Fitness Monday

 First off, it's generally such a lovely group of readers/commenters (thank you!), but sometimes... 

AnonymousMarch 8, 2026 at 4:10 PM

Are you making comments on the Iran war? Or is that too much for you too? Loving the high gas and food prices. So much for savings!!

There are so many things I could say in response to this, but I'll just go with... you obviously don't know me at all, and you must not be a reader. 😂

Okay, back to the regularly scheduled programming. 

Weight: 161.4 (basically flat, or down by the tiniest .1 amount)

Calories: 1,548/day. 

Steps: 9,635/day. Oof. So low. With a focus on getting in different types of workouts & less cardio focused, this is causing a pretty big drop in my steps. I had a ~10 mile hike yesterday, so this is particularly crazy given how much that offset the rest of the days. I really need to find time throughout the day for small walks. 

Workouts:

• 1 mile treadmill walk
• 1 cardio/strength combo class
• 1 strength training class
• 1 stretching class
• 30 minutes on the elliptical
• Yoga class
• 9 mile hike + walk & talk chat with friends

Other: as part of my quest in 2026 to improve my health & dedicate time & money to resolving the issues that really bother me (notably, my chronic back pain that interferes with my sleep & the tendonitis in my hip that interferes with many things), I got a deep tissue sports massage on Saturday, that focused on trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and active release techniques (ART). Let's just say that, short of childbirth, it was one of the most uncomfortable experience I've ever had. That said, I will go again, because while we only had time to focus on my hip, I regained quite a bit of additional mobility & my back & hip pain are both noticeably better! Next up I will go & have them focus on my lower back pain. The tendonitis in my hip is causing a lot of tightness elsewhere in my right side, which is pretty uncomfortable. 

I have also been adding a lot more stretching & yoga, which is awesome for me, but reduces my cardio output & step. I'm still working on the balance there, but I'm happy I'm making time for things other than cardio. 

Goals for the week ahead:

• Drop calories to 1400/day. I saw a suggestion to eliminate breakfast a few days/week, which I will likely try. I don't typically snack during the week days. I also need to reduce portion size by 10-15% at dinner, to see some progress.
• Increase steps.
• Add in another cardio workout

Unfortunately, this is going to be another intensely busy week, requiring two trips to the office, and one or two work evenings, as I'm still filling in for my boss. That means I need to "make hay while the sun shines", or get in the workouts when I have the chance & really focus. I also need to be creative this week, perhaps commuting in earlier than my 7 am time & bringing my gym bag & clothes & working out/getting ready before my day starts. Daylight savings is not my friend in this endeavor!

That's it for me. What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness goals?