What should you do when you DO feel great?

I woke up yesterday morning feeling great! I wrote an article, walked two miles, did yoga, and showered--all before 9am! Then I got ready for the day and went to the post office, Walmart, Joann's, and Michaels. When I got home I made lunch, played with my hair (hot rollers!), did dishes, and cleaned up the house.

And then I started hurting. A lot. Way more than normal. This morning I hurt a lot more than I usually do. So what should you do when you wake up feeling amazing? Here are my top 5 tips:

DO exercise. If you're used to exercising, do your regular routine and let yourself feel fantastic and powerful while you do it. If you don't usually exercise, do some gentle stretching and easy walking to get your blood moving. Do not decide you're going to go running (I didn't do this today). Do not add another 1/2 mile to your walk just because you feel so good (I did this today). You will end up hurting like crazy.

DO leave your house. If you have a few (short) errands to run, go do them. If you have nothing that you need to do (lucky you!), go to the park or something. Seeing the sun is very important and most of the time, leaving your house is the first thing to go when you're feeling crappy. But you're feeling great! So leave your house!!!

DO eat healthy food. Sometimes getting out of the house is dangerous. Starbucks calls during the morning, frozen yogurt screams in the afternoon. Don't give in! If you're anything like me, any huge change (excess salt or sugar) to your diet will make you hurt like crazy. I think the worst thing in the world is doing something preventable and then paying for it. When you feel great, one of the best ways to keep feeling great (no matter if you have fibro or not) is to eat healthy food! Wraps, salads, and light sandwiches are perfect for lunch!

DO rest. When you feel amazing, it's the easiest thing in the world to feel invincible and push through the day without stopping (see my anecdote above--ha!). Rest! If you're used to taking a nap, take a nap! If you watch the noon news, sit down, relax, and watch the news. Keep to your schedule, and take a break!

DO acknowledge reality. You feel awesome today! Yay! But tomorrow you might feel like crap. Revel in your moment today because these days come few and far between. Don't make plans for tomorrow that are similar to your plans for today, because you don't know how you'll feel tomorrow. But you know the other reality??? You feel great today!!! Enjoy!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi