This weekend I decided to take a small break from my blog to rest and catch up with simply concentrate on being with my family and I really enjoyed not having to think about anything else but that. I did miss reflecting on my day and thinking about the things I have been doing and the weight loss (1 and a half lbs), but sometimes it's good to simply rest.
Today though is a return to the normality of exercising, watching those calories and blowing to reflect on my progress. Returning to normality after a couple of days of is quite weird, even after such a short period of time. The exercises I did today did not feel as hard or as long, even though I did 45 minutes and worked up a sweat. I still didn't feel like I had done as much as I normally do. Maybe it's because I am becoming stronger and fitter, maybe it is simply because I wasn't exercising as intensely as I normally do, I just know I didn't feel like I had worked out as much. Weird.
In terms of energy, I seem to be back to having an abundance of it. I have cleaned the house today and cleared the conservatory so that I can paint it and make it into a games room for the kids. I haven't been on any long walks into the countryside or around the urban neighbourhood, yet still I have clocked up 21,191 steps during the day. weird.
I have eaten a decent breakfast and made sure that I ate little and often throughout the day and this normally gets me through the whole day and then leaves me with about 200 calories left to eat something 'snacky' at the end of the day as a kind of treat. Today, after eating healthily and making sure that I did all that, even having garlic bread with my lasagne tonight during dinner, I still have about 400 calories remaining. Weird.
However, some things have remained the same. Today I intended to do two sets of exercises...yeah, that never happened. I intended to do a lot of writing today also...that didn't happen either. Time is always a factor in the things that you do and you will always make the time for the things that you enjoy doing or know are needed. At the moment I need to keep moving, to keep my heart rate up so that I know I am continuing the journey from fat to fit. I want to be slimmer to my writing and my reading are replaced during the day with something that will help me move more and raise my heart rate. This is something that perhaps I need to get a handle on and change. Mental health is just as important as physical health.
Finally, I am back to blogging. I love writing the blog, although it does take a lot out of you in terms of concentration and finding something to write about - a topic or focus, so to speak. Mostly I simply yammer on and hope that people don't see through me. It is good that I can sit and try to see what I am doing, where I am going wrong and right and what I can do to improve.
The one thing I have learnt in this process is that every piece of exercise is good - whether that is cleaning or gardening or walking or doing a YouTube video session -doing something is better than doing nothing. I have also worked out that all diets work. Now that's a bold claim. But what I have also learnt is that they only work for the people they work for. You are the only person who can make a diet work or make it fail. I have had a lot of wonderful advice about where to go and what works but, like everyone, I had to find the one that works for me. My life is different to everyone else's life so what works brilliantly for one person will not necessarily make it work for me or you. Diet is a personal, emotional and social choice and you have to make that choice and then decide if it works. This will take trial and error (God knows I've done that) but eventually you will find the one that works. So listen to what people have done and what works for people but then choose the one that will work for you. Don't continue it if it isn't working.
So here I am again, returning to normal and back to reflections and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed reflecting.
Until tomorrow, stay strong and stay safe.
Thanks for reading.
Sean.