Fitness Fellowship 2024: Week Six Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

We 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.

Comments

[oschun]

Happy birthday to T! I can't quite imagine what king cake tastes like from looking at pictures of it.

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.

[sylvanwitch]

The Zoe program sounds AMAZING! I love that it gives you so much data to work with and also provides you with some external motivation to do what you're already doing, which is eating well and loving the food you prepare! YAY! I'm definitely interested to hear how it is going and how it turns out, and I hope it gives you all kinds of good stuff to go on with your cooking. :-)

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.

[luzula]

I'm glad you had good weather! That does have such an impact on mood.

I've had a supremely stressful week, because of buying a house. I haven't been able to sleep well, lying awake and alternately angsting and being excited, and being generally disrupted. But I'm settling down now and have slept better the last two nights.

Last week:
- do PT on three days (on these days I may or may not also do another workout),
Only two days.
- work out on two other days as well,
Only one day.
- be outside in some way every day (this can be a very short walk),
I think so?
- keep to my sleep schedule (and hopefully actually sleep),
Kept to the schedule, but didn't sleep well.
- continue to be mindful of what I eat.
This, OTOH, is going well! I've lost about 1,5 kg.

This week (same goals as above):
- 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 don't think I commented on your post about the farm, but it looks and sounds AMAZING, and I am so excited for you! But I definitely understand what a big decision it was to make and how many moving parts are involved in the, well, moving part. ;-). Also, just learning to administer property and having neighbors in a community like that--that stuff is a LOT. I have every confidence you're going to do wonderful things with and for your land, but I also understand how anxiety-inducing it all is. Big, big *hugs* to you!

Also, YAY for meeting ANY of your goals, all things considered, and GO YOU for keeping to reasonable goals going forward, too. May the stressful parts be over with as swiftly as possible, so you can enjoy the fun parts, like having such a beautiful home and lovely view!

[delphi]

(note: I am not Catholic, but that does not matter where cake is concerned)

Ha! This is very true. Also, good on you for enjoying yourself. I think one of the main advantages to having healthy habits as a default is to get to celebrate special occasions with treats and not have to worry about it.

I likewise cling the thought of being able to be outside comfortably for long periods of time—to take those long rambles in the fresh air without uncomfortably side effects or wanting to retreat to indoor climate control. I'm so glad you guys got a (non-ridiculous) bit of unseasonable weather to enjoy.

This was a challenging week, but knowing I'd be reporting how I was doing here definitely helped urge me to get back to trying after some lapses. Thanks for providing this space. :)

Goal #1: Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
Result: 5/7. I had some morning schedule disruptions, and missing breakfast tends to derail things for me in a way that sees me skipping lunch as well. I think I have too many first-thing meetings in my calendar these days. Long-term, I'm going to look at budging those to build a little more wiggle room into my mornings.

Goal #2: Take at least a 30-minute walk every day (weather and health permitting).
Result: 7/7. I took a walk every morning and also got out most days at lunch. I also had a good two-hour walk around the park on Saturday.

Goal #3: Turn off electronics and start getting ready for bed by 10:30 every night.
Result: 6/7. I got embroiled in an Online Discussion that I shouldn't have. Staying out of certain comms is definitely better for my sleep habits (and blood pressure).

Goal #4: Cut out caffeinated drinks.
Result: 7/7. Still really tempting on the taste-based front, but I'm holding firm.

[luzula]

Ha ha, yes, it's a wonder I got anything else done that week. Thanks for the good wishes. <3

[sylvanwitch]

I am so glad this weekly post helps you. That is a truly delightful bonus to the way it helps me (in the same fashion it helps you, I think--remembering that I'm going to be accountable to you all).

Ugh, but someone is WRONG on the Internet! LoL! Believe me, I can relate; though I'm no longer really engaged in Fandom Hi-Jinks, I definitely recall many too-late nights when I couldn't tear myself away from the drama-rama. Not that you were necessarily indulging in that behavior (I was usually a lurker with her mouth a-gape at something someone thought was okay to say out loud in a public space ;-).

I hope you're able to find a way to balance the work-breakfast equation. YAY for daily walks and long Saturday rambles! May there be many more in your future! :-)

[delphi]

someone is WRONG on the Internet!

That was exactly the line in my head that made me finally log off. :D

I really don't enjoy drama, but even after decades in fandom there's a naïve part of me that's so certain in the early stages that if I just make a good faith effort to understand where the conflict is coming from and offer up some good sources so everyone can check their facts, the wank will be averted. Spoilers: it will not.