Tag Archives: sleep

There Are Some Things I Just Don’t Get

There are lots of things I don’t think I will ever understand!

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1.  How can a 15 year old boy sleep over 12 hours day after day?!Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.35.04 PM

2.  How is it possible that no matter what road I take, no matter what time of day it is I always get behind someone who refuses to drive even close to the speed limit?  Yesterday I followed a guy who literally drove between 15 & 20 mph when the speed limit was 35 (which, of course, means I prefer to drive 40!!).

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.39.25 PM3.  How can I be cold all day (unless I’m running or laying out!) and hot all night?!

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4.  How come I can remember trivial information that is pretty much totally useless but the things I really need to remember I have to write down if I hope to ever think of it again?

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5.  How could I be anything but happy today?!  It’s Friday and after I finish cleaning and ironing  at the venue this morning my weekend will pretty much be started!!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-29 at 8.49.42 PMWhat things baffle you?

Happy Fun Friday!

Kim 

The Elusive Quest for Sleep

For today’s 44 I used a resistance band and did a wide curl to a shoulder press.  I had to keep my feet fairly close together to complete all the reps on the overhead press portion!

Don’t mind the sweat – I had to do the demo after my workout since the boys are still in vacation mode!!!

I did my final run of  2013 this morning.  
1.5% incline – 5miles in 34:49 + 1 easy cool down mile

Screen Shot 2013-12-30 at 8.54.05 AMSleep  – Garfield makes it look so easy!!!

And, actually, you would think that something as natural and necessary as sleep would be easy!  However, in my world, there is nothing easy about sleep.

I’ve read hundreds of articles that give tips for better sleep and tried pretty much all of the tips.

  • daily exercise (YEP!!)
  • keep the room cool – I try!
  • follow a schedule – almost all the time
  • don’t eat late 
  • and on and on and on…..

The other day I even dragged Chris (and the boys – they loved it) into the Sleep Number store.Screen Shot 2013-12-30 at 9.01.09 AM

Lately my back aches most of the time so I thought maybe a Sleep Number bed would help and since I get hot at night and Chris doesn’t I looked at the new dual temp pad also.

Then we saw a price list!!!  Ummm….I don’t think a Sleep Number bed is the answer!

Chris keeps telling me to take Ambien but I would rather not (not sure why?!).

Lately, besides not being able to sleep, I spend most of the night feeling crummy – maybe because I’m tired and my body needs sleep?!  I don’t know what the deal is but I’m over it!!

Screen Shot 2013-12-30 at 9.07.50 AMWell, on a positive note – I do get quite a bit of reading done in the middle of the night!!

Chris is pretty much the opposite of me – he falls asleep within minutes and stays asleep all night long (what a novel idea!)!!  All the little noises and things that bug me are completely unknown to him!

 

Do you have sleep issues?  What have you found that helps you? 

Happy Monday!!!

Kim

 

 

Sleep: It’s Optional

Today’s 43 was an angle lunge.  That is exactly what it sounds like – a lunge at an  angle.

Start with feet together – 

start
start

Lunge right leg to the right front angle –

right lunge
right lunge – don’t forget to close your eyes

Quickly step right foot back and then lunge left leg to the left front angle –

left lunge
left lunge

I counted a right and left lunge as 1 rep so it was 43 lunges per leg.  By moving quickly back and forth, I also got my heart rate up while doing these!

I thought about running but with the sand workouts lately, my Achilles is really sore so I will wait on that.  Instead I did Les Mills Combat – Combat 45 – one of my all time favorite workouts!!!

So, I had already decided before we came on vacation that I was going to give myself permission to sleep in while we were here.  At home I’m always up at the butt crack of dawn by 5:15 (often earlier) so I came here planning to really make up for lost sleep.

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However, since we have been in Florida I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten even less sleep than I do at home!!  

At home I have 
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However, since we’ve been here that has gone out the window (literally since we are outside all the time!)!!Screen shot 2013-07-25 at 7.55.19 PM

It has been fun to be up past 10 pm (yep we are old and  in bed by 10 almost every night!)!!  We have set out on the deck and listened to the waves while catching up with friends – it has been awesome!!

Screen shot 2013-07-25 at 7.55.02 PMThe only problem is that I haven’t really been able to sleep in that much – by 7 we are usually up and going!  Add that to the fact that I spend several hours in the middle of the night awake – 

Screen shot 2013-07-25 at 8.00.20 PMSo, I have just decided that sleep is completely optional!!!  

But who needs sleep when I can see this?

more water fun
more water fun
view from our deck
evening view from our deck

Even without much sleep being at the beach is very relaxing!  My true happy place!!

Life is perfect here!!
Life is perfect here!!

Where is your happy place?
Do you sleep better or worse on vacation?

Happy Friday!

Kim

SLEEP – Why Can’t we be Friends???

Today’s 43 targeted the lower abs (one of the hardest areas to work, I think).  I laid on my back with my legs straight up at 90 and feet flexed.  The actual move is small – lift your hips while pushing your feet up to the sky.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMZ7fOhIMg’]

I tried to make sure that I wasn’t using my hands to push off – all core.  A simple, quick 43 today!

Then – more Les Mills Combat!!  Combat 45 – another fun, but intense work-out.  I’m pretty addicted to this Combat program!!!  I think they are all great work-outs but also very enjoyable!!

Screen shot 2013-02-20 at 9.00.27 AMSLEEP – such a simple word!!  Why is it so difficult?!  I have always had a few issues with sleep as well as a few requirements:  completely dark, cool, quiet.  Seems reasonable -right?

So, why can’t I sleep???

  1. Hot, then cold, oh wait now I’m hot again!!!  Sweating during a work-out is awesome, sweating at night, not so great!
  2. 2-3 trips to the bathroom!  I have always been a huge water drinker – all day long.  I don’t drink different amounts now, my body just handles it differently!
  3. Comfort – there is no single position that I can stay in for more than about an hour.  If I sleep on my back, it hurts.  If I sleep on my right side, my elbow hurts.
  4. My brain won’t shut off!!!  I don’t usually feel stressed about things when I go to bed but during the night I have 1000s of thoughts that run through my head over & over & over again!!

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SLEEP – let’s make up and move on!  I don’t think it’s too much to ask!

Do y’all have sleep issues?  What do you do when you can’t sleep? 

(A lot of nights I read for hours – good thing it doesn’t bother Chris – he can sleep through most anything!!)

Happy Wednesday!!!

Kim

 

Ball Butt Blaster & Banning Bright Bulbs

Today, like the past 120 days or so, started with a daily 43.  For today’s move, I used a stability ball.  I started face-down with my fingers and toes touching the ground.

Set-Up
Set-Up

Then I bent my left leg to 90 degrees and flexed my foot.

Bend knee and flex foot
Bend knee and flex foot

Now for the real work – squeeze your butt and push your foot up to the ceiling.

Squeeze and Lift!!!
Squeeze and Lift!!!

I did 43 with each leg and my butt was definitely burning!!!

The rest of my work-out was back to Les Mills Combat.  Today I did the Combat 30 again. I am really enjoying  the Combat program with the Les Mills crew – always a great work-out and the time flies by!!

I don’t know about everyone (or really anyone for that matter) but I have a few several LOTS of sleep issues!  One of them is I like it to be dark!!!

Pitch Black!
Pitch Black!

Well, some nights this never seems to happen.  We have a big window, way up high, in our bedroom:

Source of much light at night!!!
Source of much light at night!!!

Some nights lots of light comes through this window – if someone drives in the cul-de-sac in the middle of the night (or parks with headlights on) – I see the light!  Some nights the moon is just wrong in the sky and shines straight in.  I think I need a remote controlled blind system for that window or something!!

Another source of light in our bedroom some nights (last night – all night long!!!):

Bright (I have no idea who those people are - default picture 7+ years later!)
Bright (I have no idea who those people are – default picture 7+ years later!)

This clock has 4 levels of brightness and at night it should be on the dimmest:

Dimmed (for night-time!!!)
Dimmed (for night-time!!!)

However, this is Chris’ clock (not mine!!!) and therefore on his night stand.  Last night it was like a flood light shining in our room all night long.Screen shot 2013-01-12 at 9.28.41 AMThat is a lot of light for someone who wants/needs pitch blackness to sleep!!!  This morning I told Chris that if he left it on bright again at night I was going to kick it and then throw it!!!  His perfectly rested response, “Why didn’t you just wake me up and ask me to turn it off?”   Where is the fun in that?  I much prefer kicking and throwing things after I gripe about them!!!!  Duh!!!!

Happy Saturday – hopefully a sunny day and a dark night ahead!!!

Kim