This should really be re titled as "Fitness Wednesday", but I'll stick with the alliteration for now. Similar to most people, I do best with a regular routine, on the health & fitness front. Since April, I've done two international trips, one college tour, one trip to my parents house for my nephew's graduation, and one weekend trip for a wedding. Individually, any of these would be fine, but added together, they definitely got me out of a routine, & I've struggled to get back into one.
I've done a good job over the last 3 years or so of sticking with my workout routine regardless, even if it's sometimes dialed back on travel or jet lagged days. Eating, however, is much harder for me to rebound from splurges back to healthy habits.
I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs (realistically, anything around the ten pound mark would be great), and I'd like a diet (e.g. not a short term "diet", but a healthy approach to eating) that I can use for the rest of my life. I'm fine with occasional calorie tracking, to ensure I know how much I'm eating, but I really don't want that to be the rest of my life, worrying about each calorie. I also find that I just get decision fatigue. Should I eat this? That? Have I burned enough calories?
I've been following the No S diet (no affiliation of any kind) for the past ten days or so, and am really liking how easy it is. Basically, no sweets, snacks, or seconds (portions) for any days that don't start with S. On S days (Saturday & Sunday), you can indulge a bit more, but be reasonable. Special occasion days (your birthday, Christmas, or whatever) can fit within an S day.
Trying this out has made me realize how much snacking I was doing! It's been super helpful & eye opening, just to make this adjustment to my diet, and I've lost 1.5 lbs in two weeks. I'm going to give it a few more weeks, and continue to make small adjustments to my eating (ensuring I'm getting enough fruit & veggies, as typically fruit served as a "snack), but so far, I love how easy it is & can definitely see following this forever. It's also described as the "Grandma Diet", as it's reflective of how your older relatives likely ate.
On the fitness front, I'm still juggling OrangeTheory workout classes (love them, and really enjoy the strength training element, and the muscle tone I've developed in my arms), combined with running. I'm doing a relay at the end of August, and need to dial up my miles. I also have some piriformis pain, and need to increase my stretching.
What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness?
My fitness activity is at the mercy of my pain and fatigue but I decided to try to moderate my carb/starch intake for a while to see if it helps with this extra weight I'm carrying. It's just enough to be uncomfortable and I'm hoping it helps me feel more comfortable in my skin.
ReplyDeleteI always just feel better when I reduce my carb/starch intake - I'm not sensitive to gluten, but my body does well with less vs more. Plus, the less of it I eat, the better the rest of my eating tends to be - more room for lean protein, veggies, etc.
DeleteWhat I've learned over the years is that my weight is more a result of what goes in my mouth than how many calories I burn during hikes/runs/bike rides/etc. Every single time I cut back on calories, I lose weight. What is hard these days is accepting that as I get older I can ingest even fewer calories per day than in years past, or else the.weight will begin to pile on. In other words, it's almost impossible to exercise your way into weight loss. At least in my experience.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that I did end up losing 10 pounds during our recent 200+ mile hike across Spain. However, I did so by walking at a pace of almost 20 miles a day, which is not something I can realistically keep up now that we're home. If I plan to keep the weight off (which I do!), I've had to cut my calories substantially, even with our more normal weekly fitness schedule 5-10 mile hikes, yoga and weight training each week.
- Tamara R
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