Fitness Fellowship 2023: Week 15 Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Hello, friends!

How has this past week been for you: Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Please share your triumphs and tribulations here, so we can commiserate/cheerlead, as needed.



My "Week 15" started in the middle, as I was on break until then.

Starting Wed., I went back to a calorie-restricted diet of 1400 calories/day, with a plan to have sustained exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.

I'm pleased to report that I lost a pound and a half in those five days (I actually lost quite a bit more than that, but I regained it thanks to my "splurge" meal last night). The only day on which I didn't get the full 30 minutes (or many more--usually more like 50 minutes) of exercise was yesterday (Saturday), when we had errands all day and I'd almost reached my steps goal before we even returned home. I did get in a short walk after supper, however, so that's something.

My sleep hasn't been great, however. When I can get to sleep unaided, I don't seem to be able to stay asleep. Part of this is probably the sudden rise in temperature--we're in the low 80s now, which didn't used to be typical for spring in my part of the world--which made sleeping less comfortable (we don't have our ACs installed yet). Part of it is just my brain. *sighs* When I use melatonin, I fall asleep and stay asleep all night, but if I don't have at least 7 hours in which to sleep, I wake up groggy.

So, the week ahead:

Get to bed by 11:00pm on work nights--for real!

Continue hydrating.

Meditate, damn it!

Keep up the good work, exercise-wise.

Keep counting those calories and making good food choices.

I think for now the sleep thing is key to making sure I have the energy to exercise but also the focus, etc., necessary to function in life.



Have a good week, my friends, and be well!

Comments

[oschun]

You're right about the importance of sleep. It's like everything else depends on whether you've slept well enough to have the mental energy to tackle all the challenges the day throws at you.

Well done for sticking to your exercise regime!

[sylvanwitch]

My mom through most of her life suffered from insomnia of various varieties, all related to her undiagnosed mental illnesses, I'm sure, and I can remember thinking how completely awful it seemed to me to not be able to sleep. That said, as a kid I also suffered from various periods of difficulty with sleep. Anyway, for many years, I didn't have trouble getting to sleep and/or staying asleep, and I resent the crap out of finding myself at a stage of life when sleep is at a premium and not guaranteed. *sighs*

Thank you for the support and encouragement, hon! I hope your vacation was lovely!

♥

[oldtoadwoman]

Rah rah!

I'm ... kind of failing at everything lately. I need to work up the nerve to weigh in again. I know the result won't be good so I keep putting it off.

Re: ♥

[sylvanwitch]

We'll be here when you're ready to get on the scale and reset yourself for this effort, hon. Believe me, I know the dread you're describing. Good luck!

Re: ♥

[oldtoadwoman]

Thanks

[luzula]

Meditate, damn it! *looks sternly at you*

Go you with the food and exercise, and sorry about the sleep. : ( I hope you can make it work.

Last week's goals:
- Do not do things related to my environmental organization (or to work) after 9 pm, or 8 pm if I can.
Yes!
- Turn off computer at 10 pm every day.
Yes, except for Saturday, when my friend and I sat up until 12 and excitedly surfed the web for possible houses to buy together (see recent post). Predictably, I did not get to sleep until two or three. *facepalm*
- Go to bed and turn out the light at 11 pm every day.
See above.
- Keep to my food goals.
This one is now kind of...not much reflected upon? I will remove it for now, since it's not doing much, and ponder in the future about what food goals I want to have.
- Go out in the woods every day except Monday and possibly the weekend, even if just a short walk.
Yes, except Friday, when I had less time than I thought. Also not on the weekend.
- Go running twice (am visiting family and friends on the weekend).
Yes.
- Do workouts on four days (again, weekend plans).
Only three, (no time on Friday).

Goals for this week:
- Do not do things related to my environmental organization (or to work) after 9 pm, or 8 pm if I can.
- Turn off computer at 10 pm every day.
- Go to bed and turn out the light at 11 pm every day.
- Go out in the woods four days in the week, even if just a short walk.
- Go running twice or possibly thrice (am traveling on the weekend).
- Do workouts on four days (again, weekend plans).

[sylvanwitch]

Lol! Yes, indeed, I need sternness to meditate, apparently!

I think I've mentioned before how much I admire that one of your goals is to get out in nature X number of times a week, plans permitting. I am a nature lover myself, but sometimes I let circumstance get in the way of even the briefest of rambles, which is ridiculous because I literally have two acres of scrub fields, young woods, marsh, and pond *in my own backyard*, so I have no excuse (although right now, I'd need waders on parts of the path). Your dedication to taking that time for yourself is inspiring!

[luzula]

Oh, your backyard sounds lovely! Of course, sometimes one takes things for granted when they are so close...