My Journey With Weight Loss – Keeping Cool

I am so happy! Yesterday I went out for lunch with a group of people. My table of 4 were all fully vaccinated and it felt comfortable and safe. It was so great just talking to people other than my family. What I found really amusing was we all kept trying to talk over one another. In normal circumstances this might seem rude but it was pretty obvious we all wanted to catch up for all the conversations we have missed these last 15 months.

Here in BC we have been going through a blistering heat wave. Yesterday my weather app said it was 38 C but felt like it was 45 C. Seriously? We don’t do those kind of temperatures ever! This has meant some pretty significant changes in my routines for the past several days.

Now we have air conditioning in our home but of course it does not extend to the garage where the treadmill resides meaning using it for exercise is simply not an option. Worse, the temperatures have remained high even at night. Since I opted not to get heat and/or sunstroke I decided my only option was to get up at 4:00-4:30 am to miss the heat and sun. On top of that I pushed all my workouts to as early in the morning as possible.

So how did that go? Well yesterday I did a 2 hour walk starting just before dawn and by time that was completed I was exhausted. Then after doing some hydrating I took the dog for an hour walk. When the dog got to the point of no longer wanting her treats during the walk and wouldn’t drink water at the ‘pet stop’ we always go to it was time to head home and stay there. I did manage to try to keep us in the shade whenever possible but it that was not enough. I convinced myself that only doing 20,000 was going to have to be enough.

Today was a bit better and I got my training in. The dog still wasn’t happy about the heat but was much better walking today. Still, I’m not pushing this so kept the steps down again today.

Even though I have been avoiding the sun as much as possible I am coated in SPF 50 sunscreen. I have also been very conscious of my fluid intake. I’ve mentioned before I am not a big fan of plain water but I do love iced tea. I’ve made several batches of iced herbal tea and my favourite decaf Chai tea. I’ve made sure to keep my hydration up all day and will continue to do so until the weather gets to a decent temperature.

Really, taking care to protect myself is more important than getting in 30,000+ steps a day right now. Remember my journey has been about complete physical and mental health and that is what I will continue to do.