Fitness Fellowship 2025: Check-in Twelve

[sylvanwitch]

Wow! Can you believe we've been at this for three months already? Take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back if you set a goal for yourself and have achieved it in any way, partially or wholly. Sticking with our goals consistently, even when we falter, is the one habit that will allow us to make progress. So, GO US for doing this for so long already!

As is our way, please share your ups and downs along your path to fitness this past week.



A NOTE OF WARNING: In attempting to find a good fitness app that would have a variety of light weight exercises demonstrated, I ended up signing up for a whole fitness app that I thought would be a good fit for my needs. That app is SIMPLE LIFE. It is a scam. Not only was I charged for something I didn't want (you couldn't opt out of their multiple payment menu screens), but the app itself didn't function as advertised, and the email they provided for complaints bounced my email back to me as undeliverable because the email address doesn't exist! In seeking another solution, I discovered a very long Reddit post dedicated to how this app is a total scam. *sighs* Next time, I'll do my research BEFORE I spend money. Needless to say, I've already cancelled automatic renewal and am just happy I didn't spend more.

Weight: 207.8. I attribute the uptick to a variety of factors and am not too worried about it.

Exercise (actual number of days/goal number of days): Yoga, 4/4. Weights, 5/3. Walking 7/7. The MOST exciting thing for me is that I went JOGGING yesterday and it was AWESOME! For context, I used to run in college and grad school, and then returned to it even in my thirties and forties when I was not too heavy for it. The last time I returned to running, I injured my ankle (posterior tibial tendonitis) and was in some degree of pain for more than a year and a half afterward. I told myself then that I just couldn't jog anymore, which made me sad, but I'd accepted it.

Lately, though, I've caught myself jogging to and from the mailbox or whatnot, and I began to wonder if I couldn't try again. Long story short(ish), I went to a local park (trails are easier on my feet than pavement) and thought I'd just fast-walk, jog, fast-walk, jog. I put a light brace on the ankle I'd injured the last time. And, well...I walked for the first little bit and then jogged without stopping for over 1.2 miles! Without pain or even being winded! It felt SO GOOD! Now, today, my hips and feet are a little unhappy, so I'm not going to jog again for a couple of days, but I don't see why I can't do it maybe twice a week in place of a walk. I am trying not to get ahead of myself here, but I really am one of those nuts who just digs jogging, and I would be SO thrilled to be able to do it again.

Nothing clears my head like a good jog. So...

Eating plan: I can't even remember last week, but I think I mostly did okay except for more splurging on the weekend than I should have done. Yesterday, I made a new-to-me Asian green bean recipe with fresh beans from the farmer's market, and it turned out quite tasty. I've got berries and non-dairy yogurt for lunches this week and picked up some mandarin oranges, too. I think I've recommitted to eating better. I think I can manage it against the tiredness (I'm still having trouble with my quality of sleep) and a general malaise, not quite depression but a sort of enervation that borders on "Why bother?" I'm not saying the beans were miracle workers, but they did make me want to eat more of them, so I am taking that as a victory.

Meditation: Yes! I did some meditative breathing while jogging, and earlier in the week I tried some breathing exercises twice to help me focus and fall asleep.

Hydration: I have been diligent about this because as I'm doing more strength training (yoga can be strenuous, and lifting obviously is), I've been noticing more muscle fatigue. Hydration is key to helping with that, at least for me.

Sleep: I've been good about getting off-screen before bed, either working a crossword puzzle or reading a print book, but my sleep is sometimes fractured--I don't seem to be going as deep for as long, at least not on nights when I have to be up the next morning. I think my body still hasn't quite adjusted to the change in time/light. *sighs*

Next week: More of the same.


Here's hoping the week ahead is full of good food and good feelings about our individual fitness goals!

Comments

[luzula]

That's so cool about the jogging! Congratulations! I do it too, but I don't actually enjoy it much, I just do it because it's a good way to get aerobic exercise.

Last week I was still at the tail end of my cold (or whatever it was), which dragged on. I still did some physical work outside, but got tired, of course. Then in the weekend I was at the annual meeting of my environmental organization, which was rewarding but tiring. I nearly lost my voice but didn't, in the end.

Now I'm over the cold and will be working from home this week, which I am looking forward to! Half grading exams, half working outside. I failed at going to bed in time last night, and I want to not do that the rest of this week, as well as getting back to going running. I also have a good stretching program which I want to keep up, so that my back hopefully won't stiffen up again.

[sylvanwitch]

I'm so glad your cold has cleared up, and I am sending you all the good vibes for the outside work (and grading exams--boy, do I not envy you that), exercise, and stretching! May the week of working from home be an excellent one for you! :-)

[oschun]

Yay for jogging and Asian green bean recipes. As a member of the leguminati, I fully believe that beans are miracle workers ;)

My life continues to be up-and-down for various reasons (post-flu fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, work stress, family illness, etc.) and that's having an impact on things like making good food choices. I've been alternating between eating like a Zen nun one day and then...well, I guess like the majority of the population the next day (in other words, badly). But pilates was slightly easier this week in comparison with last week and my sleep is okay. I've got a lavender, chamomile and vetiver candle that I burn for half an hour in my bedroom before going to bed. It matches my pillow-spray. S and the cat now sleep in the other bedroom during the week and only return to the marital bed on weekends. It's brilliant. I sleep so much better without them.

[sylvanwitch]

As someone who hasn’t shared a bed with her husband in decades (he’s a kicker and a groaner, and I have enough trouble staying asleep without all that), I approve your new arrangements. I love that it’s helping you to get better sleep, and I wonder if it doesn’t also make the intimacy of sharing a bed on the weekends feel that much more special? Anyway, I do hope you continue to heal and also that your family health situation improves.

On the eating front, I definitely empathize. I am likewise having really excellent days and then not very good ones.

I hope your pilates practice continues to get easier for you and that you find a balance with everything. March for me is always a slog at school, this year even more pronouncedly. I can imagine you’re heading toward big exams, and that has to be extremely stressful on its own, never mind administrative stuff, etc.

I’m sending you all the centering, stress-reducing vibes I can spare, babe.

[oschun]

My problem with S and the cat is they want to snuggle me in the night and both of them generate excessive amounts of heat. My body naturally functions at a cooler temperature than S's does and being too hot wakes me up. I don't suffer a lot with the menopausal heat but I guess I'm borderline with it. I like a cool, lavender-smelling bedroom on weeknights. My headspace is different on weekends.

Don't even get me started with exam stress. A teacher in my department has just been signed off with a medical issue so three of us have had to absorb her group into ours which has pushed us to over 30 kids in a class. There are three teaching weeks before exams start. It's pretty stressful.

[sylvanwitch]

Holy hell, hon! That suuuuucks about being one teacher down, class size, and impending exams. What a perfect shit storm. I am *so* sorry that's happening, and I am sending you oodles of centering energy.

I love the way you describe your weeknight bedroom, and I hope it is a sanctuary for you from these stressful times.

[RE: stressful work stuff, we had our spring faculty day yesterday, and the principal delivered not one but two exceptionally crappy changes to the upcoming school year, both of which are going to make the jobs of English teachers, especially, much harder, and when I tell you my mood went from happy to grim in a heartbeat, I'm not exaggerating. I'm trying not to think too much about it, so I can enjoy my weekend, but I'm suddenly much less optimistic about next school year. *sighs*)

[oschun]

Why is is that changes at school so often make the job more burdensome rather than improving our working lives. You have my sympathy. I hope it proves not to be too awful next year.

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you, my friend. I know you know exactly what this feels like. *hugs*

[lenzes]

I know I'm late to the post, and I'm sorry… It's been quite a stressful week so far.

I'm so happy for you that you went for a jog and enjoyed it so much! It really clears your head, doesn't it? And yay for all the other exercise you did and for keeping hydrated!

Goal 1 – walking: I walked three times. Still not quite where I want to be, but I'm keeping at it :D

Goal 2 – push-ups: Same as last week, I worked out once, no progress, no backsliding.

[sylvanwitch]

Please, never worry about when you get around to joining us here. It's no problem at all! :-)

I'm so sorry it's been a stressful week for you, which makes it all the more impressive that you continued your workout routines. Seriously, NOT backsliding when things are stressful is a big win! Go you!