Fitness Fellowship: Week One

[sylvanwitch]

Hello, Friends:

If you haven't joined yet but are interested, please feel free to jump in any time. We're a pressure-free, low-stress way to track your accountability as relates to your fitness goals, and since "fitness" is self-defined, we really can't be any less scary. :-)

If you'd care to share, for check-in this week please tell us how you did for the week in terms of your fitness goals and what your plans are for the week ahead.

You're also welcome to share suggestions, advice, recipes, warnings, or anything at all you'd like to tell us. Ranting, venting, and complaining are all also perfectly welcome.



Of the good: I have been very good about my sleep schedule and have generally had better sleep and fewer sleep-related anxiety issues this week.

I have also been pretty "clean" in my eating habits, mostly keeping to the daily dozen and avoiding sugars, oil, salt, etc. I definitely feel better and haven't had any stomach issues this week. I feel lighter, though I haven't lost any actual weight, and have more energy. I always feel better when I'm eating clean; I don't know why I'm so sluggish about returning to good habits when they make me feel so much better, but there you go.

I only meditated twice this week, once before falling asleep and a second time during prayer before our faculty in-service day last week. Still, that's twice more than I'd done in a long time, so I'm calling that of the good.

As for exercise... *sighs* For all but two days, I made higher than my steps goal for the day, but that's not actually what I mean by purposeful exercise, so it doesn't count. I did walk twice in the past seven days, so that's something, but I really need to get back to a regular exercise routine, and it's not going to happen unless I make myself do it.

So, for the week ahead, I'm going to meditate at least twice, continue with the positive sleeping and eating habits, and exercise at least five times for at least twenty minutes each time. Now that T. finally mounted the TV in the exercise room where my recumbent stationary bike is, I have no excuse at all. *cracks the whip at self*



May the week ahead find you feeling fitter than before!

Peace,
SW

Comments

[iberiandoctor]

I'd love to join this! My only resolution this year was to get fitter, though YMMV re: what constitutes "fitter" ;)

I've been good exercise-wise this week: I went to my weekly pilates class and have thus far been sticking to my every-other-day 10 minute exercise routine of plank, pushups and squats. My main thing is cardio, which I hate with a passion :( Need to make time this weekend to run.

You're doing so well with the eating and the meditation! I've given up extraneous sugar and salt, but I have festive cake in the house and, well, it needs to be eaten ... I am trying to get back on the intermittent fasting bandwagon, and to eat at least one meal of greens, but today before Court I ate a little breakfast pie comprised entirely of mashed potato and egg from the deli downstairs, and I've eaten lots of carbs for lunch. I know I need to dial it back for dinner...

[sylvanwitch]

Yay! You're more than welcome, and it's great to have you along for the ride. :-)

I can relate, re: the cardio. I used to love to run--I was one of those obnoxious people who just really got a lot out of it--but I gained too much weight and had ankle and foot trouble, and I started using the recumbent bike instead. I've always believed I'd one day run again, but I do have to lose some weight before I can risk it with the previous injuries. I should note that even at my peak, I was slooow as molasses. I would never win a race, that's for sure. Anyway, other forms of cardio just don't hold my interest for very long, but I'm not a gym person, either--not a judgment, just a fact (I'm not a joiner, period ;-), so I really admire that you go to a class and aren't afraid to try that!

I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian for more than 16 years before I started on the whole-foods, plants-based "lifestyle" (and I hate the way that word is used these days, but it is, alas, the most appropriate term, so do forgive me the using of it), which requires pretty much daily consumption of dark greens if I don't want to get nasty muscle cramps, so I learned to eat and love things I'd never considered before.

All of that was tl;dr: You rock, and I hope you have a great week of getting back on the healthier eating wagon. I can definitely relate to the temptation of holiday food in the house. We have chocolate left from Xmas, and I am sooooooo tempted. *sighs*

[iberiandoctor]

I am in awe of your healthy diet! I really should cut out meat, or at least cut down on it, but low carb is difficult enough for me without animal protein.

I am totally not a gym person, too, but Hub is, and before I broke my foot (long story) we used to go to the gym together with a trainer. My foot is now 100%, but have I resumed our little routine? ;) At least pilates class is near enough the office to be convenient and flexible enough so I can skip it without penalty if I have an early meeting.

I am one of those naturally thin people, but my fitness is totally wet-noodle-esque, and I'm now old enough that bone density is becoming a concern. Hence the need to actually do weight bearing exercise (which I don't mind) and cardio (which I loathe).

[auroracloud]

I forgot to post earlier about last week. But I did all right so far; I went to ballet class again, and despite three weeks' break due to various illnesses and holidays, I didn't do too shabbily. I also managed to strength train twice during the week. I mostly ate pretty healthily, too, and I'm starting to get a hang of how to not eat too much at once.

When I started meditating, it helped me to do it in mornings after waking up and evenings before falling asleep. Those times of the day, I have plenty of routines anyway (get up, brush your teeth, wash your face, eat breakfast, get dressed etc.) so it's not too hard to insert another routine. And meditating in the morning helps set a calmer tone for the day, and meditating in the evening helps me sleep better. Nowadays the habits are so ingrained I feel weird if I don't do them, and therefore I hardly ever forget them. But if twice a day feels much at first, maybe pick either morning or evening, whichever you feel will be easier to remember.

[sylvanwitch]

Go you for your progress both with fitness and eating habits goals! You rock! (Also, that's a great icon! :-)

Thank you for the advice on meditating. I definitely do have to make a specific space and time for it in my life, and I haven't been making it any kind of priority, so your advice is well-timed. At the moment, I'm suffering through a wicked cold, and my brain is scattered, but I am going to try to be better about meditating for the week ahead. (I can't believe it's Sunday already; where did the week go?)