Wingfoot the Wanderer

[Wingfoot]

Well, hello there, fellow traveler!  Thanks for visiting!

 

I'm Wingfoot.  I joined the forums in the summer of 2013, but my fitness journey started long before then.  I started to write a condensed version of my story here, but even the condensed version was kind of long, so...  here's some bullet points (sorry, still long, but at least now they're bullets):

• Highest recorded weight: 265 lbs in 2007
• Prone to long, meandering walks my entire life
• Started running intervals in 2010
• First backpacking trip in 2011 (didn't train at all, did everything wrong, ended the trip early, fell in love with it anyways).  Since then, I have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice, plus backpacking trips in Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and along the Colorado Trail.
• Had a minor brush with cancer in 2012.  Started actually seeing doctors after that.  Found out I had a thyroid problem.  Meds were amazing.  Started working out consistently for the first time ever.  Mostly yoga and interval runs.
• In 2013, discovered NF while googling upper body strength for women because I'd hired a personal trainer who refused to teach me anything useful
• My first 6-week challenge was intended to get me to stick to training until I could run a mile.  Ran a mile on the first day of the challenge (guess I'd been underestimating myself!) and changed the target to a 5k.  I ran my first 5k by the end of the challenge, then ran two half marathons and a Ragnar relay in 2013-2014 before accepting how much I hate running long distances.  But before I quit, hit my lowest weight in years -- 175 lbs.
• After I quit running, I tried to teach myself powerlifting, thought I was doing great until I went to CNF in 2014 and found out my squat was anything but a squat.  Hired a powerlifting coach and worked with him for over a year.  Squat is still problematic, but I loved lifting.  Deadlifts are my favorite favorite.
• While training with the powerlifting coach, I gave myself permission to focus solely on building strength and not on fat loss.  Gained about 25 pounds, but managed to convince myself it didn't matter because all my clothes still fit -- the only measurements that went up were lower thigh (hello, quads!) and upper arm.
• In the summer of 2016, rode my bicycle from Brooklyn, NY to Seattle, WA.  It was about 4,200 miles and took me 4 months.  I learned so much about my own strength, both physical and mental, and I absolutely would not trade this trip for anything in the world.  Lost a couple of pounds, but nothing significant.  There was a lot of carbloading, and I regret none of it.

 

So...  Fast forward to this week.  I've been wanting a DXA scan for a long time, but there's nowhere to get one in NYC.  I was in San Francisco visiting friends and managed to get an appointment for a scan while I was there.

 

Look.  I know I'm fat.  But since I found out I could do things like yoga and running and lifting and cycling, I'd learned to take great pride in my strength.  And I'd told myself a story about my big strong muscles hiding under all the fat, and everyone else seemed to buy into it.  My friends, who've seen me lose 70 pounds and push myself through all these physical challenges, are always telling me I'm inspiring and I look great.  My coach is a powerlifting coach, he isn't overly concerned about fat.  And even my doctor was starting to say even with low body fat I'd probably weigh 160 because of the muscle.  And I started to really buy into this idea.  I'd looked at those stupid pictures of what women look like with different body fat percentages, and I thought I had a rough idea of mine (apparently a very, very common misconception among those without a means of measuring it accurately).  More importantly, though, I thought I had an idea of how much lean body mass I had.

 

I was wrong.  The DXA scan basically knocked my feet out from under me.  My lean body mass was only 106 pounds.  I have since come to terms with the idea that this isn't a terribly low LBM for a 5'4" woman, but when I first saw it I felt like I had been an idiot to ever think I was strong.  The body fat percentage (45%) was pretty crushing too (I was expecting around 33%).  Even if my LBM is completely unchanged (unlikely), that would mean I was at least 65% fat at my heaviest.  I can't even begin to contemplate that.

 

I wish I had better data from when I started my journey, because those would help to put my current numbers into perspective.  I wish I had kept all my exercise logs over the years so I could see how much fitter I've become.  I don't have those things, so I have to keep reminding myself about things like my backpacking trips and my amazing bicycle trip to remind me that I've come a really, really long way.  I can feel the changes in my body, and I'm grateful every day for all the changes in my lifestyle.  I'd been thinking about starting a battle log anyhow, but this cinched it for me.  This is the record for future Wingfoot, so she can look back and remember how hard she worked every day.

 

I'm also hoping to be able to interact with others on the forums.  I really enjoyed it during my 6-week challenge threads years ago, but eventually all the people I'd been interacting with stopped posting.  I participate in the academy FB page, but it's not very fitness focused these days, and to be honest I feel like a large percentage of the active FB community is still trying to work out some of the basic mindset stuff.  I'm happy to help support others, but I'm not sure I feel like that group is the community I need when I need to be challenged to push myself harder.  I hope that's not a terrible thing to say.

 

If you've made it this far, I salute you!  I'm going to sign off for now, and save the specifics about next steps for another entry.  

 

Be well, friends.

 

 

[Wingfoot]

OK, so I think in a battle log, I just keep replying to my original post, yes?  Let's hope so.

 

Since my bicycle trip, I've been a bit of a nomad.  I don't have a home base or a gym membership or a kitchen or any semblance of stability.  I'm living out of a suitcase.  So I haven't exactly jumped back into the gym, other than a couple of quick workouts when I managed to get in on a guest pass, plus a few yoga classes (including an aerial yoga class which was the COOLEST THING EVER but didn't make any of my muscles sore, sadly).  That said, I was very aware of how carb-heavy my diet was during the bike trip, and I immediately focused on diet when the trip ended.  I spent a couple of weeks tracking to make sure I had the carb thing under control, and set myself at what I believed to be a good calorie level just a few hundred under maintenance.  I also resolved to focus on some bodyweight exercises that I've been wanting to work on (plus squats, always squats), and to start mixing in more high intensity intervals.  

 

The DXA scan hasn't changed my focus.  Bodyweight is still the right thing for me right now.  Whatever else I may or may not have accomplished over the past few years, I do know my body a lot better now, and as a result I have enough awareness of my body's weak points to design myself a program.  That said, the scan has left me feeling much, much more committed to consistency.  Fat loss is now priority #1 (well, mindful fat loss that doesn't result in significant muscle loss, anyways).  As a result of the DXA scan, I've been able to get a better estimate of my BMR, and I've reduced my daily caloric intake accordingly.  I also started a tiny notebook for tracking daily exercise, calories, and water intake.  Previously I've kept these notes in shorthand on a wall calendar (plus a separate journal for my weightlifting notes), but I like the portability of my tiny notebook, the idea of integrating all my forms of exercise into one log, and the simplicity of having a separate page for each day.

 

So I'm planning on following the program below for the next 8 weeks.  Roughly.  I am big on flexibility, so I may change it if the need arises (but not to be easier).

• Intentional walk of at least 3 miles a day for the first 2 weeks, then 5 miles a day after that (I'm in Seattle at the moment, it's really freaking hilly, and I didn't walk much during the bike trip so I think it's best to ease into this.  Plus I just cut my calories and I'm hungry and grumpy, so there's that).
• Bodyweight exercises at least 6 days per week.  In order to give myself and my body some variety, I can choose the bodyweight exercises each day, as long as at least 3 of the groups below are represented each day:
  • squats, lunges, or wall sits
  • hollow body, boat, or leg raises (not sure of the actual name of these)
  • bridge, table, plank, or side plank
  • incline push-ups, L sit progression, or dips
• 3 liters of water daily (got out of the habit with all the recent travel)
• By week 3, the plan will include high intensity intervals (sprints or jump rope, mostly), which can be traded in for some of the walking miles, but I'm still working out the details on that (not sure what city I'll be in, trying to figure out where I can find a running track).

I've also been really unproductive during my nomadic days, so every day I am going to do at least one of the following productive things -- job search, write, or study Spanish -- for a minimum of 30 minutes.

 

So that's the plan.  In the absence of a gym, a home, or any equipment, this feels like what's reasonable for me right now.  I'm currently on day 4 and it's going well.  If you think I'm deluding myself into thinking it's enough, well... try to tell me gently, please?  My ego is still fragile from the DXA scan.  

[Wingfoot]

Crap, now I've posted two giant walls of text.  Sorry!!

[darkfoxx]

YAAAAAS!! About damn time  

[Wingfoot]

LOL, did I mention I haven't been very productive lately?  Yeah...

[ohlemontine]

Hello, commenting to follow this thread. I love that you're not letting the dxa scan really get to you, it's just another piece of data that lets you know where you are and where you want to go. I don't think I'm quite at that place myself yet, so that's very inspiring, keep up the amazing journey!

[darkfoxx]

You're fouruming correctly and your goals look attainable and scalable enough to keep you from getting bored.

I'd throw the opportunity for a yoga or some other class to work into the mix as needed - I'm currently doing 2 classes a week + some specific mobility work just so my body stays in some sort of good shape going into hibernation season.

And you're fine - DXA be damned. Still doesn't change the fact that you BIKED ACROSS THE GODDAMN CONTINENT. THE CONTINENT.

So what if you did it under an assumed body fat index? You did it.

Battling weight + thyroid issues is no damn joke - my best friend has the same combo of issues and she's had to work three times as hard as anyone else I know to lose (and keep off) every damn pound.

I think she's currently doing a mix of walking, jogging & keto with intermittent fasting to kick that number down (and get her doctor off her ass).

I've seen her struggle and her pain over 20(!!) years, and that shit is r-o-u-g-h. Totally doable to deal with, but rough and deserving of a little extra time and a little extra love.

You'll find what works for you and a way to incorporate that with the things you already know you love.

Reaching out for your support network is a fantastic start.

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[Wingfoot]

Thanks @darkfoxx!

 

4 hours ago, darkfoxx said:

I'd throw the opportunity for a yoga or some other class to work into the mix as needed - I'm currently doing 2 classes a week + some specific mobility work just so my body stays in some sort of good shape going into hibernation season.

I am definitely up for including yoga, and would consider it a substitute for any given day's bodyweight workout.  The reason I decided not to include it specifically was that I've been doing drop-in sessions at various studios while I'm traveling, and that's getting expensive at $22-35 a pop.  It's also weird popping in to different studios and having no idea what teaching style I'm about to encounter -- although I'm sure the variety is probably good for my body.  Anyways, hopefully I'll be sitting still somewhere for at least a few weeks sometime soon, so I might be able to get a punchcard or find some cheaper community classes. 

 

4 hours ago, darkfoxx said:

Battling weight + thyroid issues is no damn joke - my best friend has the same combo of issues and she's had to work three times as hard as anyone else I know to lose (and keep off) every damn pound.

...

I've seen her struggle and her pain over 20(!!) years, and that shit is r-o-u-g-h. Totally doable to deal with, but rough and deserving of a little extra time and a little extra love.

Thanks for this.  I go back and forth on what to think about the thyroid thing.  On the one hand, I know that I have to work harder to lose weight than some people do, and I wonder whether the thyroid problem is the reason for that.  On the other hand, my doctor says I should be able to lose weight when my meds are at the right level, so then I worry that maybe I'm just making excuses if I point to the thyroid problem as a factor in all of this.  It's nice to hear from someone else that this is a real challenge and not just some excuse I'm making.  Anyways, whatever it is, I definitely have a hard time with any form of body recomp (muscle gain OR fat loss), but I'm also stubborn as hell and refuse to stop trying.  And all that trying has resulted in a lot of fantastic changes in my life, so I'll just keep pushing even when the physical progress seems discouragingly slow.

[darkfoxx]

It's rough. The girlfriend has been to doctors aplenty, nutritionists, got a consult for gastric bypass at one doc's request, got turned down for the bypass, and has gotten pretty much nothing but scattered and contradictory answers over the years. It's been frustrating to say the least.

Luckily, she's stubborn too and refuses to sit idly by while her body does it's own thing.

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[Wingfoot]

OK, I guess I'm just over a week into my 8 weeks -- still waiting for my overnight magical results LOL, but things are going well.  I'm really enjoying having my tiny notebook to track everything in.

• Walking -- I averaged 3.9 miles a day, but the actual distances varied a lot from day to day. The first two days I was road tripping through the rain and didn't come anywhere near 3 miles, and then once I hit Seattle I had several 6-7 mile days.  Halloween was the hardest because I did NOT want to do anything at ALL.  The hostel where I was staying was having a scary movie marathon all day and I would have been perfectly content to sit there eating popcorn and candy all freaking day.  But this battle log got me out the door walking, and I confess the walk actually improved my mood a fair bit.
• Bodyweight exercises -- 6 days out of 7, as promised.  I really liked having the options to choose from each day, so I never felt like I "had" to do any particular movement that sounded annoying that day.  I'm loving the core work (in a love the hating it kind of way) and it's becoming very obvious that my arms and shoulders are my weak point.  Always good to get some feedback from your body, huh?
• Water -- sometimes it involved chugging half a liter right before bed, but I got my 3 liters a day (except on the road tripping days).
• Diet -- I've been within 150 calories of my goal in either direction every day.  One day I went over when I ate out for dinner and one day I went over on the road trip.  But I believe in averages and there were also days I was a little under.  I'm good with this.  I had some serious hunger and a little lightheadedness in the first few days (mostly when I was on long walks) but I seem to be adapting now.
• Productivity -- um, it's coming around?  Yesterday I almost blew it off, but then did a Spanish lesson just before bed.  One day I counted paying my rent as productivity, which is cheating a little... but having a place to live is important too!  But one day I did some job hunting and one day I made this battle log.  I think I need to have a list of things that need done so I can choose from the list each day.  Will work on this. 

I found a sublet for the month of November in a cool part of Seattle, so I'm going to stop moving around for the next few weeks.  I think it's going to help a lot with all of my goals -- the nomad life has been wearing on me a bit lately.  I'm also feeling pretty worn down even though I'm sleeping 9 or 10 hours a night, so I think I need to get my thyroid levels checked again.  Ooh, but my new sublet is near a track, so sprint intervals should be logistically easy!  Very pleased about that.  I'm also tempted to get a Class Pass so I can try some of the nearby gyms -- there's a boxing place and a boot camp place and a dance place, and I'm sure lots of other places I don't know about yet.  I'm only here a month, so I doubt I'll get too involved with any new type of workout, but it doesn't hurt to sample a few new things and see if something clicks with me.  

 

Anyways.  This coffee shop just finished baking some cookies and the smell is driving me nuts, so I'm going to log off and go walking.  Be well, friends.

[darkfoxx]

"But this battle log got me out the door walking, and I confess the walk actually improved my mood a fair bit."

Yep. *definitely* foruming right!

Way to go!

Ooh. Cool Seattle sublet - that sounds fantastic. Capitol Hill? Ballard? Some other cool neighborhood I don't know yet?

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[Wingfoot]

@darkfoxx, I'm in Capitol Hill for the month.  I predict embarrassing amounts of money will be spent on tea and books at Elliott Bay Bookstore.  But since this is the neighborhood I ended up in most days, it makes sense to be here.

[darkfoxx]

Ooh! I (theoretically) love that neighborhood. I've online stalked it and have been told I would, but never made it farther than the fish ladder when not hiking during my visit.

Seattle

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[Wingfoot]

OK, week 2.  I had a massive case of the do-not-want-tos all week long.  I didn't want to eat my stupid healthy food, I did not want to go on my stupid walks, I did not want to move my body, I did not want to do anything productive.  I'm sure I was an absolute delight to be around

 

That said, I'm pretty pleased with myself that I met all of my goals for the week except water intake -- for some reason, I struggled to get past the 2.5 liter point every day.  This happens sometimes when I'm bloated, so I'm not going to stress over it.

• Walking -- I averaged 4.75 miles a day and never fell under the 3 mile daily limit.
• Bodyweight exercises -- 6 days out of 7, as planned.  I'm definitely finding that I have favorites among my bodyweight choices, but that's working to my favor.  On days when I don't want to do anything, I can tell myself "that's ok, you can do wall sits instead of lunges" and it feels like I'm taking it easy when actually I'm still following the (self-imposed) rules.  I added sit-ups to the list of core exercises, too, and I've weirdly been loving them.
• Water -- yeah, I tried, but I only hit 3 liters for 3 days this week.  2.5-2.75 liters all the other days.  I know I feel best at around 3L, but if my body's saying no on a given day I'm not going to force it.
• Diet -- I did really well this week.  One day I went to the movies and had a small popcorn for lunch, but I worked it into the calorie budget.  I don't want to make a habit of it because I try to focus on nutrient-dense foods, but it was fun for a day.
• Productivity -- well, it's a good thing working on Spanish counts, because I did that six out of seven days.  On the seventh day, I figured out how I'm going to continue to get my prescriptions after my doctor leaves the medical practice I used to go to.  I'm treating productivity like the bodyweight exercises -- I have a menu to choose from, and all I have to do is choose SOMETHING.  Hopefully I'll feel less lazy soon and start choosing things other than Spanish, but hey, if I come out of this speaking a new language that's not a terrible thing. 

I toyed with the idea of doing some more intense exercise a couple of times this week, but it's not required (under my self-designed program) until week 3, and since I was feeling grumpy I took great joy in deciding not to do any "extra credit".  I did make my way up to Green Lake to meet another rebel and go for a walk, and then she and I made plans to run a turkey trot on Thanksgiving, so that was nice.  I haven't run more than a mile at a time since, I don't know, 2014, so this may be interesting, but I figure worst case I end up walking some of it, which really isn't a big deal.

 

I'm enjoying living in Capitol Hill.  I'm glad I decided to sit still for a little while, although I've already started researching where to go next   Most days I go hang out in the coffee shop in Elliott Bay Bookstore, and walk around the neighborhood exploring a little.  I'm loving the local grocery stores and the chance to cook real meals in a real kitchen.  And I found a local yoga/spin studio with a really good intro offer, so I'm going to check them out in week 3.  There's also a really great women's spa that I've been wanting to go to (it'll be a big 20SOC moment for me, because it's a naked spa!) but I'm waiting until it's more hygienically appropriate for me to be naked in a hot tub, if ya get me.  

 

Anyways, today isn't such a great day out in the world, but I wanted to write this before I got too far into the next week.  I hope everyone's holding up ok.  Be well, friends.

[darkfoxx]

Way to go on tricking your grumpy self into productivity! That's a great tactic and I may have to swipe it

Your schedule sounds great - just the thing to do in a new place. Naked spa sounds terrifying but like a whole relaxing temple of pampering awesomeness.

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[Wingfoot]

Thanks @darkfoxx!  I love tricking myself, it's incredibly effective.  

 

The naked spa sounds terrifying to me, too.  I found it by accident -- I went there for a massage after the bike trip ended, and they gave me a little tour of the spa/sauna area in the back.  Seeing women of all sizes and shapes just chillaxing in the hot tub and sauna was kind of wonderfully refreshing.  I've been working on accepting my body for a long, long time, and it occurred to me what a big step it would be to walk calmly around this space, not hiding the parts of me that feel ugliest.  And I figure the best time to be bold, to try scary new things, is when you're alone, far from home, in a completely new place.  So I think I'm going to do it!  Besides, a sauna sounds wonderful for my poor, tired body.

 

[Wingfoot]

P.S. Productivity is suddenly on FIRE today.  I don't know what brought it on, exactly, but I am going to ride this productivity wave as far as it will take me!

[darkfoxx]

YAAAS productivity [emoji91]!!

And yes! Be bold in this time of awesomeness!!

That's exactly what I've heard about those spas before. I've read a few really good articles coming from the different types of NYC spas (Russian & Korean) and both types of women talked about how great it was to finally be in a space to consider letting that shit go.

Plus amazing feels. And lunch.

Let me know how it goes!

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[Wingfoot]

Week 3!  I have to admit, I'm already tired of this cut.  I'm looking forward to maintenance eating like a kid looks forward to Christmas (actually, maintenance is going to start right around Christmas, so that's basically my present this year.)  It's not like the food I'm eating isn't satisfying or whatever, but I'm craving something and I have no idea what.  I think salt is involved.  Pizza?  Unclear.

 

Anyways.  Since this is week 3, it was time to add in interval cardio stuff and increase the daily mileage to 5.

• Walking -- I averaged 5.25 miles this week, and only dropped under 5 miles one day (and, since that was a cardio day, that was allowed under my made-up rules).
• Bodyweight exercises -- Technically I did 6 out of 7 days, which is the goal, but two of those days were yoga and they were right next to my rest day so it kind of felt like I was cheating.  I mean, the yoga classes were hard, so I'm not sure why it feels "wrong".  Actually, I was rather displeased because the yoga classes were WAY harder than they should have been.  I went to a vinyasa class and it was the most brutal power yoga class I've ever been too -- to the point where I think the teacher was endangering people (she kept bragging about how no one in the class could keep up with her, and people were frantically throwing themselves into poses in an attempt not to get left behind).  And then, wanting to do something kind for my very sore body, I went to a restorative class for some deep stretching, and instead it was a typical vinyasa class.  It's a weird studio, I won't be going back after my 2-week intro pass expires.
• Interval/cardio exercises -- So I had grand ideas of doing sprint intervals around a nearby running track, and maybe including some jump rope, but as it turns out this is Seattle and I'm having a hard time motivating myself to go run in the rain.  I did spin classes instead.  I hadn't attempted spin since, like, 2003 and it went very badly, but I'm a lot fitter now and I've done a lot of cycling this year so I'm able to keep up much better.  I'm not spinning at the teacher's desired pace because it doesn't match the bpm of the the music she plays.  Still, my heart rate's up, I'm sweating like crazy, and I'm varying the intensity throughout the class, so I'm totally counting it.
• Water -- I made my goal for 6 out of 7 days, and was only about 8 ounces short on the seventh day.  It felt like a struggle, though.  This is usually an easy goal for me, not sure why I'm having a harder time with it here. 
• Diet -- With the election feelings, I also didn't make the healthiest choices for a couple of days.  I stayed in my calorie allowance most days (except election night, which involved a lot of wine and ice cream), but that may have involved replacing meals with the same number of junk food calories for a day or two...  Anyways, I gave myself a couple of days of comfort food and then put it away and got back on track. Still, 5 more weeks is sounding like a really long time at the moment.
• Productivity -- I had a job interview!  (Well, a telephone interview, but it's a step in the right direction).  Plus I did a bunch of Spanish lessons, located a place to volunteer when I'm in Denver next month, recruited friends and family to volunteer with me and signed up for shifts, advised some lawyer friends on pro bono options post-election, and started re-reading my blog from the bike trip in an attempt to process how far I came.

So, I'm technically pretty on track.  I'm a little worried that this is feeling like such a drag in week 3, because the hardest part of the 8 weeks will be when I'm staying with my sedentary, junk food family in December.  I really wanted to use the first 5 weeks to cement these habits before I get there.  Hopefully this is just some sort of slump and I'll feel more optimistic soon.  I mean, this has been an emotional week and I also added in the cardio workouts and increased my daily walking mileage and took an insanely difficult power yoga class, so I may just be feeling the week 3 blues.  And I'm really excited that I've set up those volunteer shifts in Denver, because at the very least they'll get me out of my mom's house a couple of times a week, and I can hopefully combine them with a bike ride or a long walk.  And to be fair, my mom thinks it's great that I exercise, and I know she'll take me to the gym in her local community center a couple of times a week so I can use the dumbbells and treadmill.  It's just that my whole family is so content to just sit on the sofa snacking and watching TV, and no matter how hard I fight it, I feel like I end up sitting there for hours every day.  But that's why I'm planning ahead!!

 

Anyways.  It's still 2 weeks away.  Time to stop fretting about that and go for my daily walk.

 

Be well, friends!

 

[darkfoxx]

Deeeeeeep breaths. The Week 3 slump is real! A bunch of us used to get the Week 3s every challenge cycle.

Way to go on being proactive to combat a sedentary holiday - that's good thinking ahead.

And those yoga classes sound crazy. I haaaaaate yoga teachers like that!

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[Wingfoot]

Week 4!  OK, @darkfoxx was right, the week 3 slump was just a slump.  For week 4, I did the bare minimum on all of my goals (just out of stubborn refusal to do anything extra) but found it surprisingly easy to do the minimum -- it's almost as though habits are forming or something...  I also had a conversation with my mom in which I introduced the idea that I am doing sort of a challenge with myself until Christmas.  I tend to ease her into this sort of information, so for now I only mentioned the daily walks but I'll sneak the rest in later.  I also proposed that she and I try zumba (which I love and I think she'll like as long as she doesn't have too hard a time with her bad leg) but she's used to me dragging her to the gym a couple of times a week when I'm home, so that won't be a problem.  The real challenge will be nutrition, but I'll bring that up when I get there.

 

Anyways.  I'm feeling a lot better about things than I was last week!  Here's the breakdown:

• Walking: I averaged 5.22 miles a day and always hit my minimum.  The only day I walked under 5 (4.25) was one of my cardio days, so it was allowed (and also my hip was bothering me and I was intentionally kind of taking it easy).
• Bodyweight exercises: So I ended up taking my rest day on the first day of the week because of my hip pain (which thankfully resolved itself with rest and gentle stretching), which meant I had no option of a rest day for the remainder of the week.  I was a little worried it would be a problem, but I felt a lot stronger this week than last week so it really wasn't a big deal.  One of the days was a yoga class, the other 5 were at-home choose-your-own-adventure types.  I also took a restorative yoga class, but it didn't count toward this because it was more recovery than exercise.
• Interval/cardio exercises: Two spin classes.  Still not the funnest thing ever, but I'm getting better at keeping up with the sprint portions (I'm generally better at resistance and less good at speed).
• Water:  I fell a little under my goal 2 days, but went way over on other days.  Decided to start counting my green tea at a rate of 75% (so, count a 12-oz tea as an 8-oz water) for up to two cups of green tea per day.  Not sure whether that's cheating, but I actually think it's kind of reasonable.
• Diet: I made my first attempt at fasting because I knew I was going to have a big dinner on Friday.  Didn't eat until early afternoon and then kept that meal small, so I had plenty of calories left for dinner.  It went better than I expected, but I'm probably not going to make a habit of it.  I was close to my calorie limit every day, and over the 7 days it averaged out perfectly.  Protein was a little low for a few days, so I'm going to keep a closer eye on that this week.  Also, I just discovered vanilla steamers, so I'm going to have to keep on eye on that too and make sure it doesn't derail the rest of what I'm doing.
• Productivity: I did a Spanish lesson every day.  Didn't do much else productivity-wise (unless calling my mom counts?) but hey, like I said, this week was all about doing the bare minimum.

Oh, I forgot to mention it last week, but I did go try out that naked spa.  There was an instant (when I was first walking toward other people while stark naked) when all my internal alarm systems went off, but I'm more of a fighter than a flighter, so I was basically like "oh yeah? you're scared? well ha! I'll show everyone how naked I can be!  I'll be the nakedest nakeder ever!" and kept walking.  Some moments were awkward (like the naked woman who planted herself standing directly in front of the steam room door and then acted offended when I asked her to let me out of the steam room) but mostly it was kind of nice.  I even tried the cold plunge, which was SO COLD.

 

 

[darkfoxx]

Yay battling out of the slump!!!!

And tackling naked spa - I completely understand the impetus to be the valedictorian of naked - same

*Viiiiiictory Daaaaaance!*

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[Wingfoot]

Week 5 is in the books and I am feeling great!!  I feel like I could do this forever, although I probably wouldn't feel that way if I didn't know there was an end date...  Anyways, I didn't want Thanksgiving to mess with my week, so instead of stressing about it I just made a plan in advance for what I would do when, and it was easy as pumpkin pie

 

• Walking: Average of 5.12 miles a day, hitting my minimum each day.
• Bodyweight exercises: 6 out of 7 days, as promised!  One of those days was a fantastic yoga class.  I took Thanksgiving as my rest day.  And on Sunday, since I went to a gym for cardio, I got to use dumbbells instead of just bodyweight!
• Interval/cardio exercises:  Spin class on Tuesday.  I meant to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, but I was meeting another rebel there and she met a new friend while she was waiting for me, and our new friend was rom out of town and planning on walking the 5K by herself, so we walked instead of running to keep her company.  Since the running didn't happen, I went to a local gym on Sunday and paid a drop-in fee to run intervals on the treadmill.
• Water: I hit my target 6/7 days and was only 8 oz short on the seventh day.  
• Diet: OK, so I ate light on Thanksgiving morning and then let loose for the rest of the day.  So I ate way over my calorie limit that day, but I'm not mad.  The other 6 days of the week were rock solid, and I did much better with protein this week too.  
• Productivity: 7/7.  Mostly Spanish lessons and preparing for my next move.  Spanish is getting harder with the past tense and the program I'm using isn't into drills and structure, so I made myself a conjugation chart and have been doing "extra credit" work in addition to the program.  I love that I'm finally sticking with Spanish, even if it's only because I don't want to do other productive things!

I am rocking my goals!  And when I was at the gym on Sunday, there was one of those big scales in the locker room like they have at doctors' offices, you know?  Well, I'd been waffling between "my pants feel looser" and "what if I haven't lost any weight??" so I popped myself on the scale for a sneak preview.  Different scales, different conditions, etc., so I can't be exact about it, but it looks like I've lost about 8 pounds!  I know some people can lose weight faster than that, but 8 pounds in 5 weeks is lightning fast for my body and I'm super duper excited about it.

 

[darkfoxx]

So. Much. Win going on here! And in the face of Thanksgiving, too! Way To Rock It

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