Two-a-Day Challenge

OK, It's kinda random how I came up with this but...I've come up with what I'm calling the Two-a-Day Challenge for myself.  Initially I was just thinking about how rare it is for me to work on two posts in one day.  That produced a little giggle out of me as I thought about hearing the football players in high school talk about two-a-days (the rough period before the start of the season where they practice twice a day) and eventually thought about the show on MTV a few years back.  I actually never saw the show but one of the assistant coaches is originally from my home town so I do know about it.  Anyway, I kept thinking (I promise this wasn't nearly as long a thought process as it seems typing it out, lol) and I thought to myself, "You've been looking for a way to get more productivity out of yourself so why not make this a two-a-day challenge."  

So, here are the guidelines of my two-a-day challenge.  For the next 5 days (Mon-Fri) I challenge myself to research two topics a day regarding mental health in general, depression, anxiety, AD/HD, etc.  I also challenge myself to do two household chores a day, exercise twice a day, or a combination of the two.  To keep myself accountable I will post every night before bed with what I did for the day, complete with links, stats, and/or pictures.  Also, I will not allow myself to turn on the TV, watch movies/shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., or watch a DVD or VHS at any point that day until all of the tasks for the day have been completed.  That means no Criminal Minds, Law & Order SVU, NCIS, or NCIS Los Angeles for a week if I don't get all of this done (how's that for motivation).

Now, on to what spurred the possibility of two posts in one day and eventually the two-a-day challenge...I was browsing through the ADDitude website and came across and interesting article.  ADDitude is a magazine that is devoted to giving "advice for living well with attention deficit and learning disabilities." (https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=09201&i4Ky=IU31)  Their website also has a lot of useful and valuable information and subscribers have full access to the digital archives of past issues.  I recently subscribed to the magazine (so recent I haven't even gotten my first issue yet) and have been looking through the website familiarizing myself with it and keeping an eye out for future blog topics.

The article I came across was titled "End Impulsive Overeating, Lose Weight, and Avoid Obesity." http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/7306.html  It caught my attention because, since I started the Vyvanse I realized I don't eat as much junk as I use to (though I could still do better).  I realize this is partially because one of the side effects of most AD/HD medications is decreased appetite, but, over time, I also realized it was helping to curb my impulse to eat just because I could.  For those who don't feel the desire to read the article (even though it's fairly short) I'll sum up the main points.

1.  Use Your Hyperactive Brain to Lose Weight

2.  Don't Expect to be Able to Resist Food Temptations

3.  Take Time to Exercise

4.  Avoid Boredom and Stimulate Your Brain

5.  Schedule When You Eat

6.  Pay Attention to the Experience of Eating

7.  Teach Yourself When to Stop Eating

8.  Don't Give Up If You Blow It

9.  Slim Up Faster With These Tips

LOL, OK, so #9 gives away that I didn't really give you a summary but instead gave you the heading from each slide.  What good would I be doing you if I handed you all the information on a silver platter?  Go read the article! :-)  It's some good information for anyone who struggles with impulse eating, not just those with AD/HD.

Anyway, slide 4 mentioned avoiding TV because it provides little to no mental stimulation and can lead to overeating.  At that moment it was like a light bulb came on.  Even though I'm still much better than I use to be about eating, lately I've felt myself slowly slipping back into those bad habits and I couldn't figure out why but it finally clicked.  

My weekends have been a never-ending alternation between watching TV while playing on the the internet and sleeping (more to come on the sleep part later).  I'd tell myself that I was only going to watch one or two shows and then get up and do stuff around the house or get out and about in town but before I knew it one or two shows turned into four or five or more and now I was sleepy again so, "I'll just take a "quick" nap."  Two hours later I'd wake up but since it takes a little while for me to fully wake up I'd sit back down and turn the TV on and the cycle would repeat....During the times that I was awake I found myself constantly in-and-out of the kitchen for a snack even though I really couldn't figure out why.  Finally, I realized that, no matter how much I love my crime drama shows, sitting watching TV was boring my brain to no end, lol.  When I get bored or under-stimulated I end up sleepy, and eventually I'll take a nap in hopes of waking up more alert.  That boredom was causing me to eat out of habit instead of hunger.

I decided to put this new found knowledge to the test this afternoon.  I turned the TV off and got up and did a few things around the house.  I found myself much more alert and was even enjoying what I'd normally consider a chore.  Even now, as I sit on the couch typing this article, the TV is off and I've got my ipod plugged up to the stereo in the kitchen.  For some reason music has always helped me focus and I must admit this is the fastest I've written a blog post in quite a while and the longest I've been able to focus on it without thinking I was way to sleepy and needed a nap to be able to focus on it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on giving up TV all together.  I do still love my shows and like to keep up with the main characters who have become such a big part of my life (yes, I do realize they are actors portraying a role and not real people) but I've realized I'm going to have to limit the time I allow myself to watch or I'm never going to get any of the stuff done that I've got on my lists (that's right with ADDers it's always more than one list). :-)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this double dose today.  I'm still trying to decide on a "reward" for successfully completing the challenge so let me know if you have any suggestions.  I don't need anything big or extravagant, just a little something to say "well done Jen."