Dealing with Chaotic Schedules

[coco12]

Last night, I got home from work at 10pm and needed about 3 more hours of focused energy time. After a full day at work, I was also given a deadline for another project that required a late-night cramming session. These are not necessarily rare evenings, and I have a feeling they will only increase in frequency over the next few months. The difficulty is that I rarely know when they are coming!

 

My amateur solution last night was to have a fourth meal (I had a pretty small dinner at 6pm, and I was hungry). I followed the template, but I did have both a piece of fruit and a sweet potato as a part of my meal- a combo I would normally stay away from. However, I was looking for fast energy, and I'm not sure what the best approach to waking up would have been.

 

Ever since the magic of Whole30 has started kicking in for me, my body is so ready to go to bed at 10:30ish. This is fantastic since I usually have trouble falling asleep, but on nights that I simply have to stay awake, this is going to be a problem.

 

I know rest is important, but I'm sure there are plenty of other people out there who have irregular hours and are making the Whole30 work. I'd love to hear your tips on:

 

- re-energizing when you need to stay awake

- recovering after losing sleep

- finding a functional eating routine in the midst of chaotic schedules

 

Thanks so much!

[wheresanita]

To re-energize maybe 5-10 minutes of exercise? Nothing crazy, just a little something to get your juices flowing! Sleep is important. Make sure that the sleep you're getting is good quality - maximize your sleep environment..dark, cool, quiet (or white noise), nap if you can! As for the functional eating, it's all about being prepared. Have a few quick, easy, go to meals that you can have ready in a hurry (a nice chili or stew comes to mind - they can be pretty close on the template and easy to heat up). If you find yourself having an 'extended' day and are hungry, by all means eat - just try to keep to the template. We always have cooked, shredded chicken vacuum sealed in the fridge as well as home made mayo - easy, quick chicken salad - add a few raw veggies and you're done!

 

Good luck with your busy schedule!

 

~Anita

[coco12]

Thanks for your suggestions, Anita! That is what I ended up doing almost exactly, except that I had tuna salad instead of chicken salad!

 

Hoping to catch up on more sleep this weekend. I can still feel the after-effects of not sleeping much Thursday (or maybe the effects of the Whole30? at any rate… tired).