Stressful as it may be, have fun, too

Week seven is upon me and the reality of trying to fit everything in has been extremely difficult because of life stuff. Stress is a dreaded word, yet, at some stage in our lives, we have all experienced it.
You want to deal with the issues promptly and relieve the stress as it can affect you and your physical health.
Indicators of stress can be increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, muscle tension, fatigue, headaches, changes in weight, difficulty falling asleep or waking up during the night or both.
If you do have some of these symptoms it would be a good idea to have a chat to your local GP so that you can get on top of things.
For me I did that yesterday and it has helped me to gain perspective of my life.
Here is an insight into a 24-hour day for me as I want you to see that to lose weight it's not just about eating and exercise, but also balance, support, time management and realistic goals.
I get up on a Thursday at 7am and quickly eat my porridge, drop some kids to school as I have one at home sick, come home, cook my lunch and dinner and also cook dinner for the kids as I am on afternoon shift.
Next is washing, hanging out and folding of clothes, making beds and also remembering to keep drinking my three litres of water a day.
It is 10am, I need to stop now and have my protein shake, then get stuck into my elective psychology essay that is due.
After what feels like five minutes I realise it is 12.10pm so I grab my work clothes and gym gear, rush to town, find a park then run to the gym.
By this stage I am feeling tired but happy to see familiar smiling faces at the gym and doing something for myself that I absolutely love.
After my workout it is 1.40pm, so I shower, then drive to work and realise I do not have an appetite but I know I must eat to keep my metabolism going, so I force my lunch down and then start an eight-hour shift.
I get home about 11.20pm and I find I am over-tired and can't sleep, the kitchen's a mess and dinner dishes haven't been done. After an hour I get to bed and crash; then with a rude awakening my kids are yelling out that we have slept in and it's 8am.
Not only is it a madhouse with everyone getting ready but I have missed my circuit training class for the first time in six weeks.
I must admit I shed a few tears and I know this must sound silly but I was absolutely gutted that I missed my class and things were just feeling out of control. I sheepishly text Brett and said sorry and got on with the rest of my day.
So, as you can see, my weigh-in next week will be scary for me as I am praying that my body has not shut down because of stress and stopped burning the fat.
This weekend I hope to catch up with my friends and go for an awesome girly chat around Mauao and enjoy the sun, fresh air and ocean.
You can't beat a bit of rest and relaxation, so make sure you take care of yourself if you are following my regime by having fun and enjoying the process of shedding fat.
For me, my family and friends are the key to my success in reaching the bikini goal, as the time and support is crucial - so thank you times a million.