Fitness Fellowship 2024: Week 13 Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Greetings from April, friends! We made it!

What has the past week been like for you, fitness-wise and/or otherwise? Have you been kind to yourself? I hope so. As always, please do share with us how you are doing.



Weight: 203.2, down 2.2 from last week.

Exercise: I lifted light weights twice or three times (I cannot recall precisely), did some brisk hill-walking one day and an elliptical workout (incline 7, resistance 5) once, walked every day, and added something new to my/our routine.

I suggested we start doing intervals when walking during which we walk as fast as we can, within reason, really pumping our arms but not breaking into a jog. I think this is a variation on HIIT? Anyway, T. has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and we are doing our best to get it down without him having to take medication for it. (It's at the lowest level of high, so we have a little wiggle room.) This kind of training really gets the heartrate up, and I wanted to encourage him to get more cardio in. Of course, I also wanted to do the same, so it worked out.

Friends, it is a LOT of work, and boy does it get the heart going. We've done two walks so far with intervals, and they have both left me feeling like I have really exercised!

Also, today I walked on my own and used some rocks to climb up and down, 60 reps total, alternating lead leg. These rocks were about 12-18 inches in height, so it was a good workout in addition to the walking. I'm going to see if I can work that kind of thing in on other walks, as well.

Intermittent Fasting: I've had only two popcorn incidents this week, and I'm okay with those because I really was quite hungry and didn't want to go to bed feeling that way. Otherwise, I've been very good about sticking to my eating window, and I've been watching what I eat, of course, as well, especially now that I'm trying to make sure T. gets a lot less sodium. (I cook with a salt substitute and try to avoid processed foods, but it is astonishing how much sodium works its way into things, like bread, for example.)

Sleep: I'm on break until the 9th, so I've reverted to my night owl ways, and I have to say, I feel so much better going to bed between 1-2am and getting up between 8-9am. That's my natural preference, and wow, my energy levels are so much better. I'm not sure how to translate that into my work schedule, since I have to get up at 6am on school days. *sighs* Anyway, I'm getting plenty of sleep, but it's in a different timeframe than usual.

Breathing/Meditation: Yes! I've done some boxing of the breath while out walking and also done some walking trance, I guess you'd call it, where I'm focused on an internal mantra in time with my breathing and steps.

Hydration: I've been conscientious about drinking plenty of water, tea, etc., during the day.

From my Easter break, sending you all the time-off vibes I can spare!

Comments

Rah rah!

[oldtoadwoman]

Awesome work!

Last week was not a great week. And next week I'm going on a road trip to try to see the eclipse (staying with a friend's mom who lives in the path, but weather forecast is only giving us 50:50 odds of clear skies). And that's undoubtedly going to involve food choices that I don't have control over.

So I'm currently focusing on just one day at a time. Today, I've maintained my food goals and got some walking in before work. I'm going to try to hit the gym tomorrow.

Re: Rah rah!

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you! Ugh, I'm sorry you have so many challenges in the way of your goals, though I'm excited for you that you have a place to go to see the eclipse. Here's hoping it's not cloudy and you get to really enjoy it! :-)

YAY for getting out for walks and for using the gym equipment! You're making progress, even if the food thing is a challenge. Go, you!

Re: Rah rah!

[oldtoadwoman]

I barely did anything at the gym (4 machines and just a few reps each), but at least I did something. (I made excuses for avoiding the gym last week.) And it feels pathetic view "didn't binge" as an accomplishment, but compared to how I've been, I'm taking it as a win. I made it through today without eating anything I feel bad about.

Re: Rah rah!

[sylvanwitch]

The doctor whose lifestyle suggestions I follow, Dr. Greger, uses the "better than" method of determining fitness. If you made better choices than you would have, that means you've made progress. Doing that every single day is obviously a lot harder, but if we take it a day at a time, we can celebrate those victories, I think.

Re: Rah rah!

[oldtoadwoman]

Yes, I have to keep reminding myself that I just have to keep making tiny bits of progress and not get discouraged by long-term goals feeling out of reach (or beating myself up over how the last two years went).

I genuinely feel better if I just eat healthy for about three days in a row so you'd think I'd learn, but time and time again the cravings win.

[cornerofmadness]

Trying to come up with a plan for the next month that won't aggravate the leg too much until I have all the required testing

[sylvanwitch]

That's a challenge, for sure. I hope you're able to find something that will work in the meantime. I also hope the testing doesn't turn up anything awful. (I know you have some theories.)

[cornerofmadness]

thanks. yeah I won't be going for testing until May

[adore]

I'm still going poledancing twice a week, but yesterday I didn't really move around much at all. I want to incorporate more natural movement in my day, as much as my desk job allows, and I want to take a walk or do yoga or something.

[sylvanwitch]

YAY for poledancing! I'm so impressed by that! I hope you find a good way to get some movement into your workday. I know I feel better when I can get up and move around. I hope the same is true for you. :-)

[luzula]

I'm sorry about your natural sleep rhythms not matching up with work days. : ( But good job with the exercise and sticking to your food goals!

Last week:
- do PT on two days,
Just one day.
- go running on two days,
Yes.
- work out on three days,
Just two days. This is the usual thing where being at my parents' place somehow makes it mentally difficult to work out...I wonder why that is?
- keep to my sleep schedule,
So so. Must improve this.
- continue to be mindful of what I eat (I did splurge on a restaurant meal on Tuesday, but that's fine!),
Yes.

This week's goals:
- do PT on two days,
- go running on two days,
- possibly go hiking on one day, depending on weather,
- work out on three days,
- keep to my sleep schedule,
- continue to be mindful of what I eat.

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you! (If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably still choose teaching, but honestly, why can't we start later? Lol!)

I am sending you all the good energy for meeting your goals for the week ahead. I have no wise words, re: sleep habits, as is obvious by my patent failure to follow my own goals in that regard. I hope the week ahead is a good one for you!