Day 17: A self-fatiguing prophecy

In the last post I wrote about the impact of Ramadan with regards to fatigue in athletes, and how this then affects their performances. I don't think anyone who is observing fasting this year would disagree that fatigue is one of the main challenges during Ramadan. This week, it has really hit me! Especially in the past few days. 

My working week was a little bit crazier and more stressful than usual, but we did experience a 'supermoon' at the start of the week; it definitely seemed to have an impact at school! I am no expert in moons, crystals and horoscopes, but new moons always seem to bring a little more emotional unpredictability in to our house, as far as James Junior is concerned, so I am know now to pay attention to a full moon and mentally prepare for extra crazy on all fronts.

Despite the supermoon energy challenging my patience from the start of the week, I didn't really suffer any negative consequences with regards to my physical training. I have really settled in to my amended workout schedule to cope with fasting hours and late night meals. It's actually going to be weird to go back to 5AM workouts and being able to drink water during a workout?! I am so used to it now and am OK with my lower intensity of training. It doesn't seem to have restricted my progress. 

After researching and writing about Ramadan-induced fatigue for all of Thursday night, it's like I created a self-fulfilling prophecy for myself. I was already shattered that night and it wasn't so easy to stay focused on my writing. It definitely took longer than it should have done. I went to bed that night feeling absolutely goosed, and deliberately didn't set an alarm to drink a bonus pint of water at 2AM. I just wanted to sleep all the way through.

I did sleep all the way through, but only to 6AM. My natural waking habits have returned now that I've gotten used to disrupted sleep and some sleep deprivation. This kinda annoys, because I'm now losing another hour of sleep daily. This is going to have a huge knock-on effect if it continues. 

Friday was actually my most relaxed school day of the week. I took a group of students out to Rosshall Park and we enjoyed a game of Disc Golf; an activity growing in popularity every week at school. The rest of the school day was a breeze, but I was really starting to lag. It's common for me to do this when I'm having an easier day. I'm really good at handling being super busy. However, as soon as I find a quiet day, or too much downtime, my energy levels, positivity and motivation can tumble.

With Junior needing dropped off at Granny's for the night after nursery and a client to see immediately afterwards, I had no chance for a nap! This had as much of a physical impact, as it did a mental impact. I was a bit grumpy about it and repeatedly told myself everything was going to be harder as a result; a self-fatiguing prophecy.

My handstand workout started off OK, but as I progressed my mental fatigue took its toll. I wasn't as able to maintain my balance and control in the movements. I got frustrated with myself. I powered through the most of the workout but took a shortcut to the finish. It wasn't my best work, but I'm not going to let it disrupt me today. 

This might have seemed like quite a negative read, but I'm doing my best to see the positives. I'm proud that I'm still maintaining my fast, despite the fatigue and growing negativity that engulfed me last night. I even had a fasting mishap at 851PM (Iftar was at 9PM on the dot) when I was preparing to break my fast. After pouring my water ready for Iftar, I instinctively and unconsiously took a wee sip! I was annoyed at myself and would have spat it out if I'd noticed in time! Instead, I waited an additional 9 minutes to break my fast to make up for it.

Today will be a better day, especially after my nap later!