Fitness Fellowship 2025: Check-in 48

[sylvanwitch]

Here we are at the beginning of the last month of the year. We've been at this journey together for 11 full months. I'm not sure I can explain where the time went, but it certainly feels like it flew by!

I'm hoping the week has been a good one for you and that you'll share your progress with us here. As always, please feel free to say as little or as much as you'd like, and know that you are welcome to change your fitness goals at any time.



Weight: 198.0, down 2.4 from last week's high and down .2 from my lowest weigh-in here to date. (Full confession: I actually saw 197-point-something before the Thanksgiving holiday, but I'm not fussing about it.)

Exercise: I walked seven days out of seven, did yoga four times out of four pledged, and did strength training three times out of three pledged. We did a lot of walking both Saturday and Sunday, especially, but even during my annual LotR movie marathon on Friday, I made sure to get up and walk in place, lift weights, and use the elliptical.

Eating plan: I also avoided overeating, which is a big deal for me. Typically, my Black Friday tradition is to eat leftovers any time I have the urge, but this year, I was much more thoughtful about both my food choices and how much and how often I ate. I didn't gain any weight from Thanksgiving, and I gained only a little from Black Friday, and I take that as a significant victory precisely because both of those days are food-centric occasions. Most importantly, I didn't feel deprived or resentful, and I have hope that that means I might be changing not just my eating habits but also my attitudes toward food-as-reward. That would be a much more important change than I can properly express.

Sleep: Ha! I slid back into my night-owl ways, and I paid for it last night, when I couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep and had to get up at 6 this morning. (I would like to say I've learned my lesson, but I will definitely repeat this foolish behavior on my next holiday break.)

Meditation: Yes! I have been enjoying a meditation challenge on FitOn, so I'm being introduced to new guides and new practices. It's been fun!

Hydration: Yes! I've been drinking SO much water, but I've also been enjoying some new-to-me herbal teas.

The week ahead: Same old, same old. :-)



May the week ahead be full of fitness opportunities that don't suck! Lol!

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

We spent one day hacking away at the brush pile in the parking lot and made great progress there. We piled a lot of twigs in the firepit and got an armload of kindling added to the woodpile for the woodstove.

Then it snowed, and we haven't been able to do any yardwork since then. :/ Plus the snow wiped out our plans for Small Business Saturday.

At some point we need to get out and split the logs left from cutting up the big tree branches. We've got a hand-operated splitter though.

Tonight I made Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup for supper.

There are a lot of holiday markets we want to visit, which is a great opportunity for walking, but that will depend a lot on the weather and road conditions. Next weekend's is up in Danville.

Tuesday will be the Poetry Fishbowl on "Sentient and Self-Aware Machines" so that day's work is mostly sitting, aside from necessary outdoor chores.

Re: Thoughts

[sylvanwitch]

It sounds like you did a great deal of work on the brush pile--kudos to you! That's hard work! And YAY for holiday markets! We went to one on Saturday in the city, and it was really lovely and so well done. I'd never been to one before and we both enjoyed it so much that we're seeking out others, as well. It's a holiday trend I'm happy about because I can people-watch and get some exercise at the same time!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>It sounds like you did a great deal of work on the brush pile--kudos to you! That's hard work! <<

It's good progress. We've built up a nice core of a bonfire, though there's room for more. Indoors we have a woodstove that we use when the temperature gets too cold for the heat pump to keep the house warm. That includes hauling wood around, sometimes splitting logs smaller or foraging for kindling.

>> And YAY for holiday markets! We went to one on Saturday in the city, and it was really lovely and so well done. I'd never been to one before and we both enjoyed it so much that we're seeking out others, as well. It's a holiday trend I'm happy about because I can people-watch and get some exercise at the same time!<<

I'm so glad you found one! :D

I enjoy walking around looking at crafts. The one this coming Saturday is supposed to be huge. The last one by that organizer filled Lincoln Square Mall and this will be bigger -- it's at an arena. I hope it doesn't get snowed out like last weekend did.

If I can find a good day for it, I want to go back to Tuscola with my camera and walk around trying to get pictures of all the holiday-painted windows. I think they got a local artist(s) to do them because the style is consistent. It looked amazing when we were there earlier.

[oschun]

I think changing your habits can lead to changes in attitude. For me, doing the Zoe programme shifted my perception of food. I do still eat badly sometimes but I mostly have an aversion to ultra-processed foods. I don't see things in the same way anymore when I walk through a supermarket. Good luck with the changes you're making!

[sylvanwitch]

I know exactly what you mean about walking through the grocery store! Once I read Dr. Greger's first book, I spent a lot of time sort of fascinated and horrified--simultaneously--at the ingredients in things and just how much marketing there was around food that was just so OBVIOUSLY terrible for a human being to ingest. I was wary of becoming a food evangelist, so I kept it to myself for the most part, but T. did get quite a lot of quiet lectures about things he was regularly eating (and still regularly eats, alas). Anyway, I am so glad the Zoe program has worked for you in such a meaningful and life-altering way! :-)