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sylvanwitchWe have been teased by a week of unseasonably warm weather--not ridiculously warm, but certainly warm enough--and sunshine, and it has been glorious. Temperatures are plummeting once again, but there is, at least, some late afternoon sunshine out there. The beautiful weather last week meant LOTS of walking outside when I got home in time, and it made me yearn for the spring, so I can have such lovely rambles every day.
What do you cling to for hope in the dark(er) days of winter (and/or prohibitively miserable days of summer)?
Feel free to ignore that question, but do please share how your week has been, fitness-wise and/or otherwise. We're here to listen.
My weight was *fantastic* on Friday morning, and then we had my husband's birthday weekend AND King Cake, in honor of Mardi Gras (note: I am not Catholic, but that does not matter where cake is concerned) and Indian takeout and all sorts of other treats and, well, the scale this morning was disappointing. Ah, well.
Otherwise, I exercised every day, often many, many more steps than my daily quota, often because I just wanted to get outside in the sunshine while I could. Hydration has been good--still brewing my own ginger root tisane--and sleep has likewise been okay (broken but good in terms of bedtimes). I also did some "boxing of the breath" a couple of times while out walking, which helped me to focus on the here and now, being more mindful, rather than using my ramble to ruminate on something unpleasant. There was a confluence of stressors toward the end of last week, both out of my control, so I needed the breathing to center me.
My plan for the week ahead is to lose the weight I gained this past weekend and stick to all the other usual goals, as well.
May the next seven days be as free of stress and struggle as it's possible for such days to be.
What do you cling to for hope in the dark(er) days of winter (and/or prohibitively miserable days of summer)?
Feel free to ignore that question, but do please share how your week has been, fitness-wise and/or otherwise. We're here to listen.
My weight was *fantastic* on Friday morning, and then we had my husband's birthday weekend AND King Cake, in honor of Mardi Gras (note: I am not Catholic, but that does not matter where cake is concerned) and Indian takeout and all sorts of other treats and, well, the scale this morning was disappointing. Ah, well.
Otherwise, I exercised every day, often many, many more steps than my daily quota, often because I just wanted to get outside in the sunshine while I could. Hydration has been good--still brewing my own ginger root tisane--and sleep has likewise been okay (broken but good in terms of bedtimes). I also did some "boxing of the breath" a couple of times while out walking, which helped me to focus on the here and now, being more mindful, rather than using my ramble to ruminate on something unpleasant. There was a confluence of stressors toward the end of last week, both out of my control, so I needed the breathing to center me.
My plan for the week ahead is to lose the weight I gained this past weekend and stick to all the other usual goals, as well.
May the next seven days be as free of stress and struggle as it's possible for such days to be.
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2024 02:29 am (UTC)I've had an interesting couple of days in terms of food and diet. I've been dithering for ages over signing up for something called the Zoe programme, mostly because it's expensive, but I finally did it. It's a personalised nutrition programme co-founded by Tim Spector whose book on food as medicine I've been reading. You take blood and poo tests at home and send them in for analysis, and also wear a glucose monitor for two weeks to monitor your personal responses to different foods. It's fascinating to watch my glucose levels respond to things I'm eating. There are challenges you can take to to monitor how your gut biome responds to certain food combinations or to carbs like rice or pasta that have been freshly cooked or refrigerated and reheated which changes their chemical composition. We're guinea pigs for sure but they like to call Zoe participants 'citizen scientists' because ultimately it's about taking control over your own diet. It's a commercial company but it's run by research scientists who are not trying to sell you anything other than the idea of eating more plants. I'm super excited about all of it.
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2024 01:16 pm (UTC)Thank you for the birthday wishes! I will pass them along to him, for sure.
King Cake is not my usual thing, and, in fact, I'd never had it until a few years ago, when the Guidance dept. had too much leftover and asked me if I wanted to take some home. It's definitely NOT plants-based, but it is good in moderation and once a year. If it was all the time, I probably would never eat it, if that makes sense? It's a brioche with icing and cream cheese filling (definitely not vegan--lol!) and a very small piece is a lot of calories. I am, at least, being careful about how much I eat, limiting myself to just a single small slice a day, and I am also already growing tired of it, which is, again, a GOOD thing. Unfortunately, the other delicacy associated with Mardi Gras around here are paczkis, which are Polish filled doughnuts. We have a fantastic local Polish bakery here, and they put out special ones for the weeks leading up to Lent. Again, I am NOT a doughnut eater by nature, but this one time a year, I do indulge. That's tonight's dessert. And then I'm done with Lent-related sweets-eating. Lol!
I said to Terry the other day that I'm not Christian, but I do have holy-day-related eating habits. That's what comes of being raised Catholic for so many years, I guess.