Improvements

I wrote a while back about making some improvements in my life. Out of shape, not eating well, not sleeping well, not getting much exercise, stress at a fairly high level. Seeing as it's the new year, I think it's worth reflecting on those improvements.

I made a few changes in my habits in the hopes of improving that situation. Started running, monitored my eating habits, tried to focus on maintaining a more regular sleep schedule. It went well for a while, kept it up for a month or two. Lost the 10 lbs I put on during clerkship, was able to fit back into a few clothes that had gotten a bit too tight, and was generally feeling in better spirits overall.

Running unfortunately stopped with the cold weather. I'll need to find a way to keep up my exercise habits in colder weather, because unless global warming kicks it into high gear, I'm only going to be able to run outside for about half the year, at least using the gear I have. Eating habits kept up a bit longer, though I stopped keeping track of my calories after a month or so. The holidays are not the greatest for avoidance of sugar... I put on 5 lbs, pretty much entirely in the last 2-3 weeks, cutting my gains over the last 4 months in half. If nothing else, this is a great reminder about how hard weight loss. Persistence is necessary, but hard. Managed to successfully transition my morning glass of juice to tea though, so that's a win.

Continuing with the positives, my stress levels have definitely fallen, despite it being CaRMS time. Consistent sleep, even though I'm still lacking a little in the total amount, has helped. I've been a bit more social lately, something that fell off a cliff in clerkship and in medical school in general (though a series of restaurant dinners haven't exactly helped the waistline either). I've also started prioritizing some things I enjoy, like watching the hockey game or doing some reading. I've had some luck in cutting down on screen time as well - getting a subscription to a weekly newspaper has helped a lot, letting me get a bit of a different perspective and taking some of my online reading offline.

So, what are the next steps? First is getting back to exercise and eating well. I did it before, it worked, I can do it again. Getting back to good sleep habits in the next step - in general, I've had good sleep hygiene, just not starting the process early enough. That can change. Lastly, in continuation with general stress reduction strategies, I'm cleaning out my apartment. That's been an on-going holiday project. I have a large amount of minimally functional space, as well as many possessions that I'm not using and will likely never use. Getting organized has been cathartic in a way.

Anyway, this post is mostly just a reminder that in medicine, no one will look out for your well being unless you make it your own priority. I've enjoyed the last couple months, despite the hiccups and mixed results. Having the luxury of call-free electives hasn't hurt, and going into the remainder of fourth year, where I'm back in the classroom with ample free time, should give plenty of opportunity to continue good habits. The next challenge will be to solidify these habits and make them adaptable to the busy schedule of residency - when wellness will matter all that much more!