A lot of firsts happened this year!
It could be argued that starting a high pressure process such as nursing school at the age of 44 is not a great decision. In fact, I heard many warnings about the tremendous amount of stress of nursing school especially during a time when I really need to reduce stress to preserve adrenal health in preparation for menopause.
I asked myself several times...oh man, is it really worth it?
Will I be taking away from my children?
Am I going to be able to keep up with the young men and women, work, keep a house, take care of myself and pass classes???
It has not been all smooth sailing.
Trust me when I tell you, there were moments in the first semester that I thought, oh man...this is just too much. That moment that I failed a nursing exam by one point and literally thought that was the end of school. Many nights I fell asleep on the office floor burried in notes completely exhausted. Everywhere I go, something is piping into my brain, recorded lectures on my phone, you tube videos on nursing topics or the many cliff notes I have made to remember medications, procedures or nursing process.
This photo was taken right before simulation lab last semester. Just to share a bit of my expertise right now, I was playing the role of medication nurse. I was suppose to hang an IV piggyback. When I went to spike the bag (insert the tubing into the bag) I was so nervous that I hung the bag wrong and it fell. The antibiotic (which was water) went all over the floor and the very expensive high tech dummy. WELL, fortunately the instructors were forgiving, not too harsh and I know now how to hang a piggyback.
These moments are funny now but reality is, there is a lot of pressure with nursing school from mom guilt of being away to test anxiety and meeting the high expectations of a nursing curriculum.
I have learned a ton and still figuring out the blend between the two worlds of health promotion and nursing.
What am I doing to keep myself intact during school?
I suppose this could really relate to anyone who is going through a stressful or challenging time. Whether that is working towards a promotion at work or complex parenting issues. Stress, both predictable and unpredictable can deeply impact our health. So here are some of the things I set out as non-negotiable:
1. Training
I have majorly biased my training to strength work. I use a progressive loading program 4 days per week and have at least two heavy lifts along with specific work to keep my feet, hips and core strong. My strength programming is created by Jess Buckley. She is a dear friend and fellow coach. I told Jess, I needed to offload my programming during school to keep me honest (overtraining is always my biggest risk).
The goals were:
offset the ill effects of sitting for long periods in class (low back pain)
maintain foot strength which ties directly to pelvic floor health
put on muscle to help with blood glucose stability
preserve my VO2 Max (how much oxygenated blood you can pump to your working muscles)
maximize time and work output
Three days per week I program myself: 1 top-end interval program, 2 endurance sessions and 2 functional movement sessions using ViPR Pro.
Results have been awesome!! I feel more stable, strong and resilient than I have for years! Highly suggest giving Jess a call if you are interested in great programming! Or you can hang tight until Mid October when I get the first block of Resilient Mama Training up and running!.
2. Nutrition
This is where the BIGGEST changes in my habits have shifted. They are not even that huge but, you may find them surprising.
First, some takeaways...Goal is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. So, I hit 140-150 grams most days. There are days when I don't quite get there, or I am a little over! Carbohydrate falls around 150 grams and fat 80-90 grams depending on the day. This falls around 2100 calories per day if you do the math on the macros. To be clear...I am not precise but we all need a ball park! I need
I do not track my calories daily, but I do check-in one to three days per week. I am mindful each day of mindlessly grabbing a bite of whatever while packing lunches or prepping dinner. Reality is that our metabolic allotment during our 40s is not what it was in our 30s and mindfulness matters. As does intentionally eating to support nutrient needs.
This is where my other resource has proven to be hugely helpful! Nutrivore has helped me to ditch unnecessary habits and mindsets around food! A big one, which has saved a ton of money is worrying about conventional vs organic produce. I no longer worry about buying all organic and instead focus on what looks the best in the store and what is local. I highly suggest going down the rabbit hole and learning from the many resources offered by Dr. Ballantyne.
Top picks for protein have been:
cottage cheese and greek yogurt
whey protein powder
sardines, tuna and canned salmon
liverwurst
ground meats
Chicken, pot roast and pork tenderloin
Hard boiled eggs and additional egg whites
Plants are coming from the garden, Costco, farmer's market when I can get there and Trader Joe's. I am mindful of eating with the light to support leptin signaling and moving my body around meal times to support insulin sensitivity. I still have to eat while studying or while feeding the kids but I am mindful of my behaviors and work on NOT swallowing my food without chewing (super bad habit)!
3. Supplementation and HRT
Supplementation is aimed at supporting the stress response, my liver and digestion.
I run an HTMA on myself every 4 months and supplement with a custom mineral powder that I build out based on my mineral levels.
Each day I make this supplement:
1 scoop Vykonw Customs Mineral Powder (multi-mineral supplement)
5 g Creatine (muscle and brain health )
25 g L-glutamine (gut barrier and immune health)
1 scoop Microbiome Labs Mega IgG 2000 (immune health)
1 scoop Sunfiber (inulin fiber)
1 scoop Vykon Customs Greens Powder
I also LOVE using Microbiome Labs MegaCope before tests to help squash the anxiety. A couple days per week I will add 900mg NAC, Bile Acid Factors and Fish Oil when I am feeling overrun or have not kept up with enough food based omega 3 sources.
This year I found an amazing practitioner who, if you are in NC, I highly recommend. Symptoms I have been experiencing were brain fog right before my period and hormonal headaches at the tail end of my period. I look at HRT in perimenopause as the pre-game. This is the time when we want to protect our hormones through nutrition, training and lifestyle and then support them exogenously IF we have the other boxes checked. I have noticed a HUGE difference in my level of alertness, recovery from workouts and focus! ALL of which reduce my overall stress. I am on a compounded testosterone cream, low dose estrogen patch and cyclical progesterone.
4. Lifestyle!
First of all, please ignore my lack of ability to align these photos...but there are just a couple memories of life rolling right along while school is in the background. I am working really hard to keep things "normal" whatever that means, for the kids. Both sets of twins have birthdays in the third semester. We have had tournament champions, boy scout camp send offs, sleepovers, hikes, 3rd grade and 7th grade graduation ceremonies, national junior honor society inductions and lots of early morning kisses goodbye and late night kisses good night.
Things I work hard to maintain...
Sun in my eyes in the morning
Moments of calm throughout the day, even if that is in the car
Connect with each child for at least 5 minutes per day
Not lose my noodles in front of them
Thank them often for being my kids
Demonstrate gratitude for the hard times and the easy times
Share my journey
This is not a journey that I am walking alone! My husband Kevin is there when I need an ear, shoulder or really anything else.
The takeaway....WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!
“𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚.” Jim Rohn
Stay tuned!! I will be sharing a new addition to Amy Slater Coaching next post...hint hint, it has A LOT to do with exercise!
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