Nutrition & Diet February Health Challenge

[Moll Flanders]

I thought I would start the February Health Challenge.

I did better than I thought in January as I lost 4 lbs and did manage to exercise a few times, although I am still out of shape. I'm having a smoothie everyday too.

I'm trying to up my exercise to a few times a week in February.

I just had wholemeal pitta bread with cherry tomatoes and houmous for breakfast and I am going to have a smoothie made with bananas, peaches and oat milk.

Mod edit: The monthly Health challenge is a thread where we all post any health goals, and support each other in meeting those goals. Last month's thread is here.

 

[shyvas]

I thought I would start the February Health Challenge.

I did better than I thought in January as I lost 4 lbs and did manage to exercise a few times, although I am still out of shape. I'm having a smoothie everyday too.

I'm trying to up my exercise to a few times a week in February.

I just had wholemeal pitta bread with cherry tomatoes and houmous for breakfast and I am going to have a smoothie made with bananas, peaches and oat milk.

That is excellent and a good start to the year.

I haven't managed to lose any weight so I'll have re-think about what I'm eating. It looks like too many carbs do not agree with me.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I have been trying to eat a lot of steamed veg. I put hummus on it, so that bumps up the cals, but I was hoping that overall I would feel fuller. Haven't really lost any weight, I am still eating biscuits etc......

 

[KLS52]

I'm failing at everything.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I'm failing at everything.

it was that cake marathon, wasn't it.....

 

[shyvas]

I'm failing at everything.

Join the club KLS.

 

[Chryssie]

I have to admit I have avoided the scale for weeks out of fear. While I did go to the gym pretty consistently, I continue to eat too much of the wrong things. I do not know how I will do in February as Jeremy is coming to visit and I won't get to the gym at all and we will probably eat too much.

 

[KLS52]

it was that cake marathon, wasn't it.....

Lol...most likely.

I have a few days of eating healthy and starting to exercise and then 2-3 weeks of it all going to hell.

Not giving up though. Today is a beautiful day. I have my walking shoes on so I'm going to get out there and take a walk.

I'm not gaining weight or anything. I've been maintaining the last few years. But I really want to eat fewer empty calories and get this old body up and moving.

 

[Oasis]

I haven't really lost any weight at all in January, a bit disappointing after all my awesome drops the past few months before. But evidently I have lost some fat, as I'm now wearing size 5 Reitmans comfort fit jeans instead of 7 like at the beginning of January!

My goals for February is to be able to run 9km by the end of the month, and to keep up my brand new habit of going to the gym to do some strength training.

 

[ledboots]

Oasis, it sounds like you are getting healthier! Your new muscle weighs more than fat. And 9k, very impressive. Good luck this february!

I'm doing the stationary bike at home for 30 to 45 minutes aiming for 5/wk. I really hate most cardiovascular type exercise, tbh, but I need to because my latest labs were bad. I'm back on the cholesterol med, so depressing for a 7ish year vegan of average bmi. So I figure I have to exercise and eat oat bran and etc. It runs in my family, and I didn't go vegan until I was in my 40s already with high blood pressure and cholesterol. I didn't go vegan for health reasons, but of course knew it was better in my situation. So my goals are to make a habit of riding this actually very comfortable and quiet bike.

 

[PTree15]

Hey everybody!
I did fairly well in January. Lost only half a pound, but that's something, considering I'm pretty close to my goal.
I want to get better with the weight training (three days a week). I averaged about two days a week, so I need to improve that.
I will continue with five to six days of cardio so that I can stay in hiking shape.
My sister and I will be hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine this year! :0)

 

[PTree15]

So yesterday I decided to up the intensity of my workout and I *tried* to do this high-impact video by Jessica Smith (she has a lot of free workouts done in place, basically in her living room). Well, here I am thinking I'm in pretty good shape, lol, and I could do only half of it at high impact. My calves got such a workout that they are rather tight/sore today, lol. So now I have a new goal: being able to do this 40-minute video full bore. I could only do the leg part of the high impact. The arms are another matter altogether. But it was a super workout. I really like it. It was simple but effective. It's basically jogging in place and mixing up the steps here and there and using power arms. It's killer and I sweat my butt off!

Raggle, I think when I master this, I will be able to withstand the rigors of that 30-day shred video.

 

[KLS52]

Today I shoveled snow for almost 90 minutes!

 

[PTree15]

Me, too, KLS! That was plenty of exercise for me.

 

[PTree15]

Bah, I haven't had a very good exercise week (just three days, but I suppose that's better than none). Work and snow seem to be getting in the way (or I'm allowing them to get in the way, hah). I could have worked out today, but I chose to bake instead . Tomorrow I want to do a killer treadmill workout.
I have been really good with food this week, though, so I'm happy about that.

 

[Oasis]

I've had a slow week and a half too, exercise wise. I discovered that I'm not invincible, and that I really do need to take rest days. More often than not I wouldn't have a rest day for about two weeks straight, and often I'd be doing two exercises per day. Anyway, my knee finally had enough of it, haha.

Thankfully it didn't turn into a full blown injury. It just got to the 'if you don't smarten up, you're going to REALLY regret this' pain. It was kinda scary on Saturday. I felt like if I merely held my weight wrong, it'd snap. (it's the 'band' next to the kneecap that's hurting) So for several days straight, I didn't even go for a walk. Yesterday I finally went for a walk again, and it was fine. I thought I'd try running and see what happened, but literally after two steps my leg was like 'DON'T even THINK about it!' so I just walked the rest of the trail and made sure I didn't do anything strenuous for the rest of the day.

Day-to-day life my leg hasn't hurt the past two days or so, and yesterday's walk didn't seem to make it angry, so I'm going to keep up doing a walk each day so I don't completely fall out of my routine. (Plus I'm getting crazy cabin fever after being used to running everyday for so long) I'm hoping I'll be able to return to running again within the next few days.

I've learned my lesson. I pledge that from now on, I'll make sure to have two rest days a week, so please get better soon knee.

I have made a bit of an improvement nutrition-wise though this week. I was starting to fall back into old bad habits (too many goodies in one day everyday, feeling the need to have a snack every time someone else in the house had one etc etc) but I feel like I've cleaned it up again. (Back to no more than one goodie a day, remembering that I can say no when someone offers to share their snack/make me one) So there's that at least. I'd been doing that most of January and all of February thus far, but I've finally put a stop to it.

 

[PTree15]

Way to go, Oasis, for listening to your body and nipping the mindless snacking in the bud. It's so hard sometimes to bust out of those bad habits. I do miss running, I must admit. My right knee just can't take it anymore. So if I want to keep hiking (which is my very favorite thing to do), I have to keep in shape without the running. Through trial and error, I have discovered that it's the stride that does me in, more than the pounding. So I have been doing some interval training to up the cardio a bit. Jogging in place seems to be OK for the knees. I often feel that if I don't sweat, I'm not working hard enough, so I like sweating! I just did Leslie Sansone's 4 Fast Miles, which includes five sets of interval training. I think it's my favorite Leslie video. I, too, need a day or two of rest per week, but it seems to work out just fine.

Keep up the awesome work, everybody! We can do it!!

 

[Oasis]

That's too bad that you can't run anymore. But at least there's the hiking I'm glad that you've managed to find a solution for keeping up your fitness.

I'm happy to report that I can run again. I've had a couple of days of running with no pain, or weakness or stiffness or anything. Totally back to normal. I'm wiser now though; I'm going to keep my promise of giving myself a couple rest days every week.

So far I've been good about my mindless nibbles, and too many treats. I haven't had more than one per day since my last post. I've come close (actually literally reaching for one, but then making myself back off) a couple times, but I've stayed strong. I just keep telling myself, "I'm not depriving myself, I'm just being sensible."

 

[hungryraccoon]

I can't run either because of a bad knee. Never have been able to. Sometimes I think I would enjoy running but oh well.

30DS level 3 is hard. That's hard on the knees also actually....even my good one.

 

[shyvas]

I've managed to cut down on carbs and refined sugar and am feeling better. I have less migraines and am feeling less hungry. Unfortunately, I still have a hearty appetite and still crave desserts.

I have to have a blood test shortly so hopefully the cholesterol and triglycerides have gone down. Fingers crossed.