Fitness Fellowship 2025: Check-in 25

[sylvanwitch]

Hello from beneath the sweltering, humid skies of a heat wave! I hope wherever you are the temperatures are a bit more temperate.

As always, please share as much or as little as you'd like of your fitness journey here. Please know that I so appreciate your participation but also understand that sometimes you just cannot. :-)



Weight: 212.4, which might be a little lower than last week. This is something of a miracle for reasons that will be explained below.

Exercise: I did yoga four times of four pledged, strength training five times of four pledged, and walked a TON (though one day only via gardening and one day on the elliptical). I tried a new total body workout yesterday via Fiton, and it kicked my ass (so many squats!), but it felt good to move my body that way and to know that I can. On our mini-vacation this week, we walked on Tuesday evening and hiked on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday's hike wasn't the longest, but it was extremely rigorous--a lot of steep ascents and descents and a lot of tricky footwork. Thursday's hike was just over 3 miles. Friday, T. and I climbed halfway up a gorge to look at waterfalls and then climbed back down. Combined with yesterday's squat-heavy workout, all of this means my thighs are SORE today!

Eating plan: I did okay while away, I thought. I made it a point to have salad each day, and though I did eat some desserts and chips and the like, I thought I'd been more moderate than would be typical of me on vacation, but when I stepped on the scale Saturday morning, I was at 217! I couldn't believe I'd gained so much, especially with all the exercise. So, I immediately switched to a very clean-eating plan, focusing on oatmeal and fruit, salads, rice and beans, and the like, and I lost all that gain and a little more, thankfully. And I feel much better. Every evening of our trip, I had heartburn, which usually comes about as a result of both eating and having gained past a certain threshold. Anyway, all of this is to say that I have embraced summer succulence--including my own homegrown greens--and am enjoying the fresh produce and the healthful feeling eating clean always gives me.

Hydration: Absolutely!

Meditation: Yes, I think so? I wasn't alone much this past week, which made it more challenging, but I think I did meditate at least once.

Sleep: Ugh. I have travel anxiety, so my sleep wasn't great for a couple of nights this past week, but I'm fine now and back to my natural sleep schedule, which is going to bed circa 1-2am and getting up around 8-9am. I love reading deep into the night!

My plan for the week ahead: Clean eating. The usual exercise, with perhaps less outdoors walking and more elliptical, etc. The heat is supposed to moderate on Wednesday. We'll see.



Have an exceptional week, my friends!

Comments

[oschun]

Sounds like you had a lovely time away. Climbing gorges to look at waterfalls is the perfect way to exercise! And well done on turning things around so quickly and losing the weight you gained.

I've had a crazy week. Things are supposed to be calming down at school, but they really aren't. It's worse this year than it's ever been. I was sick with a cold over the weekend, which was very unexpected (a cold in June?!) and unpleasant in the heat and humidity we're also experiencing. So I'm being very gentle with myself and just trying to get through it. No guilt over not exercising enough; eating well and getting enough sleep; going for the occasional walk. Those are my only goals. Just four more weeks and then I'm done. I do have some fun social things (with people I care about and don't get to see enough of) in the diary over the next four weekends so that will keep me going too.

[sylvanwitch]

We were in so many beautiful natural spaces last week. As much as I was looking forward to my own bed and my kitties, I was definitely sad to be leaving so much wild wonder behind. We'll definitely be revisiting World's End State Park in PA. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a real hidden gem.

Ugh, I am getting sympathy stress from reading about your remaining weeks of school, and I hope they fly by, hon, and that you continue to be gentle with and take good care of yourself. Please cling to the promise of the break that's coming up. I'm glad you have delightful friend encounters to look forward to between now and then. *hugs*

accountability

[oldtoadwoman]

I finally updated my weight chart for the first time since the schoolyear began. (I weighed in sporadically and when I did, I recorded that on my phone, but wasn't updating the spreadsheet with the data.) I made a post about it. Seeing the graph makes it feel much more real to me. My main goal is to just keep weighing in regularly to make myself face reality.

Of course, I'm about to go on vacation where I won't have access to scales and there will probably be a lot of eating at restaurants, so ... here's hoping that doesn't do too much damage to my momentum.

At any rate, after spiking just above the "morbidly obese" threshold, I was a tiny bit below that this morning, so I'm taking the win.

Re: accountability

[sylvanwitch]

I saw your post but didn't have the chance to comment. But I know you have excellent success with accountability when you do weigh yourself regularly, and I am sending all kinds of good thoughts your way for a lovely vacation and then a swift return to a routine at home that allows you to regulate your habits. (I know it always takes me a bit to get back on the wagon when I've been off it for a while.) Have a great trip!

Re: accountability

[oldtoadwoman]

Good news: I only gained two pounds on vacation. (We did SO MUCH WALKING that I'm exhausted, but at least it seemed to have mitigated most of the food.)

Re: accountability

[sylvanwitch]

Oh, that's *great* news! (I always gain at least five pounds despite all the walking and hiking we do!) Go, you! Now you can hopefully settle into a routine that includes better food habits and some regular exercise (?). I'm glad you survived the memorial service, and I hope you enjoyed your vacation!

Re: accountability

[oldtoadwoman]

Well, this next week my sister is visiting and she recently had a fall where her hip is sore if she walks too much, so ... now I've got a week of dinners out coming up and minimal walking to balance it out. Wish me luck!

Re: accountability

[sylvanwitch]

Oh, no! Good luck!

[delphi]

So sorry to hear you're in the heat wave, and I'm glad you're keeping hydrated! Congrats on all the walking, and what sounds like some great views on your mini-vacation.

I've admittedly been trudging through the bad time of year for me, SAD-wise. It hasn't been hideously hot here yet, fortunately, but my brain has not been enjoying the amount of sunlight. I've been struggling the most with eating regularly and with getting out walking on warm days, but I'm working at it. I've got more stupid-easy meals in my arsenal these days (berries and nuts are a better breakfast than nothing, some silken tofu gets a little protein in without feeling like much, etc.) and I'm just trying to take each day a time.

[sylvanwitch]

Ugh, that's right! I'd forgotten your SAD is related to the longer days. I'm glad we've at least had the solstice, so things are turning back in the right direction for you. It sounds like you're doing your best, which is outstanding, especially considering everything working against the good habits you've developed. I'm sending you cool twilight thoughts, my friend, and big, big *hugs*.

[luzula]

I haven't reported in for a while--it's been a lot! I'm beginning to recover from all the writing work I had to do when giving feedback on student essays, which gave me a stiff back and shoulders and neck, and aching hands. But the last week I've been good about going running and working out, which really is key to recovering. So I hereby resolve to continue doing that. I'm also on vacation now which is a relief, although there's still board work on my environmental organization. But otherwise I look forward to dedicating myself to gardening and other work around the farm.

Best of luck with your weight, and good work with all the exercise! <3

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you so much! And YAY for break, for recovering from your grading-induced suffering (to which I can relate), for running and working out and gardening and farm life. I am so glad to hear from you again and hope that the break is a very good one for you as you continue to enjoy your farm and home! :-)

[lenzes]

You're really killing it with all the exercise! And it sounds like you had a wonderful vacation! Being able to look at waterfalls is totally worth the climb, if you ask me. I hope you and your thighs have recuperated somewhat by now, though :) It's great that the clean eating is working for you – fresh produce, especially from one's own garden, really is delicious.

Goal 1 – walking: I didn't walk at all last week. Most of the time it was too hot outside. And on the couple of days, which were a bit cooler, I couldn't get myself motivated, to be honest.

Goal 2 – push-ups: And again – one more incline push-up :D

[sylvanwitch]

Waterfalls are almost always worth it! :-)

Believe me, I can relate to not wanting to be outside in the heat, but good on you for keeping up with the push-ups! I hope the weather is more conducive to walking for you now and that the week you're having has been a good one for you.