Fitness Fellowship 2025 Check-in 21

[sylvanwitch]

Hereabouts, it's a long weekend, and we had Friday off, as well, so that has meant indulging a little but has also meant long rambles between raindrops and today's gardening-palooza. Once again, I'm reminded forcibly how important it is for me to be active and outdoors. The snakes in my brain are significantly less hissy when I get outside and exercise.

What do you do to help your mental health? If you feel like sharing, please do. As usual, please also share how you are doing on your fitness goals. And, as always, know that you can change those goals at any time.



Weight: I've lost more than a pound from last week's spike, and I'll take it, even though I'm not where I'd hoped to be by this point in the year.

Exercise: I did yoga four times out of four, lifted four times out of three days pledged, walked every day, including a 3.45-mile walk on Saturday and a 1.54 mile jog yesterday. I also did some cardio here and there. Go, me!

Eating plan: My plan to reduce my calorie limit for the week sort of worked, in the sense that I was motivated to eat less and did, in fact, eat fewer total calories this week than last. I still overindulged during some meals, but I was mostly good about not overeating sweets.

Meditation: Yes! I meditated once to the app and did some meditating while jogging yesterday too.

Sleep: I had a four-day weekend and fell back into night-owl habits, which I am probably going to regret tomorrow morning, when I have to get up for work.

Hydration: I've been good about this.

The week ahead: More progress in the direction of eating less and keeping up the rest. :-)



May the week be a good one for us all!

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

I try to get outside and walk for my mental health and I write. The days you see really high word counts from me probably correlate to days of high stress

[sylvanwitch]

Thank gods for the words, right? I do find writing cathartic, and if I go a long stretch only writing alibi sentences, I will start to feel off and weird, but to counteract anxiety, I have to *move*. I'm glad you have walking and writing, especially these days.

[cornerofmadness]

Moving is well researched in helping with anxiety and mental health so we all could do with a little of that

[oschun]

Walking in nature is so therapeutic. I love green spaces and feel so grateful that I live in a place where nature is right on my doorstep. I went for an hour long hike at the weekend and did pilates yesterday so I'm getting some exercise. Well done for all the exercise you did last week. Go you!

[lenzes]

Congratulations on such a successful week! Walking every day *and* going for a jog – that's amazing!

Exercise is great for my mental health, which is one of the reasons why I'm trying to walk regularly. Going to bed on time/getting enough sleep is also crucial for keeping the brain weasels in check. And meditation helps, too. Being consistent about doing these things is a struggle, though :D

Goal 1 – walking: Last week was quite busy again, so I only managed one walk. Which is still better than not walking at all, at least.

Goal 2 – push-ups: And again, one additional push-up :D

[sylvanwitch]

I'm *so* happy that you're getting out for rambles and are doing pilates again because I know how much those things help you to center and decompress.

And boy, do I relate to your feelings about being so close to nature at home! One of the things I love best about the house we're in now is the 2.5 acres of yard and garden, which invite so many critters to come and play, but also the proximity to two state parks, two state wildlife management areas, a bunch of smaller conservation areas owned by a local non-profit, and 18 miles of paved bike trail along the river. I don't even have to leave the island to find good walking! Even though I often went to parks and the canal trail when I lived in the little city we made our home for 19 years, I was never entirely comfortable in the home itself because the yard was small and cramped and the neighbors on one side were extremely problematic. The way my soul has unclenched in our "new" home, even after 7.5 years of living here, is remarkable.

[sylvanwitch]

YAY for an additional push-up and for getting in a walk when the week was so busy!

I absolutely feel you on the sleep thing--I find that when I let myself slip into summer habits during the work year, I definitely pay for it both in physical exhaustion and in the mental and emotional toll it takes. I've gotten *so* much better about it this past year, and it has made a real and positive impact on my moods.

As you say, though, it can be a challenge--especially when I'm reading a good book! LoL!

Good luck with the week we're in! :-)

[celestialstuff]

Congratulations on the loss and all these achievements!

I lost 3 lbs this week, increased the distance I walk, and stayed on the food plan my doctor has me on. Per blood work on Saturday, my A1c is down. I am very happy with all of this!

[sylvanwitch]

WOW! What excellent progress! This is all great news! :-) Go, you! Woooo-hooooo! *\o/*

[oschun]

I'm so happy for you that you live in a place that makes you feel happy and unclenched. I think people in general are more sensitive to their environment than they think they are. But some of us are more overtly sensitive. I need trees and birdsong and the sound of our tawny owl hooting at night. I have a friend who recently gave up her job as a teacher and moved up to Scotland. She's working in a shop and vaguely dabbling at doing art. Her husband is a boat person and skippers the ferry out to the islands. They're in their 50s, highly educated, barely making minimum wage, and are mostly living off the rent of their house down south, and are so happy. They're Water People so living on a loch in Scotland makes them happy. I'm not quite sure what idyll looks like for me. Or what it looks like for S. Sometimes I think we should just sell the house and go somewhere to do volunteer work.