Monday:
I wasn't sure what this morning's scale would say, but I was down 0.1 kg since Friday so I guess I did pretty well on the weekend! No big sodium gain. It's even that time of the month approaching, so holding steady is excellent.
It is the last day of the autumn school holidays. The kids (and teachers) got today off, connected to the public holiday ANZAC Day which fell on Saturday this year. Odd that it's not a public holiday Monday for everyone, just state public servants. ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Core) Day is the day we thank our military for their service and sacrifice. We didn't do anything particular - the official ceremony at the War Memorial is always at dawn which is a bit extreme for us - but my dad was in the Air Force when I was a child so I do take the time to think about it all.
I'm feeling very much on track today. I did half an hour of Fantasia this morning for my arms then went for a walk with the kids for my legs. I gave the kids the option of what to do on their last afternoon and after much discussion they chose watching a movie on Foxtel. I spent that time catching up on some work reading.
My food today (low carb day) means very little carbohydrate except for breakfast but I can have fat with my protein. Breakfast was one rasher of bacon, one egg, one slice of toast, one whole tomato, one cup of tea. Lunch was chicken wings and broccoli baked in the oven with lots of spices (chilli flakes, lemon zest, sumac, smoked paprika, garlic powder) and salad and a cup of tea. Afternoon snack a handful of mixed nuts, two cups of chicken and vegetable broth. Dinner steak and salad. Supper a piece of cheese.
Report card:
Diet: Great.
Exercise: Good.
Water: Excellent.
Sleep: Good.
Mental health: Good.
Showing posts with label fantasia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasia. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
High intensity
Saturday:
When I look at my fitbit sleep stats, a good night will look something like this:
II___________________________________III____I
where the upstrokes are restlessness or being awake. A bad night looks more like this:
II_II_I_I____I___I___I_____I____I_IIIIIII___II__I
The difference is really obvious! And I feel it as soon as I wake up. I'm kind of alternating good and bad nights at the moment. Maybe the bad nights are influenced by recent lack of exercise? Well my foot is all better now so I can change that variable.
I did an hour of Fantasia in the morning. I actually felt a bit bored with it today, but I stuck with it. My attention kept wandering and I didn't get great scores. It didn't feel like much of a workout, without the intensity I usually put in. More like just waving my arms around for an hour!
So in the afternoon I tried some Dance Central. But I couldn't get into that either. My body didn't seem tired but my brain was. I was just flopping my body around like a fish in the bottom of a boat, unable to grasp the choreography. After 10 minutes of that I gave up. I wanted something that challenged my body but not my brain. I switched to Fighters Uncaged. This is definitely the most high-intensity Xbox game we have. 90 second bouts of fighting, using arms and legs and elbows and knees and forehead and everything you've got. The game teaches you quite a lot of moves to use at close, medium and far distance (like uppercut when close, kick when further away) but apart from that you just do whatever, no choreography to follow. I was like the Tasmanian Devil from Bugs Bunny cartoon, flailing limbs all over the place. 90 seconds doesn't sound like a lot, does it? I did six bouts over 10 minutes, very short breaks between each one, and that was absolutely all I could do. I was exhausted.
I got a bit annoyed with my fitbit. I checked my heart rate immediately after each bout. After the third I was up to 143 or something, but after that it dropped to about 120 for the rest of the time. I can tell you it didn't feel like my heart rate had dropped! It felt like I was close to passing out. So was the fitbit wrong, or had my heart rate really stabilised like that? It seems unlikely. I made myself walk around the house for several minutes until I felt more normal (but very tired) before I sat down, and then another half an hour before I showered. Far more tired after 10 minutes of high intensity than I ever am after an hour of low or moderate intensity. I'm hoping the dance warmup was enough to stop me getting sore tomorrow.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Still having a bit too much chocolate, but good meals.
Exercise: Great. Over an hour and worked really hard at the end.
Water: Good.
Sleep: Good consistency. Poor quality.
Mental health: Good.
When I look at my fitbit sleep stats, a good night will look something like this:
II___________________________________III____I
where the upstrokes are restlessness or being awake. A bad night looks more like this:
II_II_I_I____I___I___I_____I____I_IIIIIII___II__I
The difference is really obvious! And I feel it as soon as I wake up. I'm kind of alternating good and bad nights at the moment. Maybe the bad nights are influenced by recent lack of exercise? Well my foot is all better now so I can change that variable.
I did an hour of Fantasia in the morning. I actually felt a bit bored with it today, but I stuck with it. My attention kept wandering and I didn't get great scores. It didn't feel like much of a workout, without the intensity I usually put in. More like just waving my arms around for an hour!
So in the afternoon I tried some Dance Central. But I couldn't get into that either. My body didn't seem tired but my brain was. I was just flopping my body around like a fish in the bottom of a boat, unable to grasp the choreography. After 10 minutes of that I gave up. I wanted something that challenged my body but not my brain. I switched to Fighters Uncaged. This is definitely the most high-intensity Xbox game we have. 90 second bouts of fighting, using arms and legs and elbows and knees and forehead and everything you've got. The game teaches you quite a lot of moves to use at close, medium and far distance (like uppercut when close, kick when further away) but apart from that you just do whatever, no choreography to follow. I was like the Tasmanian Devil from Bugs Bunny cartoon, flailing limbs all over the place. 90 seconds doesn't sound like a lot, does it? I did six bouts over 10 minutes, very short breaks between each one, and that was absolutely all I could do. I was exhausted.
I got a bit annoyed with my fitbit. I checked my heart rate immediately after each bout. After the third I was up to 143 or something, but after that it dropped to about 120 for the rest of the time. I can tell you it didn't feel like my heart rate had dropped! It felt like I was close to passing out. So was the fitbit wrong, or had my heart rate really stabilised like that? It seems unlikely. I made myself walk around the house for several minutes until I felt more normal (but very tired) before I sat down, and then another half an hour before I showered. Far more tired after 10 minutes of high intensity than I ever am after an hour of low or moderate intensity. I'm hoping the dance warmup was enough to stop me getting sore tomorrow.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Still having a bit too much chocolate, but good meals.
Exercise: Great. Over an hour and worked really hard at the end.
Water: Good.
Sleep: Good consistency. Poor quality.
Mental health: Good.
Monday, April 6, 2015
End of month two
Monday:
It was my dietbet weigh-out for this month this morning. I wasn't even close to making it, in fact I put back on weight I lost in the first month. I'm feeling back on track right now, but I need to make sure I don't make the same mistakes I obviously made. So what were they?
The main problem was that we had things going on for five weekends in a row, the whole period of this second month of dietbet. Some were happy and involved celebratory food; niece's birthday, husband's birthday, sister-in-law's birthday, Easter. Some were sad and took focus away from my personal battles; clearing out mum's house, my aunt's sudden death. We travelled to Sydney three times, involving fast food on the road and restaurants or eating at other people's houses when there. We had a house full of guests one whole weekend, which meant I included desserts and unhealthy snacks to be a good host. I'm not saying my weekdays were perfect either, but the weekends were the big downfall.
This particular busy pattern is not going to happen that often, but parties and travelling and visitors are still fairly regular events in my life so I need to deal with them without relying on junk food. One step would be to go back to having a picnic on the way to Sydney so at least we only have fast food one way instead of both (sometimes we can time it to avoid meals on the road, but often not). Another is to just choose healthier options, wherever I am. If there is no choice, just eat a bit less. And when I have visitors, I need to offer some more healthy options. I do cook proper meals, but then I add high-calorie dessert, and supper and between meals. I'm not doing anyone any favours. I do feel like I need to offer all these extra foods, they get gobbled down and if I don't put anything out I get asked for something, so I need to work harder at what I serve. I'm not the boss of what other people eat, but I could offer options, including things I can safely eat.
It is so much easier to stay on track when I don't have all these distractions from my regular routine. I'm hoping this month will be easier.
I was brave and foolhardy this morning and tried oats with vegemite to make them savoury instead of sweet. Disgusting. And I love vegemite! I had looked it up online and found one reference to someone trying it but they didn't comment on how it tasted. Well, yuck. I went back to the old way.
I had a very restless night. Not sure why, except I was a little sore from all the exercise. I woke after about three hours and 45 minutes with the CPAP and cursed Fogdog. Fogdog, does your wife know I regularly think about you at night in bed? I really wanted to take the stupid CPAP off but I couldn't because it hadn't been four hours, Fogdog's suggested minimum time. I kept the annoying mask on and managed to get back to sleep. Total six and a half hours with the CPAP, but restless both with and without it.
Food was good today. I made cauliflower soup for lunch and chicken fajitas with lots of salad for dinner. Only a little (25 grams) chocolate in the afternoon. I tracked everything, total 1366 calories and I burned off more than that.
I did an hour of Fantasia after breakfast so I got my exercise in early. In the afternoon I had some reading to do - I have to finish and critique this book by Wednesday night. So I spent a lot of time sitting reading, but broke it up by getting up three times and doing a little Dance Central to get the blood flowing. Total of about 40 minutes dance. I'm actually a little disappointed that I'm under 2 hours exercise for the day but I'm not going to do any more as I'm a bit worried about my knee. I got up during the night, half asleep, and over-straightened it somehow as I put my weight on it. It didn't hurt too much, but today I've done the same thing seven or eight times and it hurts a bit more each time. I'm hoping a good night's rest will fix it.
Report card:
Diet: Good.
Exercise: Great.
Water: Great.
Sleep: Good. I didn't actually sleep well but I used the CPAP.
Mental health: Mostly good.
Better and better!
It was my dietbet weigh-out for this month this morning. I wasn't even close to making it, in fact I put back on weight I lost in the first month. I'm feeling back on track right now, but I need to make sure I don't make the same mistakes I obviously made. So what were they?
The main problem was that we had things going on for five weekends in a row, the whole period of this second month of dietbet. Some were happy and involved celebratory food; niece's birthday, husband's birthday, sister-in-law's birthday, Easter. Some were sad and took focus away from my personal battles; clearing out mum's house, my aunt's sudden death. We travelled to Sydney three times, involving fast food on the road and restaurants or eating at other people's houses when there. We had a house full of guests one whole weekend, which meant I included desserts and unhealthy snacks to be a good host. I'm not saying my weekdays were perfect either, but the weekends were the big downfall.
This particular busy pattern is not going to happen that often, but parties and travelling and visitors are still fairly regular events in my life so I need to deal with them without relying on junk food. One step would be to go back to having a picnic on the way to Sydney so at least we only have fast food one way instead of both (sometimes we can time it to avoid meals on the road, but often not). Another is to just choose healthier options, wherever I am. If there is no choice, just eat a bit less. And when I have visitors, I need to offer some more healthy options. I do cook proper meals, but then I add high-calorie dessert, and supper and between meals. I'm not doing anyone any favours. I do feel like I need to offer all these extra foods, they get gobbled down and if I don't put anything out I get asked for something, so I need to work harder at what I serve. I'm not the boss of what other people eat, but I could offer options, including things I can safely eat.
It is so much easier to stay on track when I don't have all these distractions from my regular routine. I'm hoping this month will be easier.
I was brave and foolhardy this morning and tried oats with vegemite to make them savoury instead of sweet. Disgusting. And I love vegemite! I had looked it up online and found one reference to someone trying it but they didn't comment on how it tasted. Well, yuck. I went back to the old way.
I had a very restless night. Not sure why, except I was a little sore from all the exercise. I woke after about three hours and 45 minutes with the CPAP and cursed Fogdog. Fogdog, does your wife know I regularly think about you at night in bed? I really wanted to take the stupid CPAP off but I couldn't because it hadn't been four hours, Fogdog's suggested minimum time. I kept the annoying mask on and managed to get back to sleep. Total six and a half hours with the CPAP, but restless both with and without it.
Food was good today. I made cauliflower soup for lunch and chicken fajitas with lots of salad for dinner. Only a little (25 grams) chocolate in the afternoon. I tracked everything, total 1366 calories and I burned off more than that.
I did an hour of Fantasia after breakfast so I got my exercise in early. In the afternoon I had some reading to do - I have to finish and critique this book by Wednesday night. So I spent a lot of time sitting reading, but broke it up by getting up three times and doing a little Dance Central to get the blood flowing. Total of about 40 minutes dance. I'm actually a little disappointed that I'm under 2 hours exercise for the day but I'm not going to do any more as I'm a bit worried about my knee. I got up during the night, half asleep, and over-straightened it somehow as I put my weight on it. It didn't hurt too much, but today I've done the same thing seven or eight times and it hurts a bit more each time. I'm hoping a good night's rest will fix it.
Report card:
Diet: Good.
Exercise: Great.
Water: Great.
Sleep: Good. I didn't actually sleep well but I used the CPAP.
Mental health: Mostly good.
Better and better!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Happy Easter
Sunday:
The kids woke us when it was still a bit dark, ready to hunt for Easter Eggs. Sure enough, the Easter Bunny had left plenty of chocolate plus some Easter-themed lollies because my son doesn't like chocolate much. I collected a few, but let the kids get most of it. We also give each other a big egg or bunny (or both). Here is my Easter loot:
The kids had some straight away but I couldn't face chocolate first thing in the morning. Tim and I went back to bed for a while. Meals have been fairly normal today except for dinner, but with lots of nibbles of chocolate between meals instead of my usual fruit. I ended up eating about 50g of chocolate (250 calories), which isn't all that much. And roast pork with crackling. Plus the dessert which had about a million calories (croissants soaked in mainly cream, with raspberries and Toblerone chocolate, then baked. I suppose it's a fancy bread-and-butter pudding). It was tricky moderating the kids' intake, not because I'm mean but because I know what happens! Aiden had a bit of a meltdown just before lunch. His little body just can't handle that much sugar with impunity. I'm making sure they eat real food as well, and after today they will only be having very limited amounts of treats each day.
Daylight Savings ended here last night so everything is a bit out today. It will take a few days to get used to. We will get to sleep in, though, and it will go back to being light when we get up - at least for a while. The weather has turned towards winter.
Straight after breakfast I started Fantasia. In the 45 minutes I finished the storyline and saved the universe from the evil noise pollution! I still have plenty to do, songs I haven't conquered and some I have only just unlocked and haven't even tried yet. But I've finished the plot of the game, which involves being apprenticed to a wizard and clearing each realm of "the noise" by mastering various songs. I would have kept playing but we'd arranged to meet some friends at the playground at the Arboretum.
The playground was pretty crowded but included more friends who happened to be there at the same time. I started by going for a walk while Tim supervised Jasmine on the equipment. Not that either child really needs supervision at their age. Aiden came with me, he had noticed the steep hill cut into big steps (each about 2 metres high) and wanted to climb on it. So we walked all the way down the hill, me on the path and him scrambling down the grass "steps" and then we went back up, both on the steps. Each one was taller than I am and at a very steep incline. I don't think they are actually there to be climbed on! But very tempting. I only touched down with a hand once, but jogged up each one leaning right forward and with my arms spread wide for balance. I threw myself into it each time, bounding up with a little run-up. Then a short rest walking on the flat area before the next one. I'm not sure how many steps, 15-20. My fitbit counted 14 flights of stairs from the bottom to the top. My heart rate got up to 143 and I was gasping for air! I probably looked like a tomato too, I go very red in the face. Near the top I didn't think I could finish but made myself go on. Never give up, never surrender! Aiden ran up each one, hardly noticing. The stamina of the young! It took about 25 minutes down and back. It was fun. And exhausting. And sweaty. And then I sat and talked to my friends until it was time to go home and have lunch.
After lunch I spent a long time catching up on reading blogs and dietbet forums, but then got up and did some more Fantasia. I selected some songs that had been unlocked but weren't part of the storyline so I hadn't done them; like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Lady Gaga's Applause. Another hour! That is over two hours of exercise today! I think I have well and truly earned my chocolate.
In the late afternoon (pre-evening or prevening as Sheldon would say) Tim took the kids to see the SpongeBob movie. I had to stay home to start dinner, but didn't mind at all. A nice bit of quiet at home! It's not one of the movies I want to see. It's school holidays in a week and I'll take them to see a couple, probably Home and Cinderella. Tim was not at all impressed with SpongeBob but the kids loved it. They are the target demographic, after all.
I only kept the CPAP on for four hours last night. My nostrils got very sore. It's like getting used to new shoes, it gets worse before it gets better. Still keeping to that four hour minimum. And, as you can tell by my increase in exercise, I have more energy already. Love that restful sleep!
I haven't been tracking my food for a few weeks, I plan to start doing that again tomorrow. Keep a handle on my chocolate intake!
Report card:
Diet: Poor. Celebration day.
Exercise: Excellent!
Water: Excellent! More than eight glasses.
Sleep: Good.
Mental health: Great.
The kids woke us when it was still a bit dark, ready to hunt for Easter Eggs. Sure enough, the Easter Bunny had left plenty of chocolate plus some Easter-themed lollies because my son doesn't like chocolate much. I collected a few, but let the kids get most of it. We also give each other a big egg or bunny (or both). Here is my Easter loot:
The kids had some straight away but I couldn't face chocolate first thing in the morning. Tim and I went back to bed for a while. Meals have been fairly normal today except for dinner, but with lots of nibbles of chocolate between meals instead of my usual fruit. I ended up eating about 50g of chocolate (250 calories), which isn't all that much. And roast pork with crackling. Plus the dessert which had about a million calories (croissants soaked in mainly cream, with raspberries and Toblerone chocolate, then baked. I suppose it's a fancy bread-and-butter pudding). It was tricky moderating the kids' intake, not because I'm mean but because I know what happens! Aiden had a bit of a meltdown just before lunch. His little body just can't handle that much sugar with impunity. I'm making sure they eat real food as well, and after today they will only be having very limited amounts of treats each day.
Daylight Savings ended here last night so everything is a bit out today. It will take a few days to get used to. We will get to sleep in, though, and it will go back to being light when we get up - at least for a while. The weather has turned towards winter.
Straight after breakfast I started Fantasia. In the 45 minutes I finished the storyline and saved the universe from the evil noise pollution! I still have plenty to do, songs I haven't conquered and some I have only just unlocked and haven't even tried yet. But I've finished the plot of the game, which involves being apprenticed to a wizard and clearing each realm of "the noise" by mastering various songs. I would have kept playing but we'd arranged to meet some friends at the playground at the Arboretum.
The playground was pretty crowded but included more friends who happened to be there at the same time. I started by going for a walk while Tim supervised Jasmine on the equipment. Not that either child really needs supervision at their age. Aiden came with me, he had noticed the steep hill cut into big steps (each about 2 metres high) and wanted to climb on it. So we walked all the way down the hill, me on the path and him scrambling down the grass "steps" and then we went back up, both on the steps. Each one was taller than I am and at a very steep incline. I don't think they are actually there to be climbed on! But very tempting. I only touched down with a hand once, but jogged up each one leaning right forward and with my arms spread wide for balance. I threw myself into it each time, bounding up with a little run-up. Then a short rest walking on the flat area before the next one. I'm not sure how many steps, 15-20. My fitbit counted 14 flights of stairs from the bottom to the top. My heart rate got up to 143 and I was gasping for air! I probably looked like a tomato too, I go very red in the face. Near the top I didn't think I could finish but made myself go on. Never give up, never surrender! Aiden ran up each one, hardly noticing. The stamina of the young! It took about 25 minutes down and back. It was fun. And exhausting. And sweaty. And then I sat and talked to my friends until it was time to go home and have lunch.
After lunch I spent a long time catching up on reading blogs and dietbet forums, but then got up and did some more Fantasia. I selected some songs that had been unlocked but weren't part of the storyline so I hadn't done them; like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Lady Gaga's Applause. Another hour! That is over two hours of exercise today! I think I have well and truly earned my chocolate.
In the late afternoon (pre-evening or prevening as Sheldon would say) Tim took the kids to see the SpongeBob movie. I had to stay home to start dinner, but didn't mind at all. A nice bit of quiet at home! It's not one of the movies I want to see. It's school holidays in a week and I'll take them to see a couple, probably Home and Cinderella. Tim was not at all impressed with SpongeBob but the kids loved it. They are the target demographic, after all.
I only kept the CPAP on for four hours last night. My nostrils got very sore. It's like getting used to new shoes, it gets worse before it gets better. Still keeping to that four hour minimum. And, as you can tell by my increase in exercise, I have more energy already. Love that restful sleep!
I haven't been tracking my food for a few weeks, I plan to start doing that again tomorrow. Keep a handle on my chocolate intake!
Report card:
Diet: Poor. Celebration day.
Exercise: Excellent!
Water: Excellent! More than eight glasses.
Sleep: Good.
Mental health: Great.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Not my favourite day of the month
Tuesday:
Welcome to PMS world, where my life sucks and I hate everybody.
Here is a random picture of Australia at the end of summer, from my walk yesterday. That crispy brown stuff is supposed to be grass. Desolate and parched, like my life.
Terrible sleep, very restless all night and up four times to go to the bathroom.
At least the result of all that peeing was weight loss of more than a kilogram overnight! I retain a lot of water when I eat carbs and lose it quickly when I don't. But the problem is that the weight that is left is now "real" weight not water weight and I still only have a few days to lose that. Not feeling very hopeful today. I tell myself it is the hormones and I'll feel better in a day or two. If only I could bottle how I felt yesterday and use that when I need it!
I did the grocery shopping and then forced myself to do half an hour of Fantasia. I chose not to start my gym season in today's mood, but didn't let myself off exercise altogether. I also walked to and from my friend's house after school instead of driving so that added a gentle 20 mins. That is basically all I achieved today. But I did pretty well on both those things. I was out at the shops, surrounded by temptation, and didn't give in to anything. I stuck to my healthy food plan. I exercised a bit when I could have just sat around and then driven the few blocks. And I didn't eat anything except fruit at my friend's house, when there were chocolate chip cookies and pretzels right there in front of me. I didn't kill anyone today, or even smack anyone or yell at them.
I didn't get any writing done and my house looks like a cyclone went through it. Oh, you think I am kidding?
Nevertheless, I only had three pieces of chocolate. And I know I will probably maybe feel better tomorrow.
Report Card:
Diet: Great. Very surprising. I allowed myself the chocolate because I'd eaten lean protein and plants all day and was still under 1,000 calories (cucumber doesn't have many calories).
Exercise: Ok. Pretty good for someone who someone who just wanted to lie somewhere with a pillow over her head.
Water: Great. Eight glasses and some vegetable broth (no salt) which I also count.
Sleep: Poor. Can't have everything, I guess.
Mental Health: You looking at me, punk?
Welcome to PMS world, where my life sucks and I hate everybody.
Here is a random picture of Australia at the end of summer, from my walk yesterday. That crispy brown stuff is supposed to be grass. Desolate and parched, like my life.
Terrible sleep, very restless all night and up four times to go to the bathroom.
At least the result of all that peeing was weight loss of more than a kilogram overnight! I retain a lot of water when I eat carbs and lose it quickly when I don't. But the problem is that the weight that is left is now "real" weight not water weight and I still only have a few days to lose that. Not feeling very hopeful today. I tell myself it is the hormones and I'll feel better in a day or two. If only I could bottle how I felt yesterday and use that when I need it!
I did the grocery shopping and then forced myself to do half an hour of Fantasia. I chose not to start my gym season in today's mood, but didn't let myself off exercise altogether. I also walked to and from my friend's house after school instead of driving so that added a gentle 20 mins. That is basically all I achieved today. But I did pretty well on both those things. I was out at the shops, surrounded by temptation, and didn't give in to anything. I stuck to my healthy food plan. I exercised a bit when I could have just sat around and then driven the few blocks. And I didn't eat anything except fruit at my friend's house, when there were chocolate chip cookies and pretzels right there in front of me. I didn't kill anyone today, or even smack anyone or yell at them.
I didn't get any writing done and my house looks like a cyclone went through it. Oh, you think I am kidding?
Nevertheless, I only had three pieces of chocolate. And I know I will probably maybe feel better tomorrow.
Report Card:
Diet: Great. Very surprising. I allowed myself the chocolate because I'd eaten lean protein and plants all day and was still under 1,000 calories (cucumber doesn't have many calories).
Exercise: Ok. Pretty good for someone who someone who just wanted to lie somewhere with a pillow over her head.
Water: Great. Eight glasses and some vegetable broth (no salt) which I also count.
Sleep: Poor. Can't have everything, I guess.
Mental Health: You looking at me, punk?
Monday, February 16, 2015
Too hot
Monday:
Every day I decide I'm going to stop being such a baby and just use my CPAP like I'm supposed to. But this evening it's so hot that my chocolate was literally liquid, running over my hand and dripping on the floor, and I just can't face attaching a plastic mask to my face. I wouldn't be able to sleep at all, even apnoea is better than that. I'll just have to lose weight instead, or wait for autumn.
I did 30 mins of Fantasia, stopping because my shoulder was getting a bit sore. Did the grocery shopping. Started working on book 2, writing an outline and character studies of a couple of new characters. Had a nap. Sat and sweated.
My stomach was a bit upset today, not enough to stop me eating, in fact I felt much better when there was a bit of food in my stomach. Hope it's better tomorrow, I'm a bit uncomfortable all over the abdomen. Haven't been able to drink all my water because it makes me feel very bloated and over-full. Right now I look pregnant.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Ate what I planned, apart from too many chocolates again - three instead of one (again). Oh well, now there is only three more left in the box, and I don't like one of them!
Exercise: Good, especially considering I didn't feel great. I've kept my commitment of 30 minutes every weekday.
Water: Poor. If I drink this one in front of me before I go to bed, that will be eight glasses. But I'm ok with that, it is making my stomach very uncomfortable to drink much.
Sleep: Ok. Much the same. Restless nights, sleepy in the afternoons. The heat doesn't help.
Mental health: Good. Feeling positive.
Every day I decide I'm going to stop being such a baby and just use my CPAP like I'm supposed to. But this evening it's so hot that my chocolate was literally liquid, running over my hand and dripping on the floor, and I just can't face attaching a plastic mask to my face. I wouldn't be able to sleep at all, even apnoea is better than that. I'll just have to lose weight instead, or wait for autumn.
I did 30 mins of Fantasia, stopping because my shoulder was getting a bit sore. Did the grocery shopping. Started working on book 2, writing an outline and character studies of a couple of new characters. Had a nap. Sat and sweated.
My stomach was a bit upset today, not enough to stop me eating, in fact I felt much better when there was a bit of food in my stomach. Hope it's better tomorrow, I'm a bit uncomfortable all over the abdomen. Haven't been able to drink all my water because it makes me feel very bloated and over-full. Right now I look pregnant.
Report card:
Diet: Good. Ate what I planned, apart from too many chocolates again - three instead of one (again). Oh well, now there is only three more left in the box, and I don't like one of them!
Exercise: Good, especially considering I didn't feel great. I've kept my commitment of 30 minutes every weekday.
Water: Poor. If I drink this one in front of me before I go to bed, that will be eight glasses. But I'm ok with that, it is making my stomach very uncomfortable to drink much.
Sleep: Ok. Much the same. Restless nights, sleepy in the afternoons. The heat doesn't help.
Mental health: Good. Feeling positive.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Lovely feedback
Sunday:
I posted my novel for my writing group on Friday, and today someone emailed me. He hadn't planned doing critiques this year because he didn't have a book of his own to submit (it's a quid pro quo system) but liked the title of mine so decided to read it. And finished it in two sessions! He said he really liked it and particularly liked the magic system. So lovely to get that positive feedback, and in only two days when I thought I would have to wait a month. He is going to send me more detailed feedback so there will probably be suggestions of things to work on, but that is an awesome start that made my day.
I did half an hour of Fantasia exercise, and mostly ate well (three chocolates though). I've been emailing back and forth with other judges and we've finalised short lists and the winners for our two categories of the Aurealis Awards. I also bustled around a bit getting some of the housework done. 5,000 steps. I feel ready for the week ahead. I have some ideas percolating for book two, and I'm thinking about rejoining the gym now that time pressures have been lifted.
Report card:
Diet: Good, I think. I haven't actually finished tracking what I ate, but I think did ok. More chocolate than I planned.
Exercise: Good. Moved my body.
Water: Ok. Only 8 glasses today.
Sleep. Ok. Got through the day without a nap.
Mental health: Mixed. I started the day feeling ok, then after exercise felt quite down, but after receiving praise for my book I felt really great! Finishing the day happy.
I posted my novel for my writing group on Friday, and today someone emailed me. He hadn't planned doing critiques this year because he didn't have a book of his own to submit (it's a quid pro quo system) but liked the title of mine so decided to read it. And finished it in two sessions! He said he really liked it and particularly liked the magic system. So lovely to get that positive feedback, and in only two days when I thought I would have to wait a month. He is going to send me more detailed feedback so there will probably be suggestions of things to work on, but that is an awesome start that made my day.
I did half an hour of Fantasia exercise, and mostly ate well (three chocolates though). I've been emailing back and forth with other judges and we've finalised short lists and the winners for our two categories of the Aurealis Awards. I also bustled around a bit getting some of the housework done. 5,000 steps. I feel ready for the week ahead. I have some ideas percolating for book two, and I'm thinking about rejoining the gym now that time pressures have been lifted.
Report card:
Diet: Good, I think. I haven't actually finished tracking what I ate, but I think did ok. More chocolate than I planned.
Exercise: Good. Moved my body.
Water: Ok. Only 8 glasses today.
Sleep. Ok. Got through the day without a nap.
Mental health: Mixed. I started the day feeling ok, then after exercise felt quite down, but after receiving praise for my book I felt really great! Finishing the day happy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Progress
Tuesday:
I left my fitbit on last night and listened to my sleep meditation. I had read something that argued that wearable sleep trackers were not very accurate because they only went by movement - if you lay still it would assume you are asleep (I don't know if that is really how they do it, I was wondering if they take your very relaxed heart rate into account). So I wasn't that surprised when in the morning the fitbit informed me I had slept very well, going to sleep in 11 minutes and then resting peacefully through the night except for getting up twice to go to the bathroom. Ha! Not true, I thought, because my sleep meditation goes for about 25 minutes (not 11) and I am sure I heard the whole thing. I distinctly remember all the muscle clenching and relaxing exercises and then visualizing being in a gently swaying hammock and then ... and then ... I did not hear the rest. I had been so sure I took a long time to get to sleep. But I definitely didn't hear the last half of the meditation. I did hear it all through the first night so I know what is said. I felt really alert today so maybe I did get a good night's sleep! As I have said before, I am just a terrible judge of how well I slept, if I compare my memory of it to how I feel the next day.
I did a whole hour of exercise this morning, Fantasia again. My arm was only a tiny bit sore, it was fine. I did a classical track (Dvorak) for a change, then Bohemian Rhapsody a few times (still only four stars) then I earned the song Radioactive so I tried that out a couple of times. I am really enjoying it at the moment. I have lost my resistance to exercise, for the moment anyway, I am not getting complacent about it. In fact the only thing I don't like is that, alone in the house, after my shower I can't put on a normal bra by myself due to my shoulder injuries. And an overweight middle-aged (in the prime of life!) woman needs a proper bra! Those pretend-bra crop-top things just aren't the same. But, here is the great news, today I found that I can almost reach high enough behind my back! My left shoulder has been very slow to return to normal (three years? More?) after healing after a tear, no doubt because I don't do any physio for it, but finally it is almost there. I wonder if all this waving my arms around for Fantasia is helping loosen it up?
I had a healthy lunch and then got a very good session of editing in. I am down to the little details that suddenly occur to me during the day, like my main character compares something to a castle rampart and then I realised she's never seen a castle so maybe it would be better for her to compare it to something else. Or adding in a few lines for a minor character to show her character more fully.
Later in the afternoon I did my other meditation app which was very restful. I am feeling calm and happy. Well, most of the time. Everything is going pretty well at the moment. Of course it is very hard to judge how much of this calm comes from semi- regular meditation. I also have a little distance now from my mother's death, and I have time to myself during the day while the kids are at school. It all contributes, I imagine, to peace of mind.
I had plenty of calories left at the end of the day so I got to have a bit more of that fabulous raspberry chocolate! Yummy.
My Fitbit says I did 4850 steps today, not bad considering I didn't leave the house! I assume it counted my conducting Fantasia as steps, but I also moved around the house a fair bit during the day. Tomorrow I'll get a walk in and try to get to 10000.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Within my limits and mostly healthy, depending on how you rate dark chocolate.
Exercise: Great. I'm gradually increasing time and intensity.
Water: Good. It's getting late with still two glasses to go, but I've had ten glasses.
Sleep: Improving.
Mental health: Great.
I've been reading the autobiography of John Cleese (British comedian of Monty Python fame, weird sketch comedy) and he talks about how on the rare occasion he did a "perfect" live performance he felt really depressed for the next few days because he knew he would never/hardly ever achieve that level again. Perfection leaves you nowhere to go. So let's be happy with progress.
I left my fitbit on last night and listened to my sleep meditation. I had read something that argued that wearable sleep trackers were not very accurate because they only went by movement - if you lay still it would assume you are asleep (I don't know if that is really how they do it, I was wondering if they take your very relaxed heart rate into account). So I wasn't that surprised when in the morning the fitbit informed me I had slept very well, going to sleep in 11 minutes and then resting peacefully through the night except for getting up twice to go to the bathroom. Ha! Not true, I thought, because my sleep meditation goes for about 25 minutes (not 11) and I am sure I heard the whole thing. I distinctly remember all the muscle clenching and relaxing exercises and then visualizing being in a gently swaying hammock and then ... and then ... I did not hear the rest. I had been so sure I took a long time to get to sleep. But I definitely didn't hear the last half of the meditation. I did hear it all through the first night so I know what is said. I felt really alert today so maybe I did get a good night's sleep! As I have said before, I am just a terrible judge of how well I slept, if I compare my memory of it to how I feel the next day.
I did a whole hour of exercise this morning, Fantasia again. My arm was only a tiny bit sore, it was fine. I did a classical track (Dvorak) for a change, then Bohemian Rhapsody a few times (still only four stars) then I earned the song Radioactive so I tried that out a couple of times. I am really enjoying it at the moment. I have lost my resistance to exercise, for the moment anyway, I am not getting complacent about it. In fact the only thing I don't like is that, alone in the house, after my shower I can't put on a normal bra by myself due to my shoulder injuries. And an overweight middle-aged (in the prime of life!) woman needs a proper bra! Those pretend-bra crop-top things just aren't the same. But, here is the great news, today I found that I can almost reach high enough behind my back! My left shoulder has been very slow to return to normal (three years? More?) after healing after a tear, no doubt because I don't do any physio for it, but finally it is almost there. I wonder if all this waving my arms around for Fantasia is helping loosen it up?
I had a healthy lunch and then got a very good session of editing in. I am down to the little details that suddenly occur to me during the day, like my main character compares something to a castle rampart and then I realised she's never seen a castle so maybe it would be better for her to compare it to something else. Or adding in a few lines for a minor character to show her character more fully.
Later in the afternoon I did my other meditation app which was very restful. I am feeling calm and happy. Well, most of the time. Everything is going pretty well at the moment. Of course it is very hard to judge how much of this calm comes from semi- regular meditation. I also have a little distance now from my mother's death, and I have time to myself during the day while the kids are at school. It all contributes, I imagine, to peace of mind.
I had plenty of calories left at the end of the day so I got to have a bit more of that fabulous raspberry chocolate! Yummy.
My Fitbit says I did 4850 steps today, not bad considering I didn't leave the house! I assume it counted my conducting Fantasia as steps, but I also moved around the house a fair bit during the day. Tomorrow I'll get a walk in and try to get to 10000.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Within my limits and mostly healthy, depending on how you rate dark chocolate.
Exercise: Great. I'm gradually increasing time and intensity.
Water: Good. It's getting late with still two glasses to go, but I've had ten glasses.
Sleep: Improving.
Mental health: Great.
I've been reading the autobiography of John Cleese (British comedian of Monty Python fame, weird sketch comedy) and he talks about how on the rare occasion he did a "perfect" live performance he felt really depressed for the next few days because he knew he would never/hardly ever achieve that level again. Perfection leaves you nowhere to go. So let's be happy with progress.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Lots of exercise
Friday:
After a healthy breakfast, getting the kids off to school, and sitting with a cup of tea reading my emails, I did 40 mins of Fantasia. I really pushed myself today, getting right into the arm movements. I was determined to get 5 stars in "Bohemian Rhapsody"! I ran out of steam and arm strength though, with only 4 stars. I find this game quite difficult. I usually do really well in these dance-type things, but my daughter gets better scores than me in this one. I blame my dodgy shoulders. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
I did the grocery shopping and had lunch. I decided not to edit today, although I had some more ideas fizzing, because I've only got two more books to read for this competition and I want to get them done by the end of the weekend. So I read for a while. Then decided to listen to my meditation app Headspace. It was number ten of the ten free sessions. I fell asleep! But only for about 15 minutes. Then I looked into subscribing to it and found out it's $17 a month which seems a lot, especially since I don't use it every day. I'm going to try out a few different free ones before I decide. I don't mind paying for apps that I think are worth it, but I don't really have anything to compare this one to. There are certainly plenty out there that are free or have a free trial period so I have lots to try. I do like the Headspace guy's voice.
This year Jasmine is starting ballet on Fridays so she had her first lesson. She loved it. Aiden has been talking about learning tennis or cricket, and everyone advises against cricket (adult games can go for five full days, and even the kids' games take up a whole day) so we decided on tennis. And Jasmine decided she wants to do it too. So they are both booked into lessons, right before their swimming lessons, starting tomorrow. So now Jasmine does French, jazz dance, ballet, karate, tennis and swimming outside school, plus trumpet in school band. Aiden does karate, swimming and tennis. We also have a regular playdate with friends once a week, and they are about to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, a kids' group run by a friend of ours. I feel like they are very overscheduled, but they really want to do all this stuff!
While Jasmine was at ballet, Aiden and I went for a walk again. 30 minutes this time. I planned out the route beforehand and we only went the wrong way once. It was a really hot day, and still very hot at 5:00pm. The route was hilly, too, so by the time we got back I was tired and hot and hungry. I read for half an hour, until dance finished, then we went home and I made dinner. It should have been very filling - a T-bone steak and a whole corn on the cob with butter and salad - but I am still wanting to eat more. I think because I am so tired. Physically tired, not sleepy tired. I'm not used to all this exercise, and in the heat. I might have got a bit sunburned, too, I really wasn't expecting it to be like that so late in the day, and sunburn always affects me.
I will make sure I drink more water and wait a while but if I'm still hungry later I'll have fruit or something. I don't plan to starve myself if it's actual hunger, not cravings or boredom. But maybe I should go to bed early instead!
The other thing that happened this afternoon was that my writing group asked me to go first, which means having my novel ready for them to read by next Friday! I only have a week to finish polishing. That is very exciting and very scary. And my husband will be busy on the weekend and might not have a chance to read it before it goes out to other people. It's kind of finished but I keep having these little revelations and ideas and things I need to change. But that process is endless. I have a week. I think it's good to have an actual deadline.
My report card:
Diet: Good - as long as I don't binge tonight. I want to. I won't.
Exercise: Excellent.
Sleep: Feel good, and taking steps that I'll talk about tomorrow.
Water: Still a bit to go. I'll get them drunk, but I'm leaving it a bit late tonight.
Mental Health: Great. Did a meditation and researching others.
After a healthy breakfast, getting the kids off to school, and sitting with a cup of tea reading my emails, I did 40 mins of Fantasia. I really pushed myself today, getting right into the arm movements. I was determined to get 5 stars in "Bohemian Rhapsody"! I ran out of steam and arm strength though, with only 4 stars. I find this game quite difficult. I usually do really well in these dance-type things, but my daughter gets better scores than me in this one. I blame my dodgy shoulders. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
I did the grocery shopping and had lunch. I decided not to edit today, although I had some more ideas fizzing, because I've only got two more books to read for this competition and I want to get them done by the end of the weekend. So I read for a while. Then decided to listen to my meditation app Headspace. It was number ten of the ten free sessions. I fell asleep! But only for about 15 minutes. Then I looked into subscribing to it and found out it's $17 a month which seems a lot, especially since I don't use it every day. I'm going to try out a few different free ones before I decide. I don't mind paying for apps that I think are worth it, but I don't really have anything to compare this one to. There are certainly plenty out there that are free or have a free trial period so I have lots to try. I do like the Headspace guy's voice.
This year Jasmine is starting ballet on Fridays so she had her first lesson. She loved it. Aiden has been talking about learning tennis or cricket, and everyone advises against cricket (adult games can go for five full days, and even the kids' games take up a whole day) so we decided on tennis. And Jasmine decided she wants to do it too. So they are both booked into lessons, right before their swimming lessons, starting tomorrow. So now Jasmine does French, jazz dance, ballet, karate, tennis and swimming outside school, plus trumpet in school band. Aiden does karate, swimming and tennis. We also have a regular playdate with friends once a week, and they are about to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, a kids' group run by a friend of ours. I feel like they are very overscheduled, but they really want to do all this stuff!
While Jasmine was at ballet, Aiden and I went for a walk again. 30 minutes this time. I planned out the route beforehand and we only went the wrong way once. It was a really hot day, and still very hot at 5:00pm. The route was hilly, too, so by the time we got back I was tired and hot and hungry. I read for half an hour, until dance finished, then we went home and I made dinner. It should have been very filling - a T-bone steak and a whole corn on the cob with butter and salad - but I am still wanting to eat more. I think because I am so tired. Physically tired, not sleepy tired. I'm not used to all this exercise, and in the heat. I might have got a bit sunburned, too, I really wasn't expecting it to be like that so late in the day, and sunburn always affects me.
I will make sure I drink more water and wait a while but if I'm still hungry later I'll have fruit or something. I don't plan to starve myself if it's actual hunger, not cravings or boredom. But maybe I should go to bed early instead!
The other thing that happened this afternoon was that my writing group asked me to go first, which means having my novel ready for them to read by next Friday! I only have a week to finish polishing. That is very exciting and very scary. And my husband will be busy on the weekend and might not have a chance to read it before it goes out to other people. It's kind of finished but I keep having these little revelations and ideas and things I need to change. But that process is endless. I have a week. I think it's good to have an actual deadline.
My report card:
Diet: Good - as long as I don't binge tonight. I want to. I won't.
Exercise: Excellent.
Sleep: Feel good, and taking steps that I'll talk about tomorrow.
Water: Still a bit to go. I'll get them drunk, but I'm leaving it a bit late tonight.
Mental Health: Great. Did a meditation and researching others.
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