Fitness Fellowship 2024: Week One Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Welcome, everyone, to another year of weekly gentle accountability checks from your host, me. ;-)

I hope the week has been a good one for you both in fitness and in other aspects of your life. Please do share how you did on your goals for the week. If you have not yet set any or are just joining us, c'mon in! We're all friendly here.



My weigh-in Saturday morning was 206.0, so I definitely lost at least a pound last week. YAY!

I think I did that largely by exercising, though my food intake has also been reasonable. My sleep schedule has been mostly good, though I'll admit I let myself stay up late on the weekends and then have trouble getting back on track for the work week. I'm hydrating fairly regularly, too.

The only thing I didn't do this week is any breathing or meditation. Ah, well. That's what the week to come is for.

My goals for next week are the same as last: Intermittent fasting and regular exercise, good sleep, healthy hydration habits, and some breathing/meditation/spiritual work.



Sending you good vibes for a great week ahead, friends!

Comments

[delphi]

Congratulations! That's a great start to the new year. :D I hear you on the challenge of weekend sleep, though. Getting back on track for the work week is why I'm aiming for a 7-day-a-week bedtime this year instead of having weekend exceptions, because apparently my body just can't roll with the inconsistency.

I was aiming for:

Goal #1: Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Result: 7/7, but I was very much stretching the definition of those meals on a couple of days both in content and when in the day they were falling. It's a start, though.

Goal #2: Take at least a 30-minute walk every day (weather and health permitting).
Result: 5/7, although I at least managed a cumulative 30 minutes the other two days, and went for longer walks of 1-2 hours on Monday, Saturday and Sunday, since those were days off. My main takeaway is that this time of year on weekdays, it has to happen right before work or there's a good chance I won't manage it. Being able to properly leave my desk at lunch wasn't a guarantee, since I was onboarding new staff, and by the end of the day it was too dark and slippery out.

Goal #3: Turn off electronics and start getting ready for bed by 10:30 every night.
Result: 5/7, with weekend nights being the problem. But even then, I was only over by 15-30 minutes as opposed to staying up into the wee hours.

Goal #4: Cut out caffeinated drinks.
Result: 7/7, and unsurprisingly, it's made going to bed on time a lot easier.

[sylvanwitch]

You are ROCKING your fitness goals! Go, you! I'll confess that I've been fudging the "no screens" rule for the past couple of nights because I'm reading ebooks, and I tell myself, "Oh, just until the end of the chapter," and then, "Oh, let me see how this resolves," and you can imagine where that goes. So I'm especially impressed by your resolve where that is concerned.

Also, I think it's remarkable if you can get out and walk in the morning before work because I just don't have the wherewithal (and also, it's dark when I have to get in the car to head to school), but like you, I lament the winter dark because by the time I'm done, I often don't have a chance to walk (or it's too slippery, as you say). *sighs* So, I walk the halls and climb stairs at work instead and do the bike at home. But, I'd much prefer to walk outside.

Anyway, I'm rambling! Here's to another good week ahead for us both! :-)

[delphi]

Honestly, re: screens it's a silver lining that I have a minor eye issue that discourages me from reading too long on a narrow screen. I already have to put my phone out of reach so that I don't check my email if I wake up in the middle of the night, but things would be so much harder if I regularly read or watched things on my phone or my old ebook reader. I still have to pry myself off my laptop at bedtime, but there's something more final about shutting it down, closing it, and knowing I'd have to boot it back up to use it again.

Also, it was definitely a lot easier to do before-work walks this past summer! When it is cold and dark in the morning, I would like to be snug in bed or in a hot shower until the last possible moment. I'm really lucky, though - I live a ten-minute walk from work, so while I have a narrow window this time of year, it's manageable. And in less busy work times (which I vaguely remember existing), I'm in a mild enough climate and walkable enough spot that I can go out for a lunchtime stroll.

Here's to the lengthening days eventually letting you get out for fresh air walks again, and to a strong week ahead!

[sylvanwitch]

I was one of those folks who swore she'd never use an e-reader, and then during COVID, I discovered how much easier it was to read ebooks because it's like streaming, right? You download, read, review, rinse, repeat... . I've tried to get into the habit of reading two physical books (usually a poetry collection and a work of nonfiction) to offset the screen time, but I'm not always strong enough to put down the iPad. *sighs* I'm working on it, though! :-)

And boy, do I ever hear you about wanting to stay in bed or a hot shower until the last possible moment. Emerging into high winds and stinging rain this morning, all I wanted to do was curl back up inside! ;-) I applaud your determination.

I also wish you lengthening stretches of light and a very good week. Go, us! We can do it!

[delphi]

I hear you. Spoiler alert for next week's check-in: I was already late logging off last night because I bought a comic online, liked the first issue, saw that there were just five more in the series, got those too, then didn't want to go to bed on a cliffhanger... But, I did manage to catch myself after about fifteen minutes and hoist myself upwards. It takes some doing, but I know we'll get there. :D

[cornerofmadness]

Everything seems to have healed so hopefully in a week or two when I get back to OH I can start working on my health again

[sylvanwitch]

Oh, that's fantastic! I'm so glad things have finally healed up, esp. given the difficulties you were having with the one incision in particular. YAY!

[cornerofmadness]

Thanks. yeah that incision on the left healed like I was shot with a BB but at least it's sealed finally. The important repair stopped bleeding about 5 days ago so I think I'm good

❤️

[oldtoadwoman]

I'm down a touch since the start of the year, but still above last year's lowest weight.

Re: ❤️

[sylvanwitch]

Ditto, ditto! But DOWN is the right direction, at least! :-)

Re: ❤️

[oldtoadwoman]

Hopefully I'll be a better cheerleader this year too.

[oschun]

Well done for making a good start to the new year, and I hear you on the difference between weekday and weekend sleeping patterns. I need to focus on that too. I had a mixed week. Super stressful stuff at work derailed me for a couple of days mid-week but I managed to do my fasting days and went to Pilates. I'm definitely noticing the difference even the single weekly class is making because I've been going regularly for a while.

I'm feeling doubly committed to a (mostly) plant-based diet after watching the twins study 'You Are What You Eat' on Netflix. Jeez, something really has to change.

I was feeling frustrated about not being able to buy different varieties of mushrooms locally so I've got a home growing kit for shitake and king oyster mushrooms which S and I are super excited about. (I really want to grow lion's mane mushrooms!) S's choice to go vegetarian a few years ago was mostly about the environment but he's now getting into the idea of food as preventative medicine with me so we sometimes end up having conversations about protein and tofu while munching on sunflower seeds - yes, we are turning into *those* people. Lol!

[sylvanwitch]

I am one of those people, so I totally relate! In fact, if you're ever interested, Dr. Michael Greger's book How Not to Die is really fantastic--evidence-based, thoughtful, detailed, and horrifying where the Standard American Diet is concerned. He has a companion cookbook and two other books out now, but those two I haven't read. Also, he runs the nutritionfacts.org website, which is non-profit, free to join, and chock-full of videos, blogs, recipes, etc. I think you'd enjoy some of that content. (Some of the videos are, however, also horrifying. The stuff we mindlessly put in our bodies! I swear. ;-)

Congrats on the plant-based eating! That's fantastic! Go, you!

[luzula]

Good work on the weight loss and sleep schedule! \o/

I pretty much summed up last week on my late comment to the last post. I'm working from home this whole week, before teaching starts next week. I'm trying to nerve myself up to masking during teaching. I did that last winter, and it went fine. Then after summer I didn't, because there was less covid etc around. But now it's winter and covid and flu are everywhere, so I would like to mask! But so few people in Sweden to it that it does take a psychological toll on me, especially when you're lecturing and everybody's looking at you.

Otherwise I still have my mild cold, plus a weird knee and shoulder, so actual exercise is still out. But this week I aim to:
- take walks every day and do mild exercise, which is going fine so far,
- get my sleep schedule back to where it should be in preparation for teaching,
- book a time with a physical therapist for next week to get some advice on the knee and shoulder.

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you so much!

I can SO relate to your masking anxiety. I have almost an identical story, and we here are also having a scary peak, not only with C-19 but also RSV and a couple of other nasties that I'm not sure have been identified. I've never had more students out for extended sick leave for respiratory conditions, infections, and just really weird, scary stuff. Anyway, I'm not masking, but I run a big, room-clearing air purifier next to my desk all day, and I bought industrial-sized (seriously) Clorox to regularly clean the desks.

Anyway, I hope you don't have any difficulty wearing a mask.

Good luck starting back to teaching and with your physical therapist appointment! I hope you're able to get some relief on the knee and shoulder issues and that the first week of teaching goes smoothly for you!

[ysilme]

Thank you for hosting this again! ♥ You know how little I've participated over the years, but I'm often reading your entries to at least follow your own journey, and am always happy to read up on your achievements. ***hugs***
Best of luck for your goals this year, may things work out well for you and make you happy! *hugs*

Soo, trying with also public accountability again this year - and I'm late already for the start, although at least you haven't posted the next entry yet, so there. XD
After having one and a half really good years, regarding my weight and fitness goals, everything went downhillish when things went so bad early last summer, and I first got four of my previously-lost kilos back - not so much for different eating; I kept well enough within my usual diet, but due to too much stress, too little sleep and reduced exercise. Then, in late autumn, between weeks of horrible weather, utter mental exhaustion and also getting so sick, exercise went back to nearly zero and the sleep was getting worse, too.
I've started into the new year with an again badly broken sleeping pattern, a mostly lost exercise routine (partly on doctor's orders as my bronchia were still so affected that I was supposed to rest, not exercise, which I also really needed), and the aforementoned 4 kg above my new normal weight I'd kept well since late 2021 (I lost 13kg in 2021 due to a massive change of diet). The good news was that despite this my blood levels weren't affected, and I got the affirmation that in general, my lifestyle choices work well for my health, and even the advide to take it easier on my diet as my doc thinks I'm too strict. *g*
Now, two weeks later, I'm seeing some improvement of the sleeping pattern, am back to my normal eating habits (following my doc's recommendation, I allowed myself a bit more ease over the holidays, also as I simply didn't have the energy for my usual amount of meal prep), and am slowly getting back into my former exercise routine. That isn't much in the first place, mainly walks or being on the training bike (on top of the exercise I'm getting by caring for the human and furry family, house and garden - which is a surprising amount according to my fitness watch) - but after the incessant heavy rain storms of November and December we're now having deep frost (between -10°C/14°F and -5°C/23°F) which had been first too wet and too cold for my bronchia, and the training bike was too strenous until a few days ago, too.) It's kind of shocking that I'm getting slightly out of breath with my usual walk, and feel "exercised" after just a walk, but I know I need to be patient for my bronchia to fully heal - I'm still coughing at times - and keep it gentle.
I'm already feeling better than a week ago, which I'm counting as a success.
My main goal for this year is getting my weight back to where I was before last summer, but mainly to work at self-care in ways of stress relief, relaxation, and learning to properly enjoy life again after those years of being eaten up by family demands. Anything else, including fitness and new exercise routines, are likely to follow.

[sylvanwitch]

I am so sorry for the delay in responding to this. I am behind on everything, and I have no real excuse since I had a week off, essentially, for snow days. Still, I did want to at least acknowledge both your struggles and your goals and that I'm glad you're foregrounding being gentle with yourself, since that is so important to overall health and, especially, mental wellness. I am glad you're feeling better, lungs-wise, and I hope that has continued for you. I wish you ALL the spoons you need to find your balance with your self-care and weight loss and all your goals for the new year. Big, big *HUGS* to you, my friend!