It’s been a whole week since I blogged anything here.  A long weekend conference (BlogHer 08) pulled me physically away from the keyboard as I spent time interacting with 1000 people face to face.

Then, when I returned, it was with a case of influenza.  I’ve been taking care of myself (lots of rest, lots of fluids) but I’ve had no energy or ability to concentrate.

I feel like I’m cheating by even writing this, except that we all have times when we are overwhelmed by demands over which we have no control.  What can we take away from this?

There are ways to plan ahead to lessen the chances of getting ill.  The typical hotel-catered meals were too heavy in simple carbs and completely lacking in the protein and vegetables that are the mainstay of my every day diet.  I could have taken the extra time to simply forego the “free” fare and walked to a nearby cafe to have a healthier meal.

By Sunday I was dehydrated by all the conditioned air in the hotel.  I should have made sure I drank a bottle of water every hour or so to keep myself hydrated, thus lessening the chance of getting ill.

I could have used the hand sanitizer that was given to me more religiously to keep germs from being transmitted.

I didn’t.  And now I’m paying a price.  I am slowly getting enough energy to think about carefully about preparing healthy food.  I won’t return to the gym, or even try to exercise at home until I’m healthy.  Exercise now will only delay my recovery.

I can’t believe that I don’t even want to go to the gym.  That’s how tired I am.  

So if you excuse me, my third - no fourth - nap of the day beckons.