Back to the Salt Mines and Setting Boundaries

4 Comments March 8, 2021 Dot2Trot

I know, I haven’t posted in a while… My life went topsy turvy mid-January. That’s when I went back to work. And when I say “work,” I mean the 40+ hours a week type of work. That’s right: a decade after quitting my last job, I’m back working for The Man.

I’m a remote worker for a start-up based on the west coast. A contractor at the moment, but with the possibility to join the company in a few months.

Crazy Workload Means Less Time for Everything
I love the job; the people are great and I’m working for a former boss who is awesome. However, I joined a week before a BIG product launch, which means I’m buried in meetings and work-work-work — all while learning about the company on the fly.

I’ve had a lot to blog about, but after days (and nights) pumping out copy, articles, pitches, and even videos for two straight months, I’m usually too exhausted to do anything but veg.

Yes, I know: something has to change.

Establishing Healthy Boundaries
The new job is exciting, and the projects are interesting, but I can’t let it dominate my life anymore. Two months in and I’m tired and overwhelmed. I have no energy to blog, go for a walk, or cook. This is all my doing and I’m the only one who can fix it.

Some good news: the flurry of work has passed, for now, which means it’s the perfect time to set some boundaries.

1. Office Hours Are Sacred
There are times I’ll need to work late. It just can’t be daily. My working day ends at 6:00 p.m. Period.

2. My Personal Time is Valuable
Just because technology is 24/7, doesn’t mean I am. What’s the point of having roses if I can’t stop and smell them?

3. Take Regular Breaks
Sitting at my desk for 8 hours is the old me resurfaced. That stops today. Using my Echo device to remind me, I’ll be standing up and walking around several times a day.

4. Say “No” to Unrealistic Deadlines
If a project takes 20 hours, then that means two days, not one. There are no more rabbits left in my hat.

5. Lunch Hour Workout
I’m sitting too much, and I’m not hungry at lunchtime (a good thing). From now on, I’ll be getting off my duff and building a sweat.

These days, a lot of people are working from home and going through the same sorts of challenges. If you have any tips or advice, I’d love to hear it.

Sick Again!

12 Comments October 3, 2018 Dot2Trot

Ugh! Either this cold is tougher than I thought or I caught something else. Runny nose, sore throat, sinuses throbbing, and an overall crappy feeling. To make matters worse the hubby is now officially sick.

The last few days I’ve been running myself ragged trying to get my mom’s apartment ready for her. I’m making sure she can move around with her walker easily. That means moving furniture, reorganizing rooms and putting things in storage.

Then there is the issue of the 2nd bedroom, which was being used as storage. I have to box everything up before we can set up my sister’s bed.

So of course, it is the perfect time to get sick all over again.

I think my body is telling me something. So I’m going back to bed for a little R&R before the packing frenzy begins.

The good news…I never want to eat much when I’m sick. So this can help my keto reset.

Keto Reset – Day 4: Finding Time For Myself

19 Comments September 13, 2018 Dot2Trot

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and David Castillo Dominici.

I’m 4 days into my keto reset and I’d love to tell you I’ve been perfect. But because I’m Dot, you’d know that’s a crock! Two days in…2 days!…and I have a meltdown. The husband’s solution: Go out for dinner.

I ate as keto as possible — steak and steamed broccoli with butter. But el vino did flow. And how it flowed.

Stress. That’s my nemesis right now. I need a solution that doesn’t involve a corkscrew.

I used to have 3 sure fire ways to contend with stress: 5-mile walks, 5k training, and my spin class. Well only the spin class is an option right now and it ain’t available when I need it.

So now I’m determined to find time for myself. Any time. A minute here … 3 minutes there.

Letting Chores Go For Now
As I type this, mom is upstairs getting dressed and I’m looking at a sink that has 6 dirty dishes in it (yes I counted them … and I am lame). It has taken everything not to go and just load the dishwasher. After all, it takes minutes. I can come back to writing this blog post after…

But the truth is I wouldn’t. I know that once I do the dishes, I’m wiping down the counters, cleaning the stove, sweeping the floor… Then it’s time to make my mom’s lunch.

The dishes are gateway chores. They just lead to more cleaning.

They will get done like everything else … sometime. But focusing on my needs has to come first for now. And that will free up time for me to do…

What?!?

I Found The Time. Now What?
As sad as this sounds, my first thought is to do absolutely nothing. And when I mean nothing, I mean NOTHING. Just sitting. No tablet. No social media. No thinking.

Oh, sure, thoughts come to mine. Random feelings. Or noticing my leg is falling asleep. I did “nothing” first-thing this morning, and that’s then it hit me: this is what “Mindfulness” is about. After months of reading about mindfulness – and not getting past the mumbo jumbo – I finally achieved it by doing jack squat.

Hurray!

Doing nothing definitely de-stresses you. But I need a little more than nothing in my life.

Sure enough, after about 10 minutes of nothingness, the old idea hamster started spinning the wheel again. That idea hamster was loaded with ideas for me to do in my spare time. But that idea hamster is also an “ideal” hamster. Lots of ideas on what to do, but nada on when to do it.

Then it dawned on me – create a morning ritual! Plan activities that de-stresses and energizes me to start my day right.

I’m up before anyone else, and that gives me a good 30 to 90 minutes before the house stirs. Instead of wasting that time on Twitter (a major time suck!) or chores (there’s always time later), I’ll use that time for my own mental and physical health.

First up, nothing … ummm … I mean mindfulness ... I’m going to sit in my recliner (feet up) with the day’s first cup of coffee and do nothing, think about nothing, for 10 glorious minutes.

After that, 20 minutes of stretching. That’s more than enough time for my calf exercises and to work on the rest of my body. Plus, it always puts me in the cheerful mood. I’m all about cheer right now!

Lastly, I’ll spend a whopping 2 minutes on gratitude. I’m moaning a lot lately, but there’s an awful lot in my life I take for granted. I think a little appreciation every morning can turn my inner Eeyore into the more optimistic (and cuddly) Pooh Bear.

Yes, it’s only 30 minutes out of the day, but it’s my 30 minutes.

If I do this right, it’ll jumpstart my day, and keep me from dreading it and all the tasks lying ahead of me.

Celebrating 50 (Again) Without The Scale

4 Comments January 22, 2018 Dot2Trot

This beauty was waiting for me in our hotel room. I guess turning 50 isn’t that bad! And yes, I shared this with my sneaky husband.

I’m writing this as I soak in a huge marble tub at a luxurious 5-star hotel.

Now this is how you celebrate turning 50. Not the messed up way I did on my actual birthday.

Of course I made peace with hitting the half-century mark. And it was at this point where my husband pounced – a long weekend getaway.

His plan: fun, guilt-free days away from chores, pets, the gym and (most importantly) the scale.

This was about celebrating my 50^th by rejuvenating my soul with some pampering tossed in to the mix.

No scale! It was scary but it was exactly what I needed. So I agreed to letting any guilt go. Of course I was challenged as soon as we checked in. Awaiting me in our room – a birthday cupcake with cream and a fancy piece of dark chocolate (my fave) on top.

Yep…freakin’ fancy dark chocolate.

It seemed like a lifetime to decided if I was going to indulge or not. In reality it was more like 5 seconds. Yes, I quickly debated what to do. Then I looked up from the cupcake, saw my reflection in a mirror and noticed the huge smile on my face.

No guilt!

I didn’t eat the whole thing. Just a few bites. I indulged but stayed in control. After all guilt-free doesn’t mean I toss LCHF/Keto out the window. And it’s not like I do this everyday.

So we’re having a blast. No cooking, working out, cleaning, running errands or any cares for a few days.

Oh, and yes, our little excursion means I’m skipping my weekly weigh in this time around. And after an awesome massage (the ultimate pampering), any guilt over that melted away.

It’s glorious.

Sometimes you gotta’ live a little.

Q: Who Are You To Trust With Your Health? A: Yourself

Yes, Coconut Oil Is Healthy

Rethinking Low Carb Sweeteners

2 Comments July 18, 2017 Dot2Trot

Image courtesy of Pexels.com

Lately I find myself in the kitchen baking. I use to bake a lot in my old life. It helped me cope with stress. I don’t feel stressed out but I’m baking nonetheless. But baking does require using a sweetener at times.

Oh sure I use my go to low carb sweeteners like Stevia or Swerve. I’m even using less of them, as the normal serving size seems too sweet for me these days. Now I’m thinking about kicking them to the curb completely.

Why? Read More

Building A Better Burger

1 Comment June 24, 2017 Dot2Trot

One of my attempts at creating a Chipotle Butter Burger using 95/5 grass-fed ground beef. This one came out too dry. The applewood smoked gouda cheese on top helped to salvage this dinner.

It’s grilling season, which means it’s time to experiment and create the most awesome, badass burger. Last year we couldn’t get enough of the guacamole burger (guacamole was inside the burger!). This year I’m working with 2 key ingredients – chipotle peppers and butter.

Oh yeah! My own butter burger.

My first couple of attempts didn’t work out as planned. Either there was too much fat in the ground beef (I use 73% or 80%) or too little (93% and 95% don’t have much flavor to me).

Too much fat (I can’t believe this low carber is typing “too much fat!”) triggers lots of flare-ups on the grill. The meat ended up as tough as a hockey puck. Yuck!

Too little and it taste like cardboard.

Maybe when I hit the sweet spot I should call it the Goldilocks Burger. Heh! Read More