Fitness Fellowship 2024: Week Five Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

It's finally February! Historically, February is the longest month for me, regardless of what the calendar says, largely because of seasonal depression, but this one has started out okay so far. I got TWO hikes in this weekend, and it was sunny for both of them (though muddy).

Do you have something you're looking forward to this month (besides it being over)? Do specific months factor into your overall health?

Whatever the case, I hope you had a good week that was and that you'll share a bit about it with us here.



So, before the weekend, I was down a couple of pounds, but as of this morning, I'm about where I was last week. *sighs* This is largely because while I do maintain my eating window on the weekends, I generally eat more/less healthily than on the weekdays. I need to rein that in, probably by designating a single meal as a splurge rather than sort of blowing it all out on the whole weekend.

Otherwise, I feel super fit. I went for a hike both Saturday and Sunday, and it was glorious, particularly yesterday. I also had to adapt to a new fitness watch because my old one broke on Saturday morning. The new one has a lot more features, but it lacks an altimeter, which is a bit of a letdown, since I do enjoy knowing how many stairs I've climbed. Ah, well. I can keep track in my head, and it's the fitness that counts, not the digital acknowledgement. ;-)

Hydration has been better this week because I've started brewing my own ginger root tisane from raw ginger, with honey and lime or lemon juice added for flavor. There is anecdotal evidence that daily doses of ginger tea can help reduce inflammation and the severity of ovarian cysts' symptoms. There is nothing that says it will reduce the cysts themselves, but I live in hope, and anyway, ginger root tea is good for me and delicious. So, instead of plain water, I've been bringing tea in my water bottle, and I do drink more of it at work because it tastes better than plain water.

Sleep has been pretty good. I've been going to bed a little early on work nights, so that I'm actually asleep by 11:00 or so. I've had some difficulty staying asleep, and my dreams have been *WILD* (and not usually in a good way), but I do feel better rested, so I'm taking it as a win. I think the dreaming has something to do with the length of sleep time; I'm remembering my dreams more readily because I'm sleeping longer, I think. Anyway, that's been okay.

And I did some breathing exercises and meditating while on my solo hike yesterday.

My goals for the week ahead are the same as always, but I'm adding in a new one about not eating too much on the weekends. I really would like to see the scale number go down.



May the week ahead be the kind you most enjoy.

Comments

[luzula]

So glad you're feeling fit! That's great.

Goals for last week:
- do PT on four days (on these days I may or may not also do some other workouts),
Yes!
- work out on two other days as well,
Yes!
- be outside in some way every day (this can be a very short walk),
Yes!
- keep to my sleep schedule,
Yes, but I slept a little poorly on some nights, because of being in the middle of making a large decision (the house thing).
- be mindful of what I eat (not have sweet things other than an occasional glass of my homemade rhubarb cordial, and a little homemade jam at breakfast; when I'm full I shouldn't have more just because it's good; weigh myself every morning)
Yes, I was, and I have noticed the scale creeping down a little, perhaps half a kilo.

Goals for this week:
- do PT on three days (on these days I may or may not also do another workout),
- work out on two other days as well,
- be outside in some way every day (this can be a very short walk),
- keep to my sleep schedule (and hopefully actually sleep),
- continue to be mindful of what I eat.

[sylvanwitch]

I hope your sleep improves; I can definitely relate to stress keeping me awake (and/or giving me dreams that wake me up). I hope you're able to come to a decision you're happy with.

Otherwise, YAY for all your goal-setting and goal-meeting! You're rocking it! Go, you!

[oschun]

Yay for sunny hikes and better sleep!

Honestly, the only thing I'm looking forward to is half-term break next week. On the whole, though, I'm okay with the winter months, which is pretty weird considering that I was born in the southern hemisphere. I quite enjoy gloomy weather and don't suffer from seasonal depression. And I've been really healthy this winter for some reason. There's been a lot of sickness around but I haven't had even a sniffle. I genuinely believe it's because I'm thinking of food as medicine. I was in the kitchen for hours yesterday making plant-based meals from scratch for the week. I listened to the entire oeuvre of a band that I like on Spotify! (And admittedly also drank quite a lot of wine while cooking.)

My general goal this week is to do three days of fasting for about 17hrs. For me, that just means missing breakfast. I don't tend to snack in between meals anyway. I also want to do clean fasts where I only drink black coffee or rooibos tea during that 17hr period. I normally have milk in my coffee but I drank it black today when I was fasting and it was fine. It just means that I need to make fresh coffee at home and take a thermos in to work. The cheap instant stuff we get at school is awful to drink without milk. Coffee contains good polyphenols and fibre - she says knowledgeably and pretentiously :D :D

I'm glad you're enjoying your ginger tea.

[sylvanwitch]

YAY for so much wonderful food prep! I often tell myself I'm going to do that on a Sunday, but I rarely actually get around to it, with fairly predictable results. I mean, I still eat healthier than the vast majority of Americans, but I'm not eating as "clean" as I could be if I actually prepped my meals ahead of time. I hope you are enjoying the hell out of all of it!

Also, you are a stronger person than I am for drinking your coffee black. I, too, use an almond-based creamer in my AM joe, and that is not likely to change. I also use sweetener in my hot and cold teas. Natural sweeteners, but still sweeteners. I am well aware of the pitfalls of those, having read Dr. Greger all those years ago, but it was a sacrifice I was not willing to make. That said, it is super heartening to hear how enthusiastically you're embracing clean eating! Never apologize for being "pretentious" where the healthy good stuff in food is concerned!

[delphi]

Congratulations on the double hike! That's absolutely fantastic and definitely under the definition of "super fit"! Congrats too for the hydration (I really hope the ginger tea helps), and on feeling better rested. That sounds like a really successful week.

I was aiming for:

Goal #1: Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Result: 7/7. Tougher going earlier in the week but got easier on the weekend when I got some groceries more in line with what I wanted to eat. I really need to listen to my body, especially when it's making reasonable demands.

Goal #2: Take at least a 30-minute walk every day (weather and health permitting).
Result: 7/7. Much easier now that it's light out before work. I actually need to expand my usual route, because what was a 30-minute walk a couple of months ago is now significantly shorter because I'm taking the hills a lot faster.

Goal #3: Turn off electronics and start getting ready for bed by 10:30 every night.
Result: 6/7. Still a work in progress, but better than last.

Goal #4: Cut out caffeinated drinks.
Result: 7/7. Still having some taste-based cravings, but staying off the stuff has definitely helped in terms of sleeping through the night, and it's also cut some extra sugar out of my diet.

I always feel a little bad for my own seasonal issues running contrary to most other people's I know—leaving me happy at the time of year they struggle with and then bemoaning the weather and light cycles that work for them. I feel at my best during shorter, greyer days and struggle when there's too much light and heat. I don't like being outside when it's too warm or bright, I struggle with an insomnia -> anxiety -> depression cycle when the days are too long, and eating well's an even bigger struggle in high temps (even if I love that we have fresh produce). I would live in a perpetual October if I could.

[sylvanwitch]

You have had so much success! What's especially great is what you say about having to find a new morning walking route because the old one has gotten too easy--you're leveling up! YAY! :-)

And, of course, I'm sure you don't need me to say this, but your own seasonal disorder is completely valid, and I can definitely imagine how difficult it would be to live through the longer days wishing it could be less bright, less hot, and less lengthy. It happens that October is my favorite month of the year, and I would definitely thrive in a perpetual autumn, so I can understand your craving. I hope that you are thoroughly enjoying these shorter days! :-)

[delphi]

That's nice of you to say all the same. I know SAD is SAD, but I just try to be mindful when so many other people understandably dread the weather I'm craving. They really need to get on with instant transporter technology, so that we can all just hop over to somewhere with some sunshine, some rain, some light, some darkness, whenever any of us need a personal pick-me-up or good ideal sleeping conditions.