I actually woke up before my 4:30am alarm buzzed this morning! Granted, at 4am my “baby boy” roused me when he crawled into my bed and curled up next to me. Nonetheless, (or maybe because of the sweet wake-up cuddle-session?), I woke up easily and got out of bed feeling rested and ready to “rise & shine.”

For me, more and better sleep has been the most notable benefit of the reboot so far. I think my sleep improvements are due to, in large part, the evening “technology shut down” and the “social media cleanse.”

At bedtime, I typically knock out a little more work via my phone (which charges overnight on my bedside table), return a few more emails, and also peruse Facebook — all of which, I have come to realize, keep me awake a full hour or more later than my body would drift off to sleep otherwise. (I’m now re-thinking the placement of the phone charger beside my bed.) The effect of “screen time” on my sleep has been a huge eye-opener; pun intended. 🙂

During this reboot I have also realized that I usually run around somewhat dehydrated and under-fueled. My norm (pre-reboot) is to eat and drink very little in the morning and afternoon and then “refuel” my empty tank with a big dinner and a gallon of water at night. I usually feel a drop in energy in the late afternoon during the after-school hours, when I want and need to be at my best for my kids…. Conversely, while rebooting, I’ve been drinking my iGnite cranberry water and “topping-off” my fuel tank throughout the day (instead of letting it drop to empty) with nourishing snacks and meals every 2-4 hours; and I have been able to stay up and “on” for my family in the afternoons and evenings and have had sustained energy till bedtime.

My mid morning snack was peanut butter on gluten free bread topped with strawberries. I took “before and after” pictures of my plate because I thought the “after” image was a great reminder of how I feel when I stay nourished and hydrated throughout the day…. Note the big bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile, even with a few sticky smudges and smears on my face! 🙂

My late afternoon snack was avocado wrapped in seaweed paper. (I typically also add cucumber and carrots to this snack, which my family has dubbed “sushi nachos,” but I was out of those veggies and didn’t have time to go to the grocery today.)

Dinner was out of the norm tonight because I ate at a meeting during my normal “dinner hour.” The food was typical “meeting-food,” appetizers, but yummy, and I was able to stay within the reboot guidelines: carrots, hummus, apples, and grapes.

Also served were corn tortilla chips and chocolate chip cookies, and of course I was tempted (more by the corn chips than the chocolate chips!), but I resisted. It is day 9! And I feel great!

Only 1 day Left: You Can Do It!