Weekly WI: January Comes To An End

Good Morning!  Happy Thursday.  I am a day late popping into share my Weekly Weigh-In this week.

I was down another pound this week and since I’ll be at a work conference next week, this was also my monthly weigh-in for January, which I was down 4.8 pounds for the month.

Last week had more social and eating out than the weeks prior and by the end of the week, my commitment to tracking started to wean.  I didn’t track on Tuesday, which was a high point day.  On one hand, I felt I needed a little break but on the other hand, being out of town I don’t want to risk screwing up all my hard work.

On Wednesday, it was back to tracking and meal planning so I can set up the start of the week to be successful.  I am also thinking ahead to the travel days and trying to balance those high point splurges.  

I also returned to the gym yesterday and am feeling all the soreness today.  I’ll attend another gym class today before my 4-hour overtime shift.

Let’s bring on February!  

Colonel's PT Challenge: Week 3

 I’m a day late in updating you on Week 3 of the Colonel’s PT Challenge.

 

Week 1 Recap

Week 2 Recap

 

Week 3 was filled with snow shoveling…a lot of snow shoveling.

 

January 14: 30 sit-ups and 40 push-ups.  No other activity today.

 

January 15:  30-minute bike/elliptical workout, 20 sit-ups, and 40 push-ups 

 

January 16: 20-minute treadmill walk for 0.84 miles, 30 sit-ups, 30 push-ups.

 

January 17: 30-minute treadmill walk for 1.44 miles, snow shoveling for 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 sit-ups, and 30 push-ups.

 

January 18: 30 minutes of snow shoveling, 30 sit-ups, and 40 push-ups.

 

January 19: 30 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.  No other activity today.  I was exhausted!

 

January 20: 30-minute treadmill walk for 1.07 miles, 40 push-ups, and 20 sit-ups

My percentages thus far:

 

36.1% aerobic / high intensity 

25.1% sit-ups / pushups

Weekly WI: Week 2 of 2024 Complete

Week 2 of 2024 is in the books and another successful week is under my belt.  

I also earned my January Apple Watch Activity Challenge award after closing all three rings for 14 days.  I’m very happy with my activity the last two weeks and will roll all that into Week 3.  

We were buried under snow and my long work week was a tough one.  I am focusing on downtime and rest on my days off so I am geared up to go again.  Our poor troopers don’t get much relief as they are often called in on their days off.  So far dispatch hasn’t had to call anybody in expect for one shift.  I hate to think of my coworkers struggling but I am so thankful I am not there.  It was hard last week.

I had a couple days of less focus on food and consumed some high point foods.  I am getting my head in check and committed to making this week successful.  Bring on another week.

Colonel's PT Challenge: Week 2

I’ve completed Week 2 of the Colonel’s PT Challenge.

 

I’ve been able to do some sit-ups again so that is good but I’m also doing modifications as needed.  I’ve also been modifying my push-ups using the wall or other elevated surface when needed.  By the end of the week, I just didn’t have it in me to do any more push-ups and sit-ups, but I do plan to resume on Sunday.

 

21.7 % of aerobic / high intensity goal completed.

12.9 % of sit-ups/push-up rep goal completed.

 

I’m on target for my aerobic goal but behind on my rep goal.

 

January 7 – 35-minute treadmill walk.  30 sit-ups and 20 push-ups.

 

January 8 – 30 push-ups and 30 sit-ups.  I was short on time for a workout but before my WW workshop started, I busted out some push-ups and sit-ups.

 

January 9 – 21-minutes of snow shoveling (hello Winter), 30 sit-ups, and 30 push-ups.

 

January 10 – 27-minute elliptical/bike, 20 sit-ups, and 20 push-ups.

 

January 11 – 30-minute treadmill walk, 20 sit-ups, and 30 push-ups.

 

January 12 – 40-minutes of snow shoveling (Winter is still knocking on our door), 10 sit-ups, and 40 push-ups.

 

January 13 – 30-minutes elliptical/bike. 

 

I earned my New Years Eve Apple Watch Activity Challenge Award and have been working hard to keep up a consistent exercise routine.

Weekly WI: The Start Of The Downward Trend

Good Morning!

Happy Snowny Wednesday…er…maybe it is sunny in your neck of the woods?  Well Idaho is getting hammered with snow.  Welcome to the work week!

 

My week last week was successful, and it showed on the scale.

 

My 2024 word is Progress.  I made a lot of progress in activity this week as I focused on hitting necessary goals for the Colonel’s PT Challenge.  The last few days I’ve also been able to complete some sit-ups which makes me happy.  My back, or “bum hip” as I call it, has been feeling tons better.  Whenever I get achy it means I’ve been sitting way too much, and I need to move.  This is one of the main reasons I really want to make progress this year in activity.  I feel so strong when I am moving my body.

 

My tracking this week was on point.  I didn’t have a ton of high point days but where I did, they were sprinkled throughout the week.  We also ate out a few times which I tried to balance and/or I just used my weekly points.  I even had beer a few nights a week.  It all fits in…I just need to be more consistent with my tracking.  That is the technique of the week.

 

This week is off and rolling.  I have a six-day work week which helps cut down excess boredom eating at home and helps to keep me on track with brining my meals to work.  The other half of that is ensuring that even though I will be tired this week, I need to ensure we have some meals at home and not slip into the eating out often. 

 

The bummer about a six-day work week is not being able to attend my favorite gym classes.  The crazy snow might have kept me at home regardless.  I’ll have to prioritize my activity routine this week either utilizing the items we have at work or my treadmill at home.  That is just one more one reason I can’t let the exhaustion of the work week bring me down!

 

Have a good Wednesday.

Colonel's PT Challenge: Week 1

I thought I’d pop in on Saturdays and share my weekly updates for the Colonel’s PT Challenge at work. 

 

Week one has been a success but after going hot and heavy out of the gate with sit-ups, I am struggling with being able to complete one.  It is as if I can’t trust my body to host myself up as I did a few days ago.  It is super annoying.  I spent some time today looking up modified sit-up options and I may need to bust a large amount out at the gym a few days a week using an exercise ball.  I think I at one time I had one at home, but I have no desire to buy one again.

 

January 1 – 30-minute treadmill walk for 1.32 miles, 40 push-ups, and 40 sit-ups:  Yep, I went out of the gate like a mad woman!  I split up my workout with 10 push-ups/sit-ups and then 10 minutes on the treadmill.  My workout went quickly.

 

January 2 – 15-minute treadmill walk for 0.69 miles, 10 sit-ups, and 20 push-ups:  I was feeling it everywhere and quickly realized that my goal of 70 a day was not going to be doable.  I’ll have to ease into this more or spread it out a bit farther.

 

January 3 – 60-minute gym class and 30 push-ups: I found a new gym class on Wednesdays to take the place of boot camp.  I got a really great all over cardio plus weight training and very low impact.  Plus, the instructor is great.  I’m looking forward to this class again. 

January 4 – 25-minutes on the bike elliptical machine:  This was short and simple as I was short on time and feeling tired.  Hey, I gotta earn that Apple Watch New Years Charm for January so I pushed through and got ‘er done.

 

January 5 – 30-minutes on the bike elliptical machine:  I didn’t have time to get on the work treadmill, so I made do with the exercise I like second.

 

January 6 – 45-minutes on the bike elliptical machine:  Another workday where I couldn’t get moved to the treadmill.  I also went for a longer workout and closed all three of my Apple Watch circles in 12-hours.  That never happens.

 

I need to get more sit-ups and push-ups in.  I am behind that goal but my goal of 3 hours of aerobic exercise a week is going strong.  I better get to pushing and sitting!

 

Onto Week 2.

Oceanside, California

Our Wine Club visited Oceanside, CA along with neighboring areas Carlsbad, Vista, Temecula, and San Diego to celebrate Stacey and Kenyon’s 50^th Birthdays.  We had a great time and since we didn’t see it all, Kenyon and I will be back!  Hopefully, we will be able to book our timeshare soon.

The best part of the trip was the weather!  When we started discussing vacation destinations for December, we knew we wanted to go somewhere warm.  We picked well with sunshine and beautiful skies.  I really love being at the beach.  The resort we stayed at was close to the Harbor and about a mile walk to town.

 

Oceanside was filled with food, beer, and beaches.  I really wish we had spent more time in this cute little town.  We took part in the tree lighting and on our final day, Kenyon and I took the commuter train into San Diego where we saw Buddy the Elf.

 

We enjoyed sweets at Parlor Doughnuts and Petite Madeline, both were divine. 

 

We visited lots of breweries:

Kilowatt Brewing in Oceanside.

Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Belching Beaver Brewing in Carlsbad.

Ocean Beach Brewery & Kitchen, Ballast Point Brewing Company, and Quantum Brewing in San Diego.  The highlight was watching the planes fly overhead when we were at Ballast Point. 

We made our way to Temecula to visit several wineries:

Danza del Sol Winery, Churon Winery, Leoness Cellars, Masia de la Vinya Winery, and Longshadow Ranch Vineyard and Winery. 

 

After our wine tour we popped into the casino which was smoke free and very nice.

We visited two Elks Lodges during our stay and Wanda and Michael was able to hit up a third.  The Vista Lodge #1968 was a much larger and nicer location than the Temecula Lodge #2801, but the Temecula members were much more social and welcoming.

 

We stopped into Oceanside Police Department so I could get a tutorial of their scheduling software and give the gang a tour.  One of the dispatchers suggested visiting the Vista Elks and then the restaurant next door, which had a great happy hour food menu to include $10 lasagna, $8 fettuccini alfredo, and $12 homemade pizzas.  We loved every bite!

 

I don’t think I would have ever tired of the views of the beach and the water.  We could not have lucked out more with the beautiful views.

 

We even enjoyed a few restaurants in and around the areas we visited. 

 

It was a great trip, and I can’t wait to go back.  That wraps up 2023 travel.  We don’t have much booked yet for 2024 and we have one cruise booked in 2025.  I’m sure before you know it, I’ll be packing my bags and going on another adventure.  Life is meant to be lived!

 

And Just Like That: 2023 Is Gone - Weekly WI

Hello to the New Year!

 

2024 has started off on the right foot after joining the Colonel’s PT Challenge at work.  This year they are also allowing us to compete as work units, so I’ve recruited other dispatcher co-worker partners to join me.  This year in addition to the aerobic and walking type activity I signed up for the sit-up/push-up challenge too.  Over the next 10 weeks, I need to log 30 hours of aerobic exercise and complete 3500 reps of sit-ups. push-ups, or a combination.  I had to re-do the math because I thought I needed to do 70 combined a day.  They are calculating the numbers as if you complete 3-5 of these items a week.  So thankfully, only 50 combined a day if I commit to 7 days, which is my plan.

 

My Apple Watch Activity Challenge goal is to close all three rings, Move, Exercise, and Stand, for 14 days.  That one should be doable this month, especially with my commitment to activity.  There is also an extra New Years award available for completing a 7-day workout week, which again, I suspect I will earn.

 

All this activity is a nice shift from food, which I also need to get a handle on.  I dogged a bullet two weeks ago with a small gain and did absolutely nothing to make last week successful.  Oh boy did it show on the scale.  Ugh.  I swear to you, this was 100% me last week.

 

It feels nice to have a brand-new month and year ahead to start fresh.  I need to make sure 2024 is the year of progress.  My WW manager sent us our weekly materials prepping us for the new year and hopefully an influx of new members.  She said in her email to remember to “look the part.”  That really resonated with me because I’ve been feeling bad about my body lately.  I need to feed it right and move it more so I can not only make progress but also look the part for so many members that count on me each week for accountability and support.  My members provide me with the same amount of support they gain from me.  This is why I love our WW Community so much.

 

I didn’t have time to attend a virtual workshop this week, but I plan to do so ASAP.  I also need to find a local connect workshop where I can get back to being a member first.