Fitness Fellowship 2019: Week One Check-in Post

[sylvanwitch]

Hello, Friends:

So, how was your first week of 2019? Did you take a step toward your short- or long-term fitness goal(s)? Did you face impediments to those steps? Has it been a struggle to be motivated, or have you blazed a righteous trail?

Please do tell us how the week has been for you and also fill us in on what you hope to do in the week ahead. Remember, this challenge is you-centric, so you may change your goal(s), your plan of action, and/or your participation commitment at any time. We aren't here to judge (unless you're into that--lmk ;-) but to cheerlead, commiserate, etc.

On the food front, I was much more conscientious about eating "clean" in terms of consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc. However, we have a lot of holiday goodies left in this house, and I have been slowly whittling away at them. I've avoided the REALLY bad stuff (eg. the delicious but most definitely NOT VEGAN Dutch goodies in the care package a dear friend sent us), but I have been feeding my sweet tooth after dinner each night. This has to stop. Or, rather, I have to replace one urge for a slightly better one. I'm going to try to stick to tea and/or ginger beer (non-alcoholic--a fancy schmancy kind we have to order through T's work but that is as good for me as a soda is ever going to get, in the sense that it has real ginger, is all-natural, and uses cane sugar rather than processed stuff) as my "sweet" for the night. I may also venture back into the wonderful world of frozen-banana-based smoothies if dessert is still an Issue. We'll see.

On the exercise front, I can report a much better performance. I exercised five of the seven days of week one, and for six of the seven days, I made my fit tracker steps goal. I'm going to keep focusing on getting in my steps every day and on making sure I do some deliberate exercise for at least twenty minutes at least four days a week.

No meditation, precisely, but I did LEAD two meditation sessions for my students, and I did breathing and muscle relaxation during those, so that's something, anyway.

Sleep has been...challenging. I've had some anxiety lately, so I usually fall asleep in my reading chair or on the couch and then wake up sometime in the night to move to my bed. I've had a few nights when I haven't had to do that, but it would be helpful to my 7-hour sleep goal if I could just go to bed like a grown-up. Alas, I'm not always the boss of my anxiety, so... I do what I need to to get ANY sleep.

My plan for Week Two is the same as for Week One: Eat better (with fewer sweets), exercise as above, meditate at least once, and try to get enough sleep.

Since my goal is to lose weight, I should also report that I somehow gained .6 pounds this week. *sighs* Hopefully, I'll have better news to report next week.

Here's wishing you a great Week Two!

Comments

[miss_morland]

These are great goals! FWIW, I've found calorie-counting to be the most efficient way of losing weight, because I like the budget aspect of it and the fact I can eat anything (read: sweets) as long as I stay within the allotted count, but we all have different strategies that work for us. Frozen-banana smoothies = love. <333

My main goal is to stop mentally beating myself up mall the time, because it drains energy and doesn't do any good. It's essentially a form of self-harm and therefore addictive, so easier said than done to quit, but I'm going to try. In turn, thinking I deserve to be healthy and successful will also give me more motivation to pursue healthy behaviours such as eating well and sleeping enough etc., which again is good for mental health, so these other goals are more auxiliary for the time being.

A great Week Two to you as well!

[sylvanwitch]

I used to use My Fitness Pal to track intake, but that was before I began the whole-foods, plants-based thing, and then it just became painful to input all new entries. That said, you're definitely right that calorie-tracking can keep you honest. I know it worked for me. (I also used to do Weight Watchers, with a lot of success.) More recently (maybe the last three years or so?), I haven't had the right mindset for it. Part of me wants to just be laid-back about it, which is, of course, why I'm not seeing more immediate results. Part of me is resistant to falling down that rabbit-hole, since I tend to get super competitive with myself, and then it gets sort of unhealthy, if that makes any sense.

That said, I realize this all sounds like a giant load of excuses. Lol! But you're right--there CAN BE success with calorie-counting. I may have to psych myself up to it once more.

In the meanwhile, I appreciate your kind words about my goals, and I also relate to your main goal--self-care, not taking things out on yourself, etc., is so important, and I hope you're able to find the strength to release yourself from the cycle and find your equilibrium again. I know this past year has been a series of struggles for you, some with good outcomes, some not so much, and I wish for you a vast reservoir of energy and a chance to see yourself every day for the amazing person you are. :-)

I'm rooting for you. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask.

[miss_morland]

You are as always very kind. <3 Thanks so much for the nice words!

I don't know if you've been thinking of trying out intermittent fasting? It's supposed to have health benefits beyond weight loss, which may help with motivation. I do it sometimes (the lazy version of just skipping breakfast) and I find it's a pretty easy way to cut calories, but if you're either very hungry or very physically active in the mornings, I might not recommend it.

[oschun]

Everybody I know who has tried the 5:2 diet -two days fasting and five normal-eating days- has lost weight and found it so much easier than trying to be a dieting saint 7 days a week. And as you say, there's a lot research connecting it to greater health and longevity.

[sylvanwitch]

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out. Honestly, if I just take my own goals seriously, I'd probably be losing weight already, but I'll admit to being somewhat weak-willed when I'm tired after a long day and don't feel like cooking. I still eat mostly healthy, but it's not all "on plan," so to speak. (It's all vegan, but it's not all whole-foods, plant-based, no-added-anything, etc.) We just went grocery shopping, and I stocked up on all the good stuff (lots of fresh produce, easy frozen meal bases, etc.), so I'm hoping the week ahead will be better. That said, I will definitely consider the intermittent fasting, so thank you for the suggestion! I've heard people talking about it but hadn't read up.

[oschun]

Good luck with sleeping better.

God, I remember trying to do meditation with students and my stress levels going through the roof when they either giggled the whole way through it or fell asleep :D

I failed at my 3 simple goals, but hey, at least I made it through my first ten days of no smoking. I also got on my stationary bike and did 30 minutes once this week. I had to wipe the dust and cobwebs off it first!

[sylvanwitch]

First, CONGRATULATIONS on being 10-days smoking free-that's awesome! Also, congrats on doing ANY exercise. Believe me, I can relate to the challenge of getting home after a long day of work and not wanting to do anything remotely active. (This past week has been one long misery for me.) I think you should take the wins where you've got 'em. :-)

Thanks for the good wishes, re: sleep. This past week has been better anxiety-wise but not spectacular in terms of getting enough rest in general. Plus, it was the week before grade close, so I was absolutely buried in grading that I wanted to get done before my midterm, which is Tuesday. Then I'll have 110 handwritten exam essays to grade. *sighs*

As for meditation, some of the guys fell asleep, but some said they got something out of it, and they all said they want to do it again, so I'll probably make it a half-class (that's about 20 minutes) activity once a week, if I can fit it in. Of course, they're probably just glad not to be having class--lol!--but they're also second semester seniors, so I'm not going to fight 'em too hard about it.