My change from last week –

Change in weight (4/7/20 –4/13/20):  +0.8 LBS

It is gloomy out this morning. We are supposed to have thunder storms today and potentially wind gusts of 40-50 mph! It is a gray day and I would prefer to be in bed. I find this morning to be kind of representative of my fitness week; sleepy and blahh.

I fell back just shy of a pound this week. Truthfully, I am not super upset about this. I am still feeling good and am proud of myself for where I am and how I am doing. This week was a hard one for me. I was tired, our toddler is going through another sleep regression, and work has been overwhelmingly busy. So simply looking at my goals below, and what I attained, it makes sense that I gained a little back. I find that this is okay if I don’t let it set me back further. I recognize the fatigue hit me hard and I needed a few days to calm down. I also recognize that stress played a huge role in my cooking/consumption this week, but that same cooking also helped my mind (see future post on rage baking… hint: rage baking is a way I calm down by making delicious buttery treats). Simply put, I barely moved this week and I still gained back less than a pound.

Despite the lack of fitness gains, this week had some wonderful moments. My little girl is so quickly growing and we spent much time in the backyard letting her explore. It is therapeutic watching a toddler explore, learn, and process. She was so helpful in moving mulch from the garden beds to the grass and was quick to help pick up all the sticks and put them right back to where they came from. She also climbed and went down her little slide by herself for the first time. Those smiles and giggles are the type that stick with you. Along with that, Easter was the oddest I have ever experienced. We watched our church service online (which experienced technical difficulties), we saw no family, and we ate carnitas instead of Easter brunch. But it was the three of us, making the best of our time and that was special. We need to recognize these special moments and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

I have also rediscovered some of my inspiration with cooking. I have always loved to cook, but have recently found it to be nothing more than a necessary utility with all joy removed. I think my new obsession with the Bon Appetit youtube channel has assisted with this reset. I baked and made a killer carnitas this week. Coming soon, scones and a homemade vodka sauce.

Let’s look at my action plan. I only worked out three times this week with a run, and 2 rides. I did get my first 60 minute ride in! This was one of those things that had scared me, for no good reason, but felt so great to conquer for the first time. My legs felt sore, my butt was numb, and I burned a crap ton of calories. Hell yea. I don’t know how frequent I will do those long rides before I get padded bike shorts, but I am proud of the win. My lack of walks was directly correlated to the amount of rain we had midweek. It was gross and it wasn’t even the type where I could put a jacket on and push through.

I did pretty well with food when I wasn’t eating Easter candy and some of our rage-baked goods. I still plan on getting a little cleaner with the meals this week and upping my veggie intake. My water intake needs to improve, so there is that. For the first time since I started this, I slacked at tracking my intake. There were a few days where it just escaped my mind. Those are the days where I am sure I ate too much but couldn’t actually tell you, because I do not remember everything I ate. This so perfectly shows why tracking throughout the day is so important. Last night I tried to remember all I ate through the day and I could barely remember breakfast, let alone the little snacks and bites throughout the day.

Anyway, I could use a little feedback on how people are dealing lately. Have you all found, if you are, working from home to be a bit overwhelming? Do you find you can bounce back from weeks like this easily? I feel I can, but right now I want to sleep for the whole day.

Anyway, check out below for the action plan and my goals for next week. I am going to keep my goals the same as last. I feel I need to get these back on track before I change them.

How did I do on last weeks action plan?:

1. 5 workouts. 1 60 min ride (will be my first) 1 HIIT Ride, 1 full body strength, 1 low impact ride, and 1 other of my choice. Not attained. 3 workouts – 1 HIIT, 1 60 min ride, and 1 run.
2. Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks. Partially Attained
3. 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc. Not attained. 1 walk
4. 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body. Not attained
5. 20-30 minute midday walk on work days. Not attained.
6. Track every bite. Not Attained
7. Drink 10 glasses of water per day. Partially attained – did for 5 days

Action Plan

1. 5 workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 full body strength, 1 low impact ride, and 1 other of my choice
2. Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks
3. 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc
4. 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body
5. 20-30 minute midday walk on work days
6. Track every bite
7. Drink 10 glasses of water per day

Please stay tuned for more updates. If you have been enjoying this, please become an email follower or a wordpress follower. Having this public audience has been a positive motivation for me to continue working towards my goals and so I really am thankful for all of you!

Date	Change in Weight
12/1*	–
12/2*	-5.4 lbs
12/9	-5.4 lbs
12/16	-3.4 lbs
12/23	+2.8 lbs
12/29	-1.2 lbs
1/6	-1.4 lbs
1/13	-1.6 lbs
1/20	-1.4 lbs
1/27	+0.4 lbs
2/3	-1.2 lbs
2/10	-4.6 lbs
2/17	+0.4 lbs
2/24	-1.6 lbs
3/2	-3.2 lbs
3/9	+1.8 lbs
3/16	-3.2 lbs
3/23	-0.6 lbs
3/30	+0.4 lbs
4/6	-1.6 lbs
4/13	+0.8 lbs

-Ben