23 miles.
3 miles.
57 beats per minute.
.09%
all of these numbers meant something to me in the last week, and all of them related to my physical fitness.
my Fitbit logged 509 minutes of physical activity for my week. this is any span of time where I'm actively moving that's longer than 10 minutes- working out, cleaning the house, sometimes chasing Brooklyn around.
I biked 23 miles total during two cycling classes- I aim for at least two if not three classes a week.
I started running again to eventually be ready for a 5K, and started off by running a mile three times this week to see how fast I could do it. I've got a long way to go if I want to PR my 5K.
my heartbeat now averages 57 beats per minute. (I love tracking this statistic). it's been going up the past week as I have some stress in my life I can't resolve yet, but I'm consciously trying to continue to lower it. when I started working out again regularly, it was mid-60's.
all this to say- I joined a wellness challenge through the YMCA in January and that 8 week challenge ended last week. I gained a pound during the challenge- yes, gained. but- I also started consistently working out between 2-5 times a week. I can now bike faster than the men in my class and keep pace with the instructor. I'm taking a TRX class twice a week and working out using straps and my own body weight which is a great kind of challenge. I worked hard and now love working out again- and I lost .09% of fat in 8 weeks. it is SUCH a small amount, I was honestly surprised! but it's something.
one of the trainers off-hand made a comment about how weight loss is "70% nutrition, 30% physical activity" and I know it's true. but- I struggle with the term "nutrition" and have for a long time. right now, I'm focused on raising my daughter to appreciate food and enjoy mealtimes. I'm worried about messing her up in a lot of ways related to food, so I'm still figuring out how I want to portray to her the concept of choosing foods. I am quite aware I have had a disordered way of eating and have since I was a child- but I have no idea how to "fix" it.
so I'm currently settling for being strong. I'm not losing weight, I have no abs to speak of, and I won't be showing off my figure in anything form fitting anytime soon. but I also hope my daughter sees her mom lifting her in the air, doing bicep curls with her in my arms, moving heavy furniture, and keeping pace with her when we run. I want her to learn about bodies being a variety of sizes and loving mine the way it is as an example. I want to figure out how to talk about food in a nurturing way with her and not place value on certain foods over others. I want her to talk about food with me and not feel she has to hide what she eats.
I'm figuring out one thing at a time and I've "figured out" I love the capabilities and strength of my body, as strong as a mom needs to be.
really sweaty after cycling
