Reboot, reset, or jumpstart call it whatever you want it, it is a challenge to change a lifestyle.
After my MS diagnosis on 11/11/11, I have been rebooting my lifestyle on a semi-regular basis. Managing MS and lupus without utilizing any pharmaceutical options requires discipline and focus.
November 11th is a reminder of the beginning of a very long journey to good health. Last year, I celebrated the anniversary of 11/11 with a 50 mile Ultra Marathon. This year, I can’t run more than a mile pain-free. My body is betraying me and I was not in the mood to celebrate the anniversary 11/11 this year.
In 2020, for the first time in 9 years, I cancelled a training class because of the symptoms associated with my chronic diseases. Historically, I work through the pain. I did not cancel a class when I was suffering vertigo, I warned my clients that I might tip over, but I taught the class. When a MS hug constricted my breathing, I taught spin class.
A historic pandemic, that targets a weak immune system and small businesses, is a tsunami of stress directed at my small, unprotected island. Coaching health and wellness doesn’t protect me from life. Let’s just say I got caught in a tsunami, and it wasn’t easy to get out.
I made the decision a few months ago to begin another lifestyle reboot. I am a work in progress which means I am always working to make progress. In the beginning of my challenge, I couldn’t sleep 8 hours at night or walk more than a mile without pain. Bed rest and exercise weren’t healing me. Now I am sleeping through the night, unless a stressful situation keeps me up. I am walking, but not running.
I am joining my clients for this six week Fall Reboot. Let’s get healthier together.
What are my goals?
- More Hiking
Before the pain started, hiking was an opportunity to feed my competitive spirit. I heard about the NH48, a hiking patch for hiking all 48 of the New Hampshire 4,000 Footers, and I was taking it to the next level. I was on track to bag all the summits before my 49th birthday, until pain derailed my plans. My first solo hike, after weeks of debilitating pain, was something special. Now, I schedule my week around the weather and shut off my phone for those miles on the mountain. I am finding a new level of peace in the woods.
- Be a good example for my clients
I have a hard time understanding coaches who don’t walk the walk as they talk the talk. If the challenge is too difficult for me to manage with my busy schedule, how can I properly coach people? I am coaching myself for the next weeks and holding myself accountable to the challenge and my clients.
- Be patient
A healthy lifestyle is never about a quick fix. Patience is not by any means my strongest trait, but I am excited for growth during this Fall Reboot. I am working on balancing intensity with calm.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
I will not be perfect for six weeks, but I will be different, because the same is not working.
My Life Unbalanced 