Where Have I Been?!? | Wising Up & Body Update

So I feel like I have dropped off the face of the blogger-sphere! It's not that I don't love doing this - I definitely do - but the last 2 months have just gone in a blink. And with all the good intentions in the world, an early night just seemed the most appealing thing & probably the thing I needed the most.

So where have I been the past 2 months? What has changed? Over the last year, a lot has happened within my family - they're now in need of more support & I wanted to be there to help offer some of that support. With that said, I decided a change was in order. So... I now have a new job!!! And instead of travelling around 4 hours a day, I travel for around 30mins - meaning I have a lot more time for my family, for me & for a better work life balance. But that said, I do miss my fantastic team bellow from LCE.

I also found over the last 2 months, I began to suffer with exhaustion. I was simply trying to do too much in one day. My brain wasn't functioning, my vision blurry, I could barely spit out a coherent sentence & I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. So it's been a challenging 2 months, to try to keep up with the most important aspects of my life. But this isn't a 'woe-is-me' post, more looking at the positives from the situation. What I have learnt...

You are important - The most crucial thing you need to remember. Be it your wrapped up in work, helping others or just the bustle of every day life - don't forget to care for yourself. If you don't take good care of yourself, you won't be able to keep going forever! Make sure you're giving your body what it needs, treat yourself, be selfish on occasion - live your own life too.

Don't underestimate sleep - You know what they say about burning the candle at both ends... make sure you're getting the rest you need! I know I used to see sleep as a waste of time - time that you could be doing things. But if you don't rest up, you will run out of energy one day & be forced to slow do. So pace yourself!

Keep up with the basics of health - If life does seem a little mad at the moment, keep up with the basics of health, to help keep your body going strong. Keep hydrated. Eat clean, natural foods. Eat your fruit & veg. Exercise - even if this is only session a week or walking instead of driving. Get fresh air & away from technology. And of course, make sure you sleep.

Getting over exhaustion - This is not a 1 day wonder. It's taken a month for me not to be out like a light when I get into bed & I'm still not fully there. My best advice would be to slow things down. Remove the pressure of things that don't need to be fulfilled (for me, that was blogging, working out a little less, cooking such complex meals) & try to simplify your life. Equally, try to distance yourself from unnecessary stress or get so angry with things that have already come, gone & are completely out of your control. Have some downtime - just as important as sleep - but make sure there's some relaxing time in every day, where you just do nothing! And obviously sleep - try to keep it to a good, consistent amount. Within time, you will notice the difference.

Is the balance there? For me, work life balance was not. So I had to make the tough choice of changing my job, to better improve my life. I needed more time, it was as simple as that! By making this change, I have more time to do jobs (instead of every small unexpected hurdle feeling so overwhelming), more time to support family, more time & energy to enjoy with my loved ones & more time for myself to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. For example late night Christmas shopping, bed at 9pm, socialising after work - when I was travelling back from London each day, these things were not even an option. And I'm so much happier for it.

In terms of my fitness over the last couple of months, I would like to say I have mostly maintained. I have kept lean through keeping a good diet, despite only working out 3-4 times a week (instead of 5). The biggest difference I have noticed would be in my strength - I have got a little weaker. Although I'm sure that's something that can be worked on, so I'm not too concerned. Goals moving forward? Regain the lost strength. Build a little more muscle, especially lower body. Get back into a solid routine.

So I'm back. But I won't be putting quite so much pressure on myself for weekly posts. I will instead be aiming for monthly. Because life is all about balance right?!? So I will speak with you soon - in the meantime, have an amazing Christmas!