In this post, I’m going to reveal something that I’ve only shared with some of my closest friends and family in real life. I have something called Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism.
You’ve probably heard about thyroid disorders (and the chances are even likely that you or someone you know currently has one). It’s important to remember that everyone is different and everyone experiences the disease differently.
For me, the symptom that keeps rearing its ugly head is fatigue. Sure, I’ve experienced the stereotypical weight gain, sensitivity to cold, hair falling out, etc., but those symptoms usually reserve themselves for when my bloodwork is extremely out of whack and I’m reevaluating my prescriptions. But the fatigue never seems to go away. I’ve had it to varying degrees since at least late high school (and I was always a pretty tired person even before that).
I played collegiate tennis. During my freshman year, I literally slept in between every class and tennis practice. I slept every chance I got. I was finally diagnosed with the condition near the end of that year, and my sophomore year was significantly better. I had a bit more energy, and I lost nearly all 20 pounds that I had gained in the years prior.
But throughout the 12 years since then, it’s been a bit of a cycle. Sometimes, I feel good on 8 hours of sleep per night and function totally normally. Other times, like right now, my levels are slightly off, and I get 9-10 hours of sleep per night and feel like a bit of a zombie all day. It’s generally at its worst when I stop engaging in any activities because they all sound terrible compared to sleep and rest.
As you might imagine, this could be a problem for a busy attorney who prioritizes fitness in her life. I need to remind myself that I’ve managed to accomplish many things while experiencing this condition. Because I was never able to be the hardest worker in a room, I had to be more creative and come up with ways to work smarter instead. I truly believe this has been a gift.
I honestly try not to use this thing as an excuse in life. Practically speaking, though, it does affect my life, and I need to figure out how to deal with that. Friday and Sunday, I skipped my workouts. On Friday, I got home from work and spent the night on the couch. I felt similarly on Sunday. I’m trying to learn to respect what my body needs instead of criticizing myself for being lazy.
Due to the fact that my fatigue is pretty excessive right now, this week is going to be all about relatively short lifting workouts. I will be following along with Lauren Gleisberg’s Weight Training Plan 2.0, which can be purchased here: https://shop.laurengleisberg.com/product/weight-training-plan-2-0-home/.
Legally Fit 