Stress, sugar addiction, and lack of motivation may be the catalysts that deter weight loss, yet exhaustion is my nemesis. Sleeplessness sinks me deep into deliriousness, contributes to excess caffeine consumption, and hotwires my decision-making, causing my healthy eating habits to drive off a cliff temporarily. Although it seems a simple solution to acquire shuteye, late night meetings, restless young offspring, and early rising schedules thwart success. I utilize my reserves, throw it into high gear, get the troops on their way out the door, and make work and life happen, while the energy tank draws near empty. It seems as if a normal day, i.e. until it is not.
I arise in a zombie-like state, yet rifle through the day outsmarting fatigue. Adjusting to exhaustion, I convince myself mentally and physically that this is an irrelevant predicament. Except, like Cinderella’s story, there is a cutoff for my magical recovery while dressed in fairy tale garb I threw together in an instant, riding in luxury with my imagination highlighting my sexy minivan, making life smooth, happy, and beautiful, when all feels shakily unsettling upon wake up. Late in the day things begin to disassemble, arguments develop between innocent bystanders, and my failure to engage rationally enters the scene. I wonder why the magic, energy, and stamina, dissipating from an “I’ve got this” type of day is transforming into shambles.
Exhaustion is the culprit, and my transition from riches to rags is four o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly famished, food finds its way abundantly consumed subconsciously, numbingly, and without merit. Lacking mindfulness, sleeplessness feebly drives decision like a drunk driver veering off the road, hitting bystanders, speed bumps, and obstacles normally seen from a distance. Unfortunately, weight loss attempts and daily rituals cannot accommodate lack of essential zzz’s. My hijacked body by tired drivers, incapable of making responsible choices cause weight loss efforts to suffer dramatically with overeating and reckless reactions to fatigue.
Even with knowledge and expertise, it remains a great struggle to maintain equilibrium post sleepless nights. Twenty-minute naps sometimes band-aid the symptoms, but essential sleep is ultimately the only solution. Simply, slumber alters game play remaining a strategic, critical advantage to the weight loss game. Cinderella may have been fortunate to get to the ball, yet her run for the exit at midnight shows the clock only strikes when you think, “I’ve got this!” Perhaps she, too, was sleep-deprived, demonstrated by leaving her glass slipper behind. Yet if the shoe fits, her dreams come true. Achieving a healthy lifestyle is a dream come true, when sleep turns from foe to friend.