Fitness Fellowship 2025: Check-in 33 (a day late)

[sylvanwitch]

Here we are past the midway point of August. I go back to work next week (meetings, student orientations, etc.) and I'm having a little trouble wrapping my brain around it. For 50 of my 54 years, the rhythms of my life have been dictated by the academic calendar, but every year I grow older, the harder it is for me to readjust to having less time for myself.

If you have a similar challenge in your life, a cyclical thing that dictates to you the way you spend your time, do you also experience feelings of stress when an expected change comes around?

As always, there's no need to answer my navel-gazing questions, but please do share how your fitness journey went for you this past week.



Weight: Well, I gained a LOT on our staycation, but I'm pleased to report that I'm only a pound up from last week's weigh-in today. I'm pleased with that.

Exercise: I did yoga four out of four times pledged, did strength training four out of three times pledged, and walked a LOT. I was breaking in new sneakers, and I paid the price in blisters!

Eating Plan: We had a few seasonal restaurants we wanted to get takeout from before they closed, so we made it a point to do that during our staycation, which means I was eating a lot of stuff I don't normally consume. Still, it was all delicious, and I don't really regret any of it!

Hydration: Absolutely! It was very hot here last week, so hydration was a must.

Meditation: Yes, once.

Sleep: I've been staying up so late because I've been reading books that just won't let me go. I need to readjust my sleep schedule so next week's school hours don't kick my butt.

The week ahead: As noted, I need to work on getting to bed earlier and getting up earlier to help my body readjust to the school thing. Otherwise, I'm going to eat healthily, get the usual exercise, meditate, hydrate, etc. Same old, same old, but with a sense of urgency and growing dread. Lol!


I'm sending you all the good vibes I can spare that you have lots of success this coming week!

Comments

[luzula]

The welfare state is in general going downhill in Sweden, but we still have 25 days of vacation by law, which is good, and many have more than that.

Do teachers in the US have more vacation than other workers, then?

[sylvanwitch]

Many of my fellow high school teachers have second jobs and/or work through the summer (teaching remedial classes, for example). I used to teach summer school, too. But, my school finishes by mid-June, and we are required back for meetings starting on 8/25, so we do get about 75 days off, which we can choose what we’d like to do with. We also get two weeks at the winter holiday, a week in February, and six or seven days for Easter. I should note that I teach at a private, Catholic high school, so teachers in public schools or in private schools that are not Catholic may have a different experience of time off.

ETA: My math isn’t mathing. I just realized that 75 days includes weekends. I think it’s closer to 55 days, which is still excellent.

[luzula]

Sounds like a good choice! Time off is so valuable.