For a couple of years, I was that crazy person who worked out 3 hours a day, 6 days a week. My work was stressful and intense, with constant fires to put out. Despite being a foodie, my stress got to a point where I could barely eat – nor sleep more than a couple of hours. My body started breaking out in rashes randomly and even switching jobs did little to improve. Things continued to deteriorate until I finally burned out.
The biggest lesson I wish my parents would have taught me was to prioritize my health. There’s so much of a hustle culture and expectation to be the best but all that assumes one is physically and mentally fit to accomplish it all. It took burning out for me to realized that even though I preferred late nights, my body didn’t. In fact, I was 100% more productive after an early bedtime. As a female still in her reproductive period, I also needed more nutrients – including fats and carbs.
You need to be eating right, sleeping right, working right for the right things to happen. And the definition of eating right, sleeping right, working right may differ from person to person. Less intensive workouts may be more effective and allow you to do it daily. Sleeping earlier or more may increase your effectiveness. The best investment for me has been in learning more about different medicines and health practices. There’s many free resources online and in books that can be found in the library – all you need to do is dedicate your time. Trust me, the effort will pay you back in spades.
