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