Tags
5:2 fast diet, exercise, fatigue, health, HIIT, intention, life, weight loss
Another two months since my last exercise update. G started work again in Feb. so until the evening light came back on courtesy of daylight savings, our brisk walks were reduced to weekends or not at all because of sucky weather. I simply don’t get up enough steam when walking alone, a long legged companion is just the thing for keeping your pace! So crosstraining it is, which of course isn’t as time consuming or needs to be coordinated, so I get more studio projects done finally. Sometimes. I did imagine I’d feel more improvement on the energy front by now, find that second wind.
There were incidents of weeks with headaches and weird pains with no training at all, but I’ve managed to not slide back to zero, so it’s still more steps forward than back. I can do the plank for a whole friggin minute! Laugh if you like, I totally don’t care.
Weight is down by 5 kg (in 4 months), 10-12 to go despite all my efforts, so it’ll be a while and I’m still designing my new summer clothes to work for either shape, since I’ve got plenty of near new outfits in the back of my closet fitting my old slimmer self. I’ve never been overweight before and I’m willing to eat child portions for the rest of my life in exchange for increased mobility. I want to find out if I can feel healthy again.
So in this game, anything that is not a gain, is a win.
I’ve also taken some time trying to strengthen my arms and shoulders on the days when I’m not working on stamina. Gawd it’s all so boring, every single second! But I want the results badly enough… There’s absolutely no dopamine reward happening here, so I’m running this programme on pure logic. I want to be able to go on walking photo safaris or even just brush my horse without withering from exhaustion 10 minutes in. Do a bit of gardening. You know, stuff that isn’t sitting.
There is some improvement regarding the habit in itself however, I no longer make excuses to postpone my planned training sessions unless my knees are screaming. I’m also not more tired than I used to be, so I’ve decided that’s progress too, enough to keep working on it.
Recently somebody asked me if I’d remembered to count beverages into my daily calories.
My drinks of choice are tap water, tea, coffee. Maximum amount of sugar in that is 20 daily calories but often less. I don’t drink soda, fruit juice maybe a liter a month, white wine in small amounts maybe 2-3 times a year. No chocolate milk or similar. So I don’t think that constitutes a drinking problem… 😉
Colour Cottage 
Jamen det lyder da som fremskridt! Jeg beundrer din udholdenhed med øvelserne. Faktisk har jeg det ligesom dig, at det kunne være skønt igen at kunne svinge en økse og løbe mere end halvvejs hen til bussen (200 m) uden at være ved at dø. Men min træning holder altid kun til jeg føler resultater – og så stopper jeg. Sært, man burde da kunne fortsætte, enten blive mere motiveret eller bare som dig på logikken. Den slags er åbenbart ikke logisk her. Jeg priser mig lykkelig for at bo i et hus med to etager, så er jeg da i det mindste nødt til at spæne op og ned ad trapperne flere gange om dagen.
Har du fundet er program, der virker for dig eller er det erfaringsbaseret hjemmestrik?
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Jeg har hele mit liv gjort det samme – men udsigten til at sidde i sofaen med en diskusprolaps og 100 kg på bagen de næste 25 år var åbenbart nok til at vække en form for desperation! Jeg er også elendig til at indlære vaner, det der ævl nogen fyrer af om at man bare skal gøre ditten eller datten (eller holde op) i 6 uger, så sidder det på rygmarven? BS!
Og jeg måtte jo erkende at de rygøvelser jeg fik fra fyssen hjalp en smule – især hvis jeg lavede dem hver dag og ikke kun en gang i mellem 😉 – så jeg indstillede mig på en langsigtet, langsom plan frem for at forvente synlige resultater på en måned. Det er en livsopgave (og ja, jeg siger stadig desværre, for jeg ville da hellere være fri)
Jeg har dels googlet diverse øvelser og undersøgt forskellige metoder, men ellers kører jeg et skema som passer MIN krop og sandsynligvis ikke er hårdt nok ifølge diverse militante motionscoaches. Konditræning hver dag er helt udelukket med mindre jeg vil sende mig selv i seng en uge og kravle op af trappen. I begyndelsen kunne jeg kun “crosse” 10-15 minutter et par gange om ugen, men jeg gjorde det. (vi startede med gåture – 20 min, nu 70) Nu kan jeg klare 3×30 minutter på intervalprogram og regner med jeg snart kan sætte belastningen op, mine knæ græd lidt sidst jeg prøvede. Så jeg lirker simpelthen en smule mere ind i programmet efterhånden som jeg synes. Eller en ny kropsdel som nu mine skulderled, der har været forrest i forskellige retninger ved adskillige styrt (hest) og et enkelt trafikuheld.
Mit mål om at få min hvilepuls ned i et normalt leje uden medicin men med konditionstræning i stedet er nået på de 4 måneder, så jeg synes egentlig jeg gør det godt nok, selvom jeg sikkert ikke kommer hele vejen rundt lige med det samme.
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Sejt. Militante motionscoaches burde skydes. Deres programmer dur muligvis for inaktive, men ellers raske folk i tyverne, men ikke for os der allerede har levet og (mis)brugt os selv. Jeg har ganske vist kun redet på jernheste, men de kan også kaste én af. Nu er jeg selvfølgelig efter to ugers træning kommet galt afsted. Jeg snublede med et babybadekar fuldt af uld og varmt vand. Av min ryg! Så jeg skal op på hesten igen, når jeg kan bevæge mig igen. Heldigvis er gåture opfundet.
Jeg har fundet Anna Bogdanova. Hendes facon er ret friskfyragtig – især er hendes nye hjemmeside ulidelig. Men indeunder lyder det faktisk ret fornuftigt. Så jeg må vist bare i gang igen igen 😉 Ellers har jeg nemlig kun fundet de der militante typer.
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Åh ja, de der pludselige vrid og slag kan virkelig sende en til tælling i vores alder. Håber du har en ispose til din ryg, måske prøve nogen strækøvelser når det værste har lagt sig?
Jeg tror det vigtigste er at beslutte sig for et program som er overkommeligt, så det ikke er så hårdt at man hader det og kommer med undskyldinger. I begyndelsen må man godt få en følelse af at hey, det var da ikke så slemt og det tog jo kun 15 minutter af min dag! Efter noget tid bliver det ligefrem kedeligt, og så skruer man op for tid eller styrke efter temperament, men ikke mere end at man kan fungere resten af dagen. Så kan man nå et punkt hvor der kommer lidt konkurrence ind i det sådan helt privat: Det gik jo så godt i dag at jeg lige vil se om det kan gøres i overmorgen i stedet for på lørdag – og når jeg har gjort det mandag og onsdag, så kunne jeg lige snuppe fredag også, hva? Der skal åbenbart ikke så meget til at få gamle koner til at føle sig megaseje….
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I think you’re doing a great job, much better than me. Keep looking forward, to the positive and you may accomplish even more than you planned on.
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Thanks for cheering me on – I hope that with many tiny steps I’ll one day find myself in a very different place.
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Wow–I am so impressed! Your motivation and persistence is admirable, especially since you’re not getting any dopamine buzz. And that’s a significant amount of weight to have lost already! I have just gotten to the point of doing 75 seconds in a plank so I would never laugh at one minute–you’ll be passing me soon!
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Thank you. 🙂 I doubt I’ll be passing you any time soon, but by all means, let’s race! 90 seconds, go. LOL I’ll just have to see to those rotator cuffs first.
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Hello you – Well I hope such a gruelling routine works for you! Sounds like misery to me. Have you ever considered a Paleo or Primal diet? No calorie counting, adult portions and you’ll feel sated with stable blood sugar and no energy dip. Its how I usually eat, and I find it extremely helpful. X
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I just came back to,apologise for my comment – I was just thinking how much I’d hate it, if it had been me 🙄 unfortunately I was kind of horrified and got carried away with myself, so apologies to you.
And to clarify it’s Sarah from SmallOfferings, but I’ve changed everything.
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Hey there, no worries, I only saw your comment as friendly input – as I know some of your life, I can see where it’s coming from! (no need to introduce yourself either, only one person could have made that avatar 🙂 )
And I agree it’s pretty radical but I A. need the muscles, to be able to do normal things like use the stairs without holding on to the walls and to hopefully minimize joint pains and B. to test what happens basically. If I end up crashing hugely I’m doing it on my own schedule rather than some day when I have to get into the “system” and they would treat me 10x worse to prove I don’t deserve any help… And then I’ll know where I’m at with the FM/arthritis/whatever thing.
I do feel stronger actually, more alive and fluid in my movements, and I can tie my shoes without holding my breath and taking breaks! Still aches and pains, but I’m actually ok with working through them. I’ve basically decided it will be my main job this year, and I’m saying this after 3 days of absolute lethargy mentally and physically – how today will go it’s too early to say! But I’m giving the crosser a rest for the week, since my left knee is shot as well.
Calories – I’m not going to count them forever, but it’s been an eye opener that I probably had been increasing my portions without noticing, so good for changing habits. Full paleo is not going to work for me on several levels (I don’t mind telling you why, but this is turning into a novel), but I do try to keep it simple and cook from real ingredients just one step from the land, seasonal veggies rather than imported, sugars have been cut pretty severely.
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I’m glad to know I’m still instantly recognisable, and I’m really glad you’re getting benefits from this too 😀I just had a bit of an eek kind of moment. I understand if paleo doesn’t work for you, it’s not for everyone and I find it pretty challenging at times myself one way and another. But like you I was suffering from a creeping weight gain which was never going to magically turn into weight loss until I took action so I had to clean up my diet. I’ve actually been more or less paleo for a good while but indulgences slip in and middle age and menopause are slowing my metabolism. Otherwise I’ve managed to make some really big improvements in my health – I did have a setback a few weeks ago, which was disappointing but I’m still doing everything I can and I do have energy to socialise now. Onwards and upwards 😁
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It does sound very brisk and cruel when I read myself, LOL. I’ve eased into it very, very gradually. Initially I was thinking menopause too, like the first 5 kg, and then the slipped disc setback, but 5 every year was simply too terrifying to contemplate – for how long?!!!? I rest a lot too, “meditate” (I was interrupted in my research into yoga nidra for some reason, but currently use a recording of Gayatri Mantra which seems to do the trick).
It’s funny how sometimes the setbacks are extra annoying if you’ve had some improvement, have you noticed that? Like “but I thought now I’d be sailing foreeeever”. As long as the number of steps up outnumber the downward ones I try to be content. It’s good to hear that you too have some improvements, that flat of yours was a terrible experience (enough to give ME eek and ick moments for sure)
Paleo is sort of at the back of my mind, but logistically it would take too much of my creative and physical energy because I’d have to be in charge of every meal, cooking and planning and I just don’t want that. I also find myself being put off by the whole meat thing more and more and I always hated anything fishy. But I do minimize my grains and only use whole meal and old types. I’m also not big on dairy although I cycle through various yoghurt types occasionally because my digestion seems to like it. It seems I’ve managed to stop the gain, it would be cool to lose all of the surplus, but how I feel is the most important.
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5kg a year – that’s pretty much what my average seemed to be! If that goes on indefinitely, well…
Yes the planning and cooking get to me too, mostly I just cook tried and true with occasional variation and try cook once eat twice. But having to also prepare something for breakfasts can be a pain, as can needing to avoid cold/raw foods. On the other hand I don’t get migraines now, and my blood sugar is stable and those two things are definitely huge improvements.
Around the beginning of March I began to feel extremely well, it was amazing. I went to London for three days, and walked around, travelled by tube (horrible, I wore earplugs) and visited galleries, and had no ill effects at all.
But then something went awry, and yes so much more frustrating when you’ve been well. I’m not letting it stop me trying though 😁I’m probably repeating myself now so I’ll stop 😜
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