Sluggish

Think about the word sluggish for a minute.

Have you ever watched a slug. Its slimy, spongy, fatty exterior is disgusting. It moves slow. No wonder. When we say we're a bit sluggish, we are comparing ourselves to this beloved bottom feeder.

I've been a bit sluggish lately. Overweight, sometimes slimy and spongy, I woke up two weeks ago and asked what had to change in order to remove this feeling from my life forever. There are times when we're sick or just tired.

I'm not talking about neither. I'm talking about the feeling of not having energy to get up and to do something productive.

Reasons for my sluggishness are the following:
-Lack of exercise
-Lack of proper diet
-Lack of sleep
-Caffeine
-Lack of water

Changing one bad habit is hard enough, but changing them all at the same time is like climbing a icy brick wall without a ladder. But I've been doing it.

I broke down my bad habits and prioritized them in order of importance. Sleep was number one on my list.

Instead of watching movies and sports until midnight, I went to bed at 8:30 with my kids. The first night was hard, but I woke up at 4 am. Instead of watching sports highlights, I started exercising, writing and reading. All this happened before the rest of the family even got up. At 7:30 am, I had already put in a half day of work.

With exercise, I felt energized and didn't want to eat the normal crap I had in the morning. Plus I was thirsty after the workout. I needed water, not coffee. I filled up my water bottle and left the coffee pot alone.

That night, I didn't need to be convinced to go to bed at 8:30 pm. I was legitimately tired. Next morning I woke up early again. So the process began.

Three weeks later and I'm feeling great.

I tried a cup of coffee on Sunday. The taste disgusted me so bad I had to throw it out. No more coffee for this nut. A cup of coffee has always been like a hug in the morning. In a hug deprived society, it's always addictive to get that embrace. Instead of coffee, I replaced my vice with a green tea. I still get my hugs. It doesn't hurt me and I feel great.

No more sluggishness for this guy...

I had a bit of relapse at Christmas but yesterday morning I was up early again exercising before daylight. I feel great.