Resolution Update Numero Uno

So, after about a week of working on my resolutions, here's what I've worked on so far:

Reading:

• I checked out several books from the library that I've wanted to read about diabetes, including Think Like A Pancreas, Pumping Insulin, and 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes. (that last title features my former camp director! Woot!) After about 1.5 chapters through Think Like A Pancreas I'm wondering why the heck I didn't read this book years ago!
  

Exercise

• This one has been a little harder. See, I've been sick for a month, and this past week I got really sick, and ended up having to go to the doctor and get on antibiotics and all that (I'm feeling much better on day 4 out of 10 of antibiotics already!). I was having some serious issues with crap in my lungs rumbling around (not pneumonia, though, phew!) so we thought it would not be a good idea to try to go run around on a treadmill until I could actually breathe clearly. So, the gym had been pushed to the back burner until I started feeling better. But, we did go tonight, and I worked out hard, and felt really good afterward.

Sleeping

• I've been doing a little internet research about how to not be such an insomniac, and how to reset your sleep cycle, etc. I've decided to try a few things first, before enlisting more professional help. First of all, I am going to try to set my bed-time and wake-up time back in 20 minute increments every day, or every 2 days until it gets to be where I want it. During that time, I will absolutely not be taking any naps.
• I'm not awful at staying up super late or sleeping in super late, but I'm not particularly good at falling asleep or waking up. I'm often sleepy, but when I try to sleep, I just lay there for hours. So, I need to be better about getting up and getting out of bed if I've been there for more than 30 minutes and I'm not asleep yet.
• If I don't see much progress with setting things back by 20 minute increments, I'll try to use melatonin before I go to sleep. I've used it before, to no avail, but I think that I wasn't taking it early enough. I've been taking it about an hour before bed, but I read an article on NPR about insomnia, and the doctor they interviewed said you should take it 6-8 hours before you want to sleep! What?! Well, if it comes to that, I'll give it a shot.
  
• Also, in the mornings when I wake up, I am going to try to sit in front of bright lights for an hour. As I don't have a light box, I'm just hoping putting really bright lights all up in my grill will do the same sort of thing. Unless I can convince my sweet husband to try his skillz at making me one of these. Part of my crappy sleeping syndrome is the inability to get energized or have any kind of useful brain function for like 3 hours after I wake up (Maybe that's why I failed all my 8am stats classes!). I think a lot of this has to do with my diabetes dawn effect, so I'm hoping the light thing will help with this.
• Additionally, the "I'm useless in the morning" thing could be a number of actual medical things, like low thyroid, anemia, adrenal insufficiency or hormone imbalances (which would explain my crazy dawn effect too), so when I go to my first endocrinologist appointment at the end of February, I'll make sure to get labs done for all of that crud too.
  
• I WILL FIGURE THIS OUT!

Spiritual

• Still plowing through the Old Testament. I have been starting to read the Institute Old Testament Manual along with my reading, and it is very interesting to me!
  

Okay, foolios, that's the dealio for now. I'll keep you posted!