of Natural Calm:

I don’t know if you all have noticed, but…. I haven’t had caffeine in weeks! (besides my daily chocolate indulgence– I gotta draw the line somewhere!)

I completely cut out coffee AND tea to help manage my anxiety attacks that I was suffering from last month. I think it’s really helping! Other things I’ve been doing to help my anxiety are drinking Natural Calm, getting regular sleep and exercise, eating an extra-healthy diet, and taking 5-HTP. For those of you who asked about 5-HTP, here’s why I’ve decided to take it:

Not often found in the typical American diet, 5-HTP is manufactured by the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. Serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the brain, appears to play a significant role in sleep, moods, pain control, inflammation, digestion, and other functions.

Unlike tryptophan, 5-HTP can easily cross the blood-brain barrier to help relieve mild to moderate depression and anxiety, promote restful sleep, suppress the appetite, and reduce pain. Unfortunately, eating food with tryptophan does not significantly increase 5-HTP levels and many turn to supplements to get the important health benefits of 5-HTP.

5-HTP behaves much like the anti-depressants often prescribed for generalized forms of depression and anxiety. It can be used alone or, in some cases, as a supplement to a pharmaceutical regimen for more severe forms.

5-HTP, a naturally occurring substance that converts to and raises serotonin levels, has been closely studied as a potential treatment for depression and anxiety.

• A 6-week study found equal benefit between 300 mg of 5-HTP a day and 150 mg per day of fluvoxamine, a common antidepressant in the Prozac family. But 5-HTP caused fewer and less severe side effects than the drug.⁴
• In a review of two separate trials, researchers determined that both 5-HTP and tryptophan were more effective than placebo for alleviating depression, although the evidence was not conclusive.⁵
• Another research review concluded that neurotransmitter precursors, such as 5-HTP, can be helpful in patients with mild or moderate depression.⁶
• A Maastricht University study found that 5-HTP significantly reduced the reaction to the panic challenge in panic disorder patients by regulating serotonin levels.⁷

Clearly, 5-HTP can affect serotonin levels and may improve symptoms of anxiety and depression. [source]

*Hopefully this goes without mention, but please do your own research and talk with your health care provider before adding any supplements to your diet! Anything I write on my blog is NOT meant to be medical advice!

Since I’ve been trying multiple things at once, I can’t pin-point any ONE thing that’s been helping my anxiety– but I do feel like it’s been getting better! That’s not to say it’s completely gone… since it’s easy to “panic” about having another panic attack! But I feel like I’ve been finding ways to keep it under control naturally, which is the ultimate goal!

Anyway, back to the good stuff.   Lunch!

The “Perfect” Green Monster: Full bag of organic spinach (6 oz.), 1 frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, juice of 1/2 a lemon, a dash of cinnamon, and 2 drops of liquid stevia. So refreshing AND filling!

And I popped a Pecan Pie Baby into my mouth on the way to the gym:

Deeeeee-licious workout fuel!!

At the gym, I went to a group strength-training class and tried using heavier weights tonight! (I was inspired by Averie’s discussion the other day) I grabbed my usual weights– a set of 5 lbs, and a set of 3 lbs– but when I thought I could lift more, I would hold both weights in my hands, for a total of 8 lbs on each side! It was great! I definitely felt like I was challenging myself, building MORE muscle, and am no longer scared of “bulking up!” It’s REALLY hard to bulk up ladies, and more muscle = more calories burned daily! Um, yes please!

After my strength class, I was planning on sitting in the steam sauna again. What can I say, I love sweating!! But there was a glitch in today’s session– I forgot to bring my shower flip flops! There is NO WAY I’m walking around a moist, gym floor barefoot! Eewwww.   So, I had to change my plans… what else could make me sweat? RUNNING!! I put my sneakers back on, and did a breezy 2-mile run on the treadmill. My legs were a little tired from class, but I situated myself in between to hard-core runners! Instant motivation! I did the same intervals as yesterday: 2 min. walk, 8 min. run, and at the end of my run I pushed myself to run faster for an additional few minutes. I love ending strong!

When I got home, I may have instantly shoved another Pecan Pie Baby into my mouth. They’re just that good! (and I needed recovery fuel, right?)

Dinner soon followed:

Another chopped salad… I know, I’m boring. But they’re really good, I promise!

I always have a little beggar at my feet as I chop the veggies for my salad. Yasha seriously LOVES any and all veggies! (hopefully this is a good sign for my future non-fur children?)

I love that little fur-ball.

And now my dessert is waiting for me:

Raw brownie batter! Yum yum.

Alright, I’m off to watch Top Chef and Work of Art! Hope you all have a great night!! I don’t know about you, but I’m going to bed EARLIER tonight!!

–

Reader Feedback: Do you regularly include strength training in your workouts? Are you scared of lifting heavy weights and “bulking up?” To be honest, I was scared of bulking up for years! And I still have fleeting fears like that when I see all these skinny celebrities using Tracy Anderson’s method– which advocates NEVER lifting more than 3 lbs! Lately, though, I’ve been trying to put my fears aside and just focus on being HEALTHIER– which means building more muscle! Since it’s common to lose muscle as we age, I want to make sure I have plenty there to start with!   Plus, look at Jackie Warner and Jillian Michaels– they have lean, sexy arms and you KNOW they’re not lifting “dinky” 3 lbs weights!
That also leads me to… Who’s your fitness or body role model? Besides the ladies I just mentioned, I’ve always envied Jennifer Aniston’s toned body!

Related posts:

1. Sensitive Buds & Anxiety
2. Salad Monster
3. Food Matters
4. Fasten Your Waistlines
5. Friday Night Splurging