A mental break

It's been one of those weeks where I feel like I am spinning my wheels. Can't get the grant done, can't see patients in an efficient matter, can't seem to get home at a reasonable hour to be with my family. My printer is on the fritz. My cat puked on my work clothes. I just spilled my morning coffee all over my blouse. Etc, etc. This is nothing new to all of you, but it is dispiriting to me, nonetheless. Sigh….

To hopefully refresh myself I am traveling to Boston this weekend for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology group meeting. A vacation to Tahiti would have been better, but I'll take what I can get.) This will be my first cooperative group meeting — I have timed my pregnancies perfectly to avoid attending one previously! I was either too pregnant to fly or on maternity leave for the others. I am excited to see some old acquaintances, figure out how these big national treatment trial decisions are made, and (frankly) sleep in a bit, since the rest of my family will be staying back in Wisconsin. I am sure a meal with adult conversation may be in the mix, too… how exciting!

In other related news, to try and improve my mood as well as my overall health, I am embarking on a more dedicated work out schedule, to try and get in at least 45 minutes a day. The Institute of Medicine actually recommends 60 minutes a day, but let's start out smaller. My initial goal is to keep this up for the summer, but of course, I am really angling for a lifetime of good habits. It just occurred to me that if I am asking my patients to do this, I can give it a shot too. So far I am doing mostly running and yoga ... these seem to be the things I can accomplish most efficiently at home. If you care to join in with me, leave it in the comments.