Google life

I just got off the phone with a lifelong friend, Katina (we’re both entrepreneurs). We were talking about work and life while we both were lying on our beds relishing in the fact that we could start our days a little later and to our own beat. She's tired after a long weekend. I’m just tired. The 9-5 business world would say that we should gear up and start the week with a bang, it's Monday after all.

We hung up the phone: She decided she wasn’t going to fight it, but instead was going back to sleep. I headed to the kitchen, made coffee, checked email, and started this FB status, which turned into a blog post. By us starting our days later does that mean that we aren't hard workers? Heck, no! Quite the contrary, we give 200 percent because when we work we are all there.

During our phone call we talked about companies like Google that embrace life, family, and a non-traditional 9-5 workday. It seems to me the 9-5 work day is antiquated and boxes us in. Some folks biologically just do better in the afternoon, some do better with their dog near by, and some do better if they can break away for a power nap in the middle of the day. My point is we all are wired different. We need more companies to recognize that, to embrace that.

One day soon when I come into a position of hiring folks I will embrace differences and look for those who are looking outside of the traditional 9-5 game. I’ll start with a non-traditional method of hiring: an application with only a few questions – core questions, no standard interview either.  My method will seek out those who are willing to work hard and think, really think. Recognizing that some of us aren’t able to work or think innovatively in a standard 9-5 office environment. I say this as I’m sitting on a stability ball at 11:00 a.m. at my home drinking coffee.

While I realize that certain professions will always be 9-5. I also recognize that there will always be folks that are looking to change the game and move us closer to a work style that embraces our everyday lives and that’s where I want to be.

On my path to a healthy, happy life: Mind, Body, and Spirit. I’m always thinking, learning, and growing. Most of the time I move to my own beat even when others looks down on me for doing so.  I’m sure most people would have thrown in the towel long ago.  But, for me I want more than a standard 9-5. Someday when I get to a place where I can, I will bring others along with me that want the same.

The late Steve Jobs said: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition….”

Rest & Routine

To bed when the sun goes down. Rise when the sun comes up. A very basic concept. A concept our ancestors adhered to likely because they didn't have the luxury of electricity. Nonetheless, our biological clocks are wired that way. In this 24-hour, technology driven society, however, rest is dismissed and the importance of sleep often overlooked. We are constantly on-the-go.

Until recently I was guilty of being always on the go, go, go. "I'll sleep when I die," was my motto. Every night I went to bed with my iPhone clutched in hand, feeling the need to answer every text or email right away. Some nights I'd even sleep with the radio on for background noise. I was known to work on projects into the wee hours of the night and I'd proudly update my Facebook status "Burning the midnight oil."

I'm an information junkie. It's the whole journalist thing -- always seeking information. I read lots of magazines, newspapers, browse lots of websites, and I even read pamphlets and brochures that most others wouldn't. Anyway, I've been reading lately about how important sleep is for a number of reasons, but particularly for those trying to lose weight. Hold up. So all these crazy nights of me staying up late "Burning the midnight oil" could be hindering my weight loss efforts? That changes the game. I had to re-evaluate.

As of late, I make it a point to start shutting it down when the sun sets.  I'll admit getting to bed by 9:30 pm no later than 10 o'clock is a little challenging since it's summer and it stays light outside longer. Here's my new way of thinking: If I am unable to complete a task on any given day, it can wait until the next day. That's why there is a next day. Most of my deadlines I've learned are self-imposed. I'm giving myself permission to move the item or items around on my calendar. I've made it a priority, however, to get at least eight hours of sleep a night and a nap during the day when I can.

Since I started my new routine I'm more alert and focused and I've also noticed I get crabby when something interferes with my bedtime. No more of that ridiculous "I'll sleep when I die," mentality. I take sleep seriously. It's the one chance I get to shut my mind and body completely down. Forget about everything. Refresh. Renew. Just as my body needs exercise and proper nutrition it also needs the proper rest and routine.

I'm on a mission to be healthy. My approach to health and wellness is holistic. 

Less Is More

I've said this many times before, my weight loss journey is not only about what I've lost, but what I've gained. This is a journey of self-discovery, learning, and striving to be a better person -- inside and out.

I laugh at myself when I look back at the workout path I've traveled. In the very beginning I knew nothing about working out. I just knew I was overweight, out of shape, and needed to burn calories. My plan of action was to try every machine at the gym. Every class at the gym. It was very typically for me to workout five to six days a week. Sometimes even taking back-to-back weight training and cardio classes. Sometimes being in the gym upward of three to four hours. Insane! Anyone who knows me well knows how I am. I go hard. Once I'm into or onto something fugetaboutit!

My workout craze was just that a craze.  Oh my goodness, I recall the first boot camp class I took. I was about 290 pounds and had only been working out for about a month. Can you say, deconditioned? And to boot, I pumped up a couple of friends and my teenaged daughter to join me. Wow. What  a train wreck! We all made it out, alive -- barely.

When I think about it now, I see how ineffective my workouts really were. I was working out for long periods of time with no focus. No road map. During this time, I got sick with cold/flu like symptoms all the time. Wonder why? My diet was questionable, I rarely got enough sleep, and I overworked the same muscle groups. On and on. So, as workouts were concerned, those workouts were ineffective. But, in retrospect, they were effective in other ways: I was meeting people and making friends at the gym, learning about my body, and my fortitude.

While I am a little disappointed at myself for taking the past six months off from the gym. Honestly, the time away was just what I needed. I needed a break. A reboot. Now I'm more focused. My workouts are my purposeful. Thanks to my hiatus, I realize that it's less about how many days or hours I spend in the gym and more about how I spend the time there. It's also about how I take care of myself in between workouts: eating well, proper rest, etc. Quite frankly, it’s a relief knowing that I don’t have to be at the gym everyday for several hours at a time. Gone are those days. Less is more.

Helpful articles:

Overtraining
Less Is More: Is Too Much Exercise Bad for You?
Why Four Workouts a Week May Be Better Than Six