After a day’s recovery i felt the need to get back on it today…. so a typical working day walking, then late night DDP Yoga, Peloton Strength class and an hour in the sauna blanket. So, I hope tomorrow will be a good day!
However, the weight for today was slightly up 115.5 kg +0.2 kg
I think i will be fine with this after the weekend, it may be a trend we need to keep track of. I didn’t do enough exercise and the weekend before my weight slightly increased also! Let’s keep an eye on this over the next few weekends!
Today was a solid walking day, almost 26k steps and 13 miles.
I don’t feel too bad after it, but i think that’s because i am consistent on the DDP Yoga to stretch me out. Although tonight i did do a 20 min strength class.
After i spent a very hot and sweaty hour in that sauna blanket!
Eating was also super balanced! and making sure i keep to the calories i need!
So still staying consistent, i thought i might have a jitter by now, but hopefully i can get through to a month’s consistency.
Let’s get down to the numbers, firstly i wasn’t able to weigh myself first thing, i just didn’t have the time as i was in a rush to get to Sittingbourne for the rugby. My team played really well but the game ended a drawer!
Once i got home i put myself on the scales expecting that weigh to have increased….. but 115.3 kg was in front of me, which is -0.5 kg from yesterday.
I am happy we are still seeing the little decreases taking place and at points some big drops and this week has been good to keep track on things.
But after two weeks of solid DDP Yoga and Peloton and Walking, i have decided to take a rest day and my body is definitely feeling it. My knees have been bothering me for a few days now and I’ve finally decided to take a break and give them some much needed recovery time. My body battery results from today in Garmin were low, and i needed to reflect!
Rest days are an important part of any exercise routine. They allow your body to recover from the stress and strain of regular exercise and prevent injury. For me, my knees have been telling me for a while now that they need a break and who can blame them with the amount of walking i do in a week. I think over 153k steps, and 76 miles is a lot for most people let alone an overweight fella!
But it’s not just physical injuries that rest days can prevent. Taking a break from your usual exercise routine can also help prevent mental burnout and fatigue. It’s important to listen to your body and pay attention to its signals. If you’re feeling tired or sore, it may be a sign that you need to take a rest day.
Rest days don’t mean you have to be completely inactive, however. Gentle stretching, yoga or even a walk can help keep your body active and promote recovery. It’s also a good opportunity to focus on other aspects of your health, such as nutrition and hydration. In my case tonight, i sat and did 10 mins of meditation.
So, today I’m taking it easy, giving my knees and my body the rest they need. And tomorrow, I’ll be back to my regular exercise routine, refreshed and ready to go. It’s important to remember that a little rest goes a long way in helping you achieve your fitness goals in the long run.
Firstly, let’s get the weight bit out of the way……
I did two weigh ins today, once when i woke up, and the second after i spent some time in my sauna blanket unwinding
Weight in 1 was at 09:43 and came in at a disappointing 116.5 kg +0.1 kg from yesterday. Weigh in 2 took place 11:16, and i just spent 1 hour in my sauna blanket, the weigh in came in at 115.9 kg -0.6 kg from my earlier weigh in!
I guess the question is how do i feel about that? a little perplexed i guess, firstly i wanted to do the sauna due to health reasons, its meant to reduce your blood pressure and other internal symptoms. Secondly you do very much sweat it out…. ok so hold onto your stomachs, this was what i was left with in the sauna blanket at the end….. beads and puddles of sweat!
I must admit i feel like i am really starting to enjoy it. The MiHigh was a little bit of a concern to me when i went to purchase it, and if there was not such a discount (25% off) at the time, i doubt i would have committed to doing so.
So, for the uninitiated a sauna blanket, also known as a far infrared sauna blanket, is a device that uses infrared heat to help the body detoxify, lose weight, and relieve pain and stress which is exactly what i need. Some benefits i am aiming from using a sauna blanket include:
Detoxification: The high temperatures generated by the blanket can cause the body to sweat, which can help to remove toxins and impurities from the body.
Weight loss (clearly!!!): The heat generated by the blanket can also cause the body to burn calories, which can lead to weight loss. Now i doubt this was my cause for a -0.6 kg loss this morning, but i hope it does help.
Pain relief: The infrared heat can also penetrate deep into the muscles and tissues, which can help to alleviate pain and soreness. Remember i am walking loads, my legs really do hurt at the end of a day.
Stress relief: The heat and sweating can also help to relax the body and reduce stress levels. I juggle a lot of balls in a day, i do it to keep myself distracted, but also to ensure i am enriching my children’s lives, but the constant time slicing and job pressures need relief.
Improved circulation: The heat can also improve circulation, which can help to bring oxygen and nutrients to the cells and tissues in the body. Let me be clear! i have cold feet, and at points hands! clearly something needs fixing in my circulation.
Better skin: The sweating can also help to open up the pores and improve the overall health of the skin.
Basically, sauna blanket provides a great way to improve overall health, relaxation and well being, and thats what i need at this point!
I still have a long way to go with this MiHigh sauna blanket, but i now do understand i need to set the heat to level 9 (top level) and be in the blanket for at least 45 mins to get a sweat on! But at least i understand it now.
Lastly, i am super happy that i completed my week of DDP Yoga Fat Burner 2.0. Although my arms really feel it today!
It’s nice to be in the 115s again, however i think over the next few days that will increase upwards! Just the way my body works, and then another dip!
Tomorrow morning i will head to Sittingbourne for a rugby match with my junior team that i coach. I hope it’s a good game for my lads. I love seeing my son play rugby, it’s a true pleasure for me that can’t quite be described, as well as the time alone with him to just enjoy the moments, chats, and laughs!
Tonight, its going to be a short post, just mentally and physically worn out. Plus we ended up at work having a late-night call for some planning work.
Key facts ;
Weight today 116.4 kg
-0.2 kg from yesterday
DDP Yoga Fat Burner 2.0 Complete but really worn out
Peloton Strength class done, but arms like jelly – 10 mins only
Food intake around 2100 calories
Fasting in good order
Tired!
So i am going to totally veg and do nothing but drink water and eventually fall asleep to YouTube!
The last 3 days have been hard going, they have bled mostly into my evenings for a variety of reasons, but this has made it also extremely difficult to keep focused on my goals;
Tuesday – I am the chair for a non-profit and my evening was spent running a meeting for this
Wednesday – Late night work calls for my official job. Running from 9pm till late. That the challenge when you work for a Seattle based organisation
Thursday – Rugby coaches meeting, focused on some fundamental challenges the juniors section has.
Basically, each evening has been a balancing act. The other challenge has been winding down! My sleep was shocking last night, i woke up multiple times and was massively over thinking things, plus the weather was bad and the wind was howling. I also at points wake up worried that my little office at the end of the garden is going to get blown away and i will have to have an argument with one Neighbour, but thats another issue. Annoyingly i didn’t wear my watch last night as i feel asleep while charging it!
Down to business, my weight went up today, 116.6 kg , thats + 0.2 kg . Again i wonder if thats the poor nights sleep! and just poor day yesterday all round! i mean i was tired and unmotivated and felt a massive desire to eat!
I got back on form to DDP Yoga tonight, so almost complete of a week adding Fat Burner 2.0, and i also got my weights class in at peloton.
It was still a good day walking, almost 26k and 13 miles! But my legs feel a bit tired still. I look forward to Saturday and just unwinding a bit! Just letting the little legs of mine recover.
I have been off the sauna blanket also over the last few day. I just have not had the time in the day to factor that in.
On a separate note i did get a message from my sons school today saying that rugby training will resume next week, i lend my time to coach rugby at my sons school, and i love that interaction and coaching aspect!
I am hoping over the next few posts i can give some more context/reviews on some specific items. Its almost 2 weeks complete, and i think i should dive a bit deeper on some aspects!
As my late-night meetings kick in, i thought as i listen i would also type. Today i feel tired, i feel wavering discipline, and a little lost on motivation. And doing both my DDP Yoga and Peloton was actually hard today, just the motivation was difficult. In fact, with the Peloton i ended up not doing a strength class but a 10 min yoga class.
Let’s get to the numbers!
Today i clocked in at 116.4 kg that’s -0.3 kg from yesterday. And i was really chuffed to see the trend continue. But when i convert things to lbs and stone, i still feel miles away from my goals and i know it will take months vs weeks or days.
I reflected back last night on some of my original posts from August 2016. My original goal at that point was 95kg! and my first micro goal is 115 kg (to be clear for me meeting that first goal i need to be in the 114’s kg, just being in 115 kg is NOT good enough)
I carried on walking today, in fact i am still walking as i type this and expect to end up in the mid 20’ks by the end of the day but for now i am at 24k and just passing 12 miles. My shins really feel it today, and i have ended up rubbing them a few times today, i wonder if i am landing too hard on my feet and sending shock waves into my shins!
(Slight Update: Just finished my evening calls and i landed at 30k steps and just over 15 miles)
On the food side i have kept myself in good order, but i did have cravings earlier on in the day , around an hour after my protein shake and after my fast i was hungry again, which is something that has not typically happened for me! I am thinking that all the walking from the last few days and with the Fat Burner 2.0 DDP Yoga courses is making me more and more hungry and my body wanting the energy
The Net Calories are still good especially with the work that i am putting in, and also the fact that i am still not complete tonight i do expect this number to be adjusted tomorrow.
Today is nowhere near as high as low as yesterdays net calories, but thats because i have not walked as much and todays DDP Yoga was Energy 2.0 and i didn’t do a strength class but a peloton yoga class.
Overall, i feel pretty worn down today, less motivated then i have felt since the start, but a massive chunk of that is down to how tired i feel. Wednesday evening calls and walking add to that tired feeling, but i will recover over the next few days i hope!
I hope i can keep the trend going and maybe break into the 115 kg mark over the next week. Let’s wait and see!
Ok frustrating day was yesterday, and this is “the day after”, another chance to get myself aligned and moving in the right direction. Firstly, today is a long Tuesday, firstly it’s a normal workday, and then between 7.30-9pm i have to chair a parents and teachers association. Throughout this whole day i knew i wanted to walk, so it was going to be a long day. And let me say at this very moment as i lay across the bed writing this, it really has felt it.
So firstly, what’s the scores on the doors! There was no morning constitutional today, it just didn’t happen? and i normally weigh myself at that very moment. That in my mind is my baseline….. so, i decided to jump on the scales anyway….
116.7 kg, that’s -0.8kg down from yesterday
So, am i happy with that? Yes, back on track, i guess. And just need to see how the next few days go.
The steps where really good today, 34k and just shy of 17 miles!
Calories In and Out were good again today.
And with all the extra walking and consistency on the DDP Yoga it helped today on net calories
I was asked over the last few days what DDP Yoga was and why i thought it was so good. I came across DDP Yoga at probably one of my lowest points in my life, there were two YouTube videos about it that stood out, and one of the other things that stood out was that there were no super pretty people advertising it, it was all normal and average joes promoting the positive outcomes that they had.
But these two videos set me on my way. First one was Arthur, and what an amazing inspirational story
And the second one is Jarad, and boy did i feel like i could relate
DDP Yoga is a combination of Yoga, Dynamic Resistance, Core Strength, and Pilates, but it’s always been amazing when i have been consistent with it, and that’s where i am today……
Let’s see what tomorrow brings, but Wednesdays are always brutal for me, its a long long long day, both on the treadmill and on the work front, but i need to carve out time in my day to do the work.
With weight you must be aware and understand there will be ups as well as downs! And the last week i thought i figured it all out, i cracked the code that no one else could have ever cracked, i was losing weight at 0.2 kg a day, and if i just carried on doing all the things i was doing it would carry on forever!
Well, the inevitable came true…… 0.5 kg weight gain, which means today my weight is 117.5 kg.
Super frustrating as i felt i kept my calories to where i needed them to be over the weekend, but i had not been doing the walking which i do in the week. But over the last few days i knew that this would and will happen at points, i just need to keep moving forward.
I think one of the key aspects has been my troublesome sleep cycles, at the moment i am sleeping badly, going to bed super late and waking up early (well early for me). And the quality of my sleep is not great either, this is something i need to work on. I have always been a night owl (something one of my old friends use to call me), and the mornings have never been my best time, so i just need to figure out how to create a routine to give me the needed sleep and recovery for my body.
Being back at work means i get back to the treadmill desk again, which is always a great source of focus and commitment. I had a number of interruptions today, the roof on my office has been leaking, we thought we fixed it over the weekend but alas we did not and had to get a repair done.
Nonetheless it was a 26k step day today and 13 miles. I dont think thats bad for any day, let alone a fragmented one.
And with my DDP Yoga and Peloton complete just before midnight i feel like i have done my dues for today.
Calories In/Out
These have stayed controlled today, I have started to incorporate salads again more into my diet, this was something i slid away from over the past few years and little treats plus bad choices have snuck in.
One thing that was super wonderful today was my directs and i have all made a pact to lose some weight, so there was a few chats on weight and health today on our teams chat, some check ins on weight loss and just general motivation for me. I need it, and the support really does help. We are all learning, all have a concern we have been sat at home far too long, and all want to look better and feel better for the improvements in our health.
I hope tomorrow i get some good rest and more importantly i see the correct trend on the weight line again.
As i move into week 2, my life has pretty much returned to normal. This weekend was a great example of back to reality, as my son and i went to rugby early this morning. I coach a U12s rugby team, and my son plays in that team also. Its a great opportunity for me to share some experience with kids, and i love the fun and enjoyment they have for the game.
However, when i got home it was business as usual with the weigh in.
Today i am 117 kg spot on. The -0.2 from yesterday. So i feel i am in a trend of these incremental -0.2 kg losses.
Today i have kicked up the DDP Yoga and Peloton. I have moved on to doing a Fat Burner 2.0 whenever i have a free day, and increased my strength classes on the peloton to 20 mins. Its a small change, and maybe something i will stay on for a while but just want to increase things a little.
I love how good i feel whenever i have done DDP Yoga, and i kick myself for dropping off it a few years back, especially as i was progressing to more of the advance workouts. Now the intermediate and some of the beginner workouts feel challenging again.
On the peloton i have kept consistent with strength classes with the peloton guide. Just staying consistent here and keeping a streak is a positive thing also. My poor peloton bike continues to get dust on her, but my peloton weights are certainly getting some good use at the moment.
Calories In/Out
This is the one area i need to have my addictive personality work over drive on. Back in 2016 i wrote a small blog post about me making the wrong choices, my 20s and 30s were terrible for this, in fact i made some terrible health based decisions which i am sure will wipe years of my life, so ensuring i am eating sensibly is critical.
I have never used MyFitnessPal so consistently to collect data on my eating and drinking.
With all my evening exercise today i am leveling off at Net Calories
With the work week kicking in again, i am hoping i can do even better with walking and the desire to eat!
Weekends are much harder than weekdays, the urge just kicks in to eat.
So last job of my day is to get into the Sauna blanket for 30 mins and sweat it off! But i just wanted to update my daily check ins!
Hopefully i will see 116 kg zone soon! 1 step at a time.
As we are now at the end of week 1, the first thing is to have a quick review of progress to date, and i guess assess how i am feeling, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Firstly, on the 6th of Jan i weighed in at 117.4 kg, that was 0.4 from the 5th. However today on the 7th my weight is now 117.2 kg, that’s 0.2 from 6th.
So lets dig into the 1st week of 2023 in a little more depth.
Weight
I started this week at 119.7 kg and finishing at 117.2 kg. Thats 2.5 kg. I am not too sure how i feel about this, i am aware that its a start, and its half way to my first goal. But i think i also wont see drastic drops (1kg drops) on a regular basis. I am happy with a steady loss mind you and feel good that its going down, but i also feel nervous that it will just stop.
Garmin Connect Weight Graph
I also kept an eye on other metrics for the body over the week
Garmin Weight Table
Intermittent Fasting
I have been doing intermittent fasting (IF) for a week. I am running from 20:00 to 12:00 everyday, and to be fair this does not affect me. I am comfortable in stopping eating at 20:00 and by the time i get to 12:00 i feel ready to eat or consume a protein shake. I think the key bit is that i STOP eating, i stop grabbing snacks while watching the TV and i am able to not think about eating or nibbling. I guess the other aspect is that i am exercising in the evening so distracted.
MyFitnessPal intermittent fasting
Calories In/Out
This week i have tried to hold , i have wanted to stay under 2,187 calories per day. The majority of my calories have come from a protein shake from Manual.co (Vanilla and Salted Caramel), and i have ensured i have consumed but also burnt calories also.
Below you can see my calories consumed, the only day i went over (and technically i dont think thats accurate, i just used a pre-made salad on Myfitnesspal, which i believe was much higher than what i ate).
The Net calories are critical, as that shows the adjusted amount with exercise and movement. Today was a low touch exersice day, but i have been mainly doing practical work at home, but nowhere near enough compared to the working week. I am also yet to do my DDP Yoga/Peloton today.
The consumption this week was as follows
Food Logged in MyFitnessPal
Exercise
There are 3 main intakes this week on the exercise front
Walking – This week i have done over 115k steps and just shy of 60 miles. My left foot feels sore and a little tender. I am aware that this will impact my knees, calves, and feet. But its a critical element of me burning calories.
DDP Yoga – I have been just getting going on Energy 2.0 and building up to the real harder workouts. But DDP Yoga was magic for me in 2017 and i hope it can do its magic again in 2023. And i will try to keep it consistent to a workout a day.
Peloton – My new edition of my peloton guide, and weights has been helpful. I am not doing anything crazy. I am just doing 10 mins a day of some sort of strength training and trying to keep that consistency. Which i think i have.
Garmin Connect Steps Count for Week 1
Recovery
The sauna blanket is truly kicking into its own. Firstly, i know now i need to stay in it for 45 mins +, i also know i need it on its hottest level, and by achieving this i finally get to that sweaty moment that you need in a sauna, along with breath shortness and elevated heart rates. I originally started with myself laying on the floor, but have found a home on the bed!
MiHigh Sauna Blanket
As you can see it gets a bit grim inside the sauna blanket, but i am hoping its doing wonders for my health and recovery.
However, my overall body battery has fluctuated all week and i need to maintain recovery to a good order! I probably need to dig into this more, but i need to keep feeling fresh to maintain.
Body Battery
Overall, for Week 1
This first Saturday was probably my most unbalanced feeling with food. I felt hungry today. In fact when i ate dinner, i felt like i overate, even though i came inside the calorie count. I just didn’t balance it well OR the exercise in the day keeps me busy and distracted and thus the feeling of hunger does not get to me.
Emotionally i feel better this week, i felt quite low over the Christmas period. It’s not something people will see but a feeling inside, quite hard to explain really.
Physically i feel no different at all. I am still a big boy, and the goal for next week stays the same. Keep consistent!
Things i would like to see but don’t expect, i would like to see inside the 116 kg mark, i would like to keep the calories balanced, i would like to eat more salads to keep me feeling healthy and fuller for longer! Next week starts to bring in further classes in DDP Yoga such as Fat Burner 2.0, that’s more challenging than the Energy 2.0 class i am currently taking and certainly will get me burning more. Also, i want to try and incorporate a 15 min peloton class each day also.
On to week 2 of 2023! and hopefully 116 kg and goal 1!
