Fitness Fellowship 2024: Week 40 Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Greetings from out of town! We're on the road home today, but we've had a lovely (though exhausting) weekend visiting my BFF for her birthday.

I hope you've had something enjoyable this past week too and that you've had success with your fitness goals. Please do share if you're feeling so inclined.



Weight: We have had an indulgent weekend away, so I'd imagine the scale reflects that, but as I'm not home, I don't know, and I'm happy to live in ignorance a little while longer.

Exercise: Just being at work and trying to teach with no voice (I lost my voice last Sunday and haven't regained it yet) was exhausting, but I did try to do yoga and think I managed five of seven days, and I did get steps in every day at work. This weekend, we did quite a lot of walking. Yesterday, we put in over two miles at two different, lovely parks, rambling with my friend and enjoying the warm weather here. I get fatigued quite easily, however. Saturday, in fact, I had to cut our visiting short in the early evening because I was too exhausted to push myself. 10+ hours of sleep helped with that, but I fear the post-COVID fatigue is going to impact my usual fitness routine for a good while to come, and I'm going to be gentle with myself because I do not want it going into Long COVID.

Eating plan: I mean...I was too tired to cook for myself most evenings last week, and we've been on a mini-vacation since Friday evening, so the food choices have been delicious but not necessarily diet-friendly.

Hydration: This I have been very good about.

Sleep: I had some trouble Friday night at the hotel, but I slept quite well (and long) both Saturday and last nights. The work week before I absolutely got to bed early and got extra rest every night.

The week ahead: I'm hoping to get in a little more regular walking some days, and I might try returning to my light weight regimen (though not every day), but we'll see. Today is a long drive home, sharing the driving with T. Hopefully, it will be restful and not stressful, but that is outside my control. After that, it's back to my fasting window and better food choices, assuming the fatigue lets up enough to let me feel like preparing food again.



I'm sending you good vibes for a great week ahead, friends!

Comments

[delphi]

I'm glad you got a weekend away! Rest is a really good plan. It seriously took about five months of sleeping ten or eleven hours a day before I was back on my feet after my first bout of COVID, with some periods of fatigue after, but I think it would have been a whole lot longer and worse if I hadn't been able to properly recuperate.

It was a decent week here. I got out for a walk every day but one, got to bed on time 5 days out of 7, and it's cooled off enough for my appetite to improve, so I've been meeting my meal goals. I'm on vacation right now, and I'm admittedly trying to hit the right balance between getting some much-needed sloth but also not losing all my momentum.

[sylvanwitch]

I have been hearing that this particular strain is especially fatiguing and takes FORever to shake, and I really, REALLY don't want to over-exert myself into Long COVID or a stroke or something, so I am absolutely doing what I can to stay well and get better. I definitely appreciate your advice from experience.

YAY for meeting so many of your goals and for the weather (and light) changing for you, so you have better rest and are able to go on walks, etc. Also, ENJOY your vacation! Lay around as much as you'd like, my friend. You totally deserve it! YAY!

[oschun]

Take care of yourself and rest up. Try not to overdo it. I've only lost my voice once after being ill and it made teaching impossible!

I've lost about 3 kgs over the past five weeks as a result of regular fasting. The waistbands on my skirts and trousers are definitely looser. It's a good thing because S and I are getting married at half term - in a couple of weeks. We're doing it *very* low key. Just the registry office and then a dinner party with like 20 people. I was stressing about finding a dress because I put on a couple of kilos over the summer and nothing looked good but I've finally found one. It's silk, has an empire neckline, and is red and purple. It looks a bit like a dress from an episode of Bridgerton. Except I'm also wearing a purple fake fur coat, which totally makes me look like a street hooker. I love it! :D :D  

[sylvanwitch]

OMGs, HON! You're getting married! In the MOST fabulous dress EVER! (AND WONDERFUL COAT!)

Sorry--the all-caps were inevitable when you delivered such amazing news! Congrats for dropping some weight for YOURself and also for such a fantastic event! Your plans sound marvelous, and I am SO, SO happy for you!

Please give S my warmest best wishes for your upcoming nuptials. YAY! *HUGS*

[oschun]

Thanks so much, hon. We're pretty excited about it. And thank you for the birthday card! I appreciate it. *many hugs*

💙

[oldtoadwoman]

I've had far too many "just this once" indulgences lately.

I did resist the urge to grab takeout when I was out running errands today, so, tiny victory.

But overall, I'm still too prone to turn to food when I'm tired or stressed or cold.

Re: 💙

[sylvanwitch]

YAY for resisting takeout! It's all about small victories for me lately, too. I'm blaming the post-COVID malaise and the stress of trying to work to capacity while still feeling like I've got lead weights in my shoes, and it's true that I can't work up a lot of energy to cook fresh meals right now, but at some point, I'm going to have to get right with my eating habits again. This morning, I weighed 210.8, and I went back and looked at where I was at the start of the year, which was depressing because I started the year at 207.8, got down to 204-point-something, shot up to 223.8 after our summer vacation, and then fought my way back to where I am now. I feel like I didn't get anywhere at all this year, but I guess it's better than gaining a TON of weight. *sighs*

Anyway, all of this is to say: Solidarity, sister! Keep fighting the good fight one denied treat at a time. :-)

Re: 💙

[oldtoadwoman]

We are very in sync. I try not to admit my weight to myself in pounds. (It really has been helping me to keep my scales set to "stone" so I can measure progress without thinking about it too much.) BUT. I do teach math for a living. AND I keep hovering at the 200 mark which is hard to ignore. (14 stone plus 4 pounds = 200 pounds) I'll get below it one day, be above it the next, repeat. Today I'm at 14 stone and 7 pounds, which I owe entirely to impulse food purchases after work. I'm stocked up on soup and beans and lentils. I have many healthy options. But at the end of the day, I'm just like "No."

[luzula]

I missed the last check-in, because busy. I'm glad your weekend was good! But please, call in sick when your voice is gone like that--you don't want to wreck it from trying to use it anyway...

In general I'm sleeping well, eating well, and doing a lot of physical work. I'm also continuing to inexplicably stay at my lower weight (5 kg below the weight I started on at New Year), despite not especially eating less. Maybe it's the physical work? I do weigh myself every morning to keep an eye on it, in case it starts rising again.

[sylvanwitch]

You have excellent reasons for missing check-ins, and it sounds like you don't need them to keep yourself fit--you are doing SO well! Wooo-hooo! :-) I'm so glad you're enjoying your new home and working in and around the property. I hope your joy continues indefinitely!