75 Hard Restart Day 9: Listening to My Body

Restart Day 9.

I woke up around 6 AM.

Instead of immediately jumping into the day, I stayed in bed and read my pages.

After all the travel, the airport layovers, the red-eye flights, and the graduation weekend, that slower start felt needed.

Around 6:30, I got up and headed to the gym to swim laps.

Swimming has become one of my favorite workouts lately because it feels restorative while still challenging.

Especially after all the walking, traveling, and pounding the pavement over the previous week.

The water felt good.

My body needed it.

Morning Clients + Starbucks

After my swim, I headed to see two clients.

Before my appointments, I stopped at Starbucks and grabbed:

• an Americano

• oatmeal with brown sugar

Simple.

Predictable.

Easy.

Sometimes when life gets busy, the best meal is the one you already know works.

The Long Drive Home

After my clients, I had a long drive home.

And by the time I was heading back, I was starving.

I had nothing packed.

Nothing prepped.

And to be completely honest, I was sick of Starbucks.

So I stopped at In-N-Out Burger.

I ordered:

• one Flying Dutchman with no salt

• unsweetened iced tea

And headed home.

It hit the spot.

The Exhaustion Finally Caught Up

When I got home, I could feel it.

The travel.

The lack of sleep.

The constant movement.

The graduation weekend.

Everything caught up with me.

And because I knew how tired I was, I made a decision before I even sat down.

I immediately went and did my walk.

Because I knew if I rested first, there was a very real chance the walk wasn't happening.

So I got it done.

Then I came home.

Laid down on the couch.

And rested.

Not scrolling.

Not working.

Not trying to be productive.

Just resting.

No Appetite

What surprised me most was that I wasn't hungry.

Not even a little.

By dinner time, I still had zero interest in food.

My daughter wasn't hungry either.

And there was no reason to cook a full dinner just because the clock said it was dinner time.

So we let my partner fend for himself.

There were leftovers in the fridge.

He was perfectly capable.

And neither one of us felt like eating.

Sometimes your body is asking for food.

Sometimes it's asking for sleep.

This day was definitely asking for sleep.

Canceling the Zoom Workout

I also had to make a decision I don't make very often.

I canceled my 6:30 Zoom workout.

Not because I didn't want to teach.

Not because I didn't care.

But because I was exhausted.

Deeply exhausted.

And I've spent enough years ignoring those signals.

So this time I listened.

What I'm Noticing on Restart Day 9

I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about health is that every day should feel the same.

High energy.

High motivation.

High productivity.

But bodies don't work like that.

Sometimes your body is asking for movement.

Sometimes it's asking for nourishment.

Sometimes it's asking for challenge.

And sometimes it's asking for rest.

The masculine energy in us likes consistency.

Schedules.

Plans.

Forward momentum.

The feminine energy reminds us to pay attention.

To notice.

To listen.

To respond.

We need both.

Because if we only listen to structure, we can push ourselves right into burnout.

And if we only listen to comfort, we never grow.

Alignment is the conversation between the two.

And on this particular day, my body was very clearly asking for recovery.

So I listened.

Restart Day 9 Complete

Morning swim.

Flying Dutchman lunch.

One exhausted coach.

And an early bedtime.