gwennefarrell

Only day 2 of the week and I have already done 8 hours of walking/running (today of course was a training day). It is not because I wanted to up the ante but rather that I know on Thursday I will only get one workout session in so I thought I’ll do some extra work on the other days to make up for it. Really this is not because I need to do it, one session does not make any difference but to me I like to see me hit all my numbers for the week.

That brings me to today’s discussion, are fitness trackers helpful? Well, since this journey is quite individualized I guess my answer would be it depends on you. I admit I am a little obsessive with my Fitbit. Once I started walking I set my goals for distance, km’s, calories burned, days of exercise, weight and steps (hmm, writing that makes me think I may have been a little excessive in having so many goals to track). Most days I meet all of the goals with the exception of calories burned which I don’t normally hit on Sundays which is my only day I don’t do at least one full workout. Most weeks I even exceed the goal of exercising at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. I like having goals to achieve each day as it helps me to stay focused. I should note, I treat all of the goals I have set as the minimum, exceeding them always gives me a boost. It was also a great way for me to learn my original fitness level so that I had a starting point.

The major downside I see to fitness trackers is being obsessed with them. I have confessed that I am but I do it in a managed way. Yes, I check my progress after every workout. Yes, I analyze the comparison of week to week. Yes, I go a little crazy when my Fitbit is on the charger. Having said all of that, I recognize it is but one tool in my toolkit for this journey. I like having my Fitbit vibrate when I have met a goal for the day, that gives me encouragement. And while obsessed, it is in a positive way. When I don’t meet a goal (such as when I took that circuit breaker week) I don’t berate myself, I knew I wasn’t going to hit the goals over that period. I still, for my own information, checked what I did accomplish each day but regardless of the results I was satisfied.

I think the upsides to the fitness tracker are more important. For example, it tracks my resting heart rate which (according to my Fitbit) is very good to excellent for a woman my age. I also have the premium app so it tracks my sleep which I find can be very helpful to me as someone who has difficulty sleeping. I like it when my Fitbit sends me ‘badges’ for the amount I have walked. Right now I am up to achieving the Monarch Migration badge which means since I started wearing my Fitbit in January 2020 I have walked 4,023 km (ok, these may seem silly but I think they are fun). I also earn badges for hitting milestone steps during a given day. My top one is the Hiking Boot which means I walked 35,000 steps in a given day. These are all small things that have a big impact on me to help keep me motivated.

So, your choice. If you think a fitness tracker is going to help you take that next step then go for it. If you don’t think it will do you any good then spend the money on something that will.

Well, I survived 3 days of interval training again this week. My coach advised I should do 2 weeks at this level and then we will increase the number of intervals from 8 to 10. I’m pretty confident next week will go as well as this week except for that one day where I have a Zoom meeting literally in the middle of the night.

Back in October 2018 I was going through probably the darkest time in my life. Both my siblings were in the ICU (at different hospitals) and were in critical condition. A good friend insisted that I need to be checked out by my own doctor as he was worried the stress of it all was going to destroy me (ok really I think he thought I was about to have a nervous breakdown). I had a brand new doctor at the time but knew my previous doctor was working a couple days a week at a walk in clinic so off I went to see him. After hearing what I was going through he ordered every test imaginable and what came back was frightening as my health was in pretty rough shape. The biggest issue was I was diabetic. I shouldn’t have been really surprised at that as all of my immediate family has had diabetes (even one of my dogs was diabetic) but I looked at what the disease had done to my Dad and my siblings and thought, dammit, I don’t want this.

I was put on the typical diabetes medication to go along with the high blood pressure pills that I had been taking for close to 2 decades. Of course being newly diagnosed it took several months to get the medication right and by then I had already lost 20lbs though I had not quite put together how things would really change if I kept losing weight. My regular doctor didn’t really suggest weight loss, she just advised me to watch my carbs. By the end of that first year I had lost 37lbs and my quarterly A1C tests results kept improving (this is an important test for diabetics as it basically measures the average glucose levels). I should note, after being diagnosed diabetic it was only the A1C test after the diagnosis that had my A1C slightly elevated but that was also during the medication adjustment period. But once I decided on serious weight loss I realized that my regular testing of my glucose levels (done about 3 times per week) were almost always normal. As a matter of fact I got to the point that for about 4 months I did not once test out of range. When I hit the 60lbs mark my doctor reduced my diabetes and blood pressure medications to half of what they were. Much to my surprise my glucose levels remained in the normal range every test. In February I did my quarterly A1C and my doctor decided I met the criteria to be removed from the diabetes medication and she opted to take me off the blood pressure medication as well.

So what does this mean? If my upcoming A1C shows my glucose as normal without any medication then I will likely be described as being in diabetes remission. That would mean I have dodged a massive bullet but it does not allow me to stop doing what I am doing. I may end up back in the diabetes category at a future date but my goal is to stave that off for as long as I can. I am pretty sure if I stay on the path of healthy eating, avoiding sugar and processed carbs and of course doing lots of exercise I can be successful at this. The real trick to this is not letting myself be convinced that since I am now healthy it is an excuse to slide back to those old bad habits. Having seen the devastating toll that diabetes can take on your body that is all I need to think about to keep me on track. Well, that and being proud of my fit and toned body.

The bottom line is in 2 1/2 years I went having massive health issues to now doing my annual blood work and grinning at how healthy I have become. That alone is one of my big motivators.

Another day, another excellent training session followed by a long walk to the pier and back. So far this week I have managed to do at least 25,000 steps each day and have walked/run 10-11 miles each day. I’m feeling great helped by a few new summer wardrobe items purchase in the past few days though I admit some are for walking outdoors as the temperature gets warmer.

Not everything you hear about weight loss will happen to you. For example, about 5 years ago I seemed to lose my ability to have a good night’s sleep. Previously I had been one of those 8 hours a night sleepers and always woke up feeling refreshed. And then one day I lost that ability. Nothing had changed, I just stopped being able to sleep more than 4-5 hours a night and I was exhausted all the time. I started having to take intermittent sleeping pills which at least let me sleep deeply occasionally. I was so excited to read that as I kept losing weight that a benefit was better sleep especially if like me you were obese. Absolutely incorrect, or at least for me. I still struggle to get a good night’s sleep despite my normal weight. I still at least one night each week take a sleeping pill just to get a good sleep in. I have been a bit frustrated that the internet is perpetuating this lie. Sigh, I hope if you are doing this journey you have better success in this area than I did.

Now this next one is a bit personal. I had been going along with great success, weight was coming off, my medical issues were drastically improving and mentally I was feeling great. Then when I hit the 60 lbs mark I slammed into a wall. My body decided to drastically rebel and I got constipated. When this situation continued I did what all intelligent, well educated women do, I consulted Dr Google. Everything I read said hydrate well, eat lots of fruits and veg, eat plenty of whole grains and make sure to exercise. Guess what, I was doing all of those things but to no avail. Finally I consulted my real doctor (who has gotten used to dealing with the fact I am a bit neurotic and paranoid) as I thought something must be horribly wrong. She reminded me that all of my regular medical test results had come back normal so it would be pretty hard for something to be wrong given there was no indication of it. She also talked me through the fact that my body was basically protecting itself by going into starvation mode. It had done so because all of the stored up fuel I had for so long (read ‘fat’) was now going away so my body was trying to protect itself from eminent danger. Ok, that is not what Dr Google said but in reality this made sense to me. Simple solution, she told me, you just need to take daily fiber supplements. Hmm, I thought, now I kind of feel like an old woman. But, she was right. I take the fiber supplement and that prevents my body from ‘hoarding’ anything and I guess I just have to get over the old lady thoughts.

Ultimately this weight loss journey can be very individualized and you just need to go with the flow. Your body reacts to you, not what others have experienced. Maybe for you everything happens in a positive way and all those awesome benefits of weight loss happen for you. Or, maybe like me there’s a few things missing and some others that no one talks about. The bottom line is somewhere along this journey there will be a lot of positives and that is what you should look for rather than having the expectation that the journey won’t be without several bumps in the road. Oh, and using real medical professionals is always the better choice compared to using Dr Google.

Finally decent weather has arrived. That meant yesterday for one of my walks I was able to get off the treadmill and head down to the beach. It was just stunningly beautiful out and that 1 1/2 hours spent walking just flew by. The only downside is walking up a steep hill in order to get back home but I’m more than willing to do that as a tradeoff for enjoying the outdoors.

Today, on the advice of my coach, I increased my running intervals. If you recall last week I had gotten to the point that I was starting to enjoy my training after having taken a little break the week before. I had become quite comfortable with walking 1:30 minutes then running 2:30 minutes (8 intervals 3 days a week). I let my coach know it was actually becoming easier so we upped the ante, 2:00 minutes walking and 3:00 minutes running again for 8 intervals. I was a bit nervous this morning about the 3:00 minutes of running but turns out my endurance level was absolutely ready to do this.

While I was attending a virtual convention this weekend I did some research on running training just because this has been going well. I was stunned to learn what some of these training programs recommend. I mean seriously, they believe someone like me can go from non runner to running a 5k with only 8 weeks of training? That just made me realize I needed to do a shout out to my coach, Kelly, for how she has set up my program.

Kelly has made it clear since she stepped up to coach me that her goal was to get me to a 10k but that to do that we would be going slowly. She repeats to me every week that we are building endurance and slow steady progress leads to injury free training. I have so say that she is right. If you had told me 3 months ago when I started training that I would be able to run a total of 24 minutes (which is what I did today) and feel pretty good at the end of it I would have fallen over with laughter. But, apparently I can do it.

So, if you are thinking or starting a training program, find a good coach like Kelly. Sure, I could have used another training program to get me to an end result quicker but I realize with my arthritis and being a couch potato for so long I likely would have suffered physically which of course would simply deter me from continuing. Instead I check in with my coach regularly, get tips of different strengthening exercises to try and every time I get encouragement to keep me motivated. That’s what you want in a coach

Another good training session this morning and now I am looking forward to upping my intervals next week. Strangely I just wrote that without sarcasm which had you asked me 3 months ago when I started my training I would have told you it was laced with sarcasm. Apparently I am getting better at this interval training and my strength and endurance are both improving.

So let’s talk about the pandemic. A little over a year ago I was in Mexico as the borders were being shut down. Talk about panic and fear that I wasn’t going to be able to get home. Of course when I did arrive home it was self-isolation for 2 weeks and then our Province did a quasi-lockdown for a month. Even when the restrictions were lifted my siblings and I decided that due to their health issues we just really needed to stay home. That has meant that we have basically stayed in self-isolation for more than a year. This combined with my husband not being able to come home from his job has put a lot of anxiety on all of us. I have written several times about my improving mental health throughout this journey and this could seem to be inconsistent with being isolated. The truth is I have found ways to avoid letting this pandemic impact my mental health.

What did I do? I started with reaching out to find volunteer work that I can do safely from my home. That led me to calling isolated seniors each week which is hugely fulfilling. I will note that currently I have picked up additional volunteer work doing taxes for low income seniors which I am told after each call how appreciated it is. The downside to this one is seeing the small amount of income some of these seniors live on. Never the less, it is hard to let the pandemic get to you when you are helping others.

Of course the next thing I did was to start walking. I know I have mentioned that I walk along the promenade at our beach but when I initially started walking it was all over the City I live in. What I found interesting was even though I have lived here all of my life, I saw things I had never seen before especially regarding the beauty of this City. I was thrilled one evening out on a walk when I witnessed a small wedding on a front lawn with all the attendees socially distanced (this one really put a smile on my face). But then I decided to try walking to the beach, something I had avoided because it means walking up a steep hill to get back home. Once I conquered my fear of being able to do it I was able to spend months doing walks along our promenade every day. There is just something about seeing the people, hearing the ocean and breathing in the salt water that just makes you feel better. I am getting a little impatient about starting those walks again as the weather improves.

There are a couple other things that have helped ease the impact of the pandemic on my mental health. One is having pets. Yes, this is a pet loving house with 3 cats and 2 dogs and they can do wonders to lift your spirits when things seem a little dark. Moreover, having a young dog means regardless of the weather I have to take her for a long walk each day or she has too much energy and will destroy our house. The second is the fact that I have now received my first vaccine. Don’t get me wrong, I know that being vaccinated does not mean anything will change in my life right now, it just relieves some of the mental pressure of hearing the numbers of COVID cases continuing to increase.

The bottom line is this pandemic has been hard on most people. However, you can find ways to prevent it from bringing you down. I know I am glad that I did because if I hadn’t I don’t think I would be where I am today, strong and healthy.

Today was another training day and something strange happened. Normally during my first few intervals of training my head is doing everything it can to convince me to stop. Once I hit the fifth interval I am repeating positive mantras in my head to try and just get to the end. That didn’t happen today. Instead I went through those first 2 intervals and thought, that felt pretty good. When I hit the fifth interval I was thinking you got this! Once finished I realized that this is getting easier, I am getting stronger and building endurance. Apparently that circuit breaker that I used actually worked. After I was done my long cool down walk I said words I never expected, that was a good run.

I have written before about my many supporters. These people are the first to send me positive comments as I have posted on social media about reaching goals, pictures that I have posted along this journey and just in general encouraging me to keep going. Ok, a few of them have offered advice (such as it is all about portion control or you just have to watch your calories). I don’t take issue with the advice, I just kind of ignore it as I have my own plan that I stick to and it continues to work for me. All of these comments just boost my self esteem and mean a lot to me.

Then there are the detractors. I don’t know why people who like to gossip think their target (and I use the term target as nasty gossip is really a form of bullying) won’t eventually hear what they are saying, it inevitably comes out. I hear about how I will never keep the weight off or that I have been starving myself to death (hmm, 3 good meals a day means I am starving?). Personally I am thinking of starting a rumour that I had gastric bypass surgery just for the fun of it.

But what do you do when you start hearing the negative comments? To me as my mental health has strengthened it has been simple, let this be the white noise drowned out by the incredible support for others. Moreover, I turn those comments around and think positive thoughts instead such as wanting to thank those detractors for just making me more determined to be successful. You can take the negative comments and let them get to you or give you an excuse to quite, I refuse to do this. I have also gotten to the point where the positive comments drown out the negative. For example, still going in my head was when a neighbour said to me the other day ‘girl, you have got to stop losing weight, you look fantastic’. For comments like that I turn up the volume and put that song on repeat.

The bottom line is it is your choice how you filter the negative. For me turning the negative into positive helps me focus on that fact that my mental and physical health is the end goal, not what people are saying. I refuse to wear the weight of those comments and trust me, that keeps me feeling light.

My apologies if you have been checking the blog over the past week as I have not been posting. The main reason was going to my trailer and forgetting to bring either of my iPads. Seriously, there was no way I was typing a blog on my phone.

Last week I decided I needed to do my own personal circuit breaker. There are 2 reasons for this. Firstly, I had been having some pain in one of my toes and after a couple weeks it wasn’t easing up despite the use of a prescription anti-inflammatory cream. I thought maybe giving my feet a few days rest would do some good. Secondly, I just really needed a break.

Here in BC COVID is getting worse. The number of daily cases is increasing and the new variants are becoming more predominant. Last week our restaurants and bars were ordered closed (except for limited outdoor patio dining and take-out). Further, we were advised for Easter weekend to stay within our own health authority. I found this all stressful enough but then you see people making idiotic decisions to ignore the health orders and it got quite overwhelming.

Easter weekend is traditionally girls’ weekend at the trailer (note, the trailer is simply an hour drive from home, is within our health authority and allows us to be even more self-isolated) and my sister and I had planned to head up last Thursday. But then with everything going on we decided to go a day early and just try to relax. So we loaded up the 2 dogs and 1 cat and set off. Once we got there I made my decision, I was going to forego working out while we were there. I recognized that I need this physically but even more so mentally.

For 5 full days I just sat back and did next to nothing. I had the foresight to order groceries online so we didn’t need to even do indoor shopping. I may have obsessively read social media, drank a bit too much wine and eaten a few things I shouldn’t have (ok really I said I was going to have potato chips) but as the days passed I started feeling better, it literally felt that weight was being lifted off my shoulders. I checked in with my coach who told me it is ok to take a week off, it will help you become stronger.

What was the end result of all this? I feel better! My toe seems to have healed, my head is back in the zone and despite the 5 days off the scale didn’t go up. I feel no guilt for taking some time for myself, this journey has always been about making a better me so being selfish for a few days is ok. Today, I was back at it and quite frankly that break after months of training didn’t do me any harm. Will I do that regularly, no. Will I do it when I know that circuit breaker is going to help reset my journey, absolutely.

And finally I am happy to report that on April 1st I got my 1st vaccination. This suddenly became available in my age cohort and I fully took advantage of it. I won’t be changing anything I do in terms of avoiding contact but at least I feel a lot safer.

Another day of successful training. If I get through 2 more days of training this week then I can up my intervals next week. I am bound and determined that part of this journey I am on will include running a 10k this year. What I really want to do is run along our promenade by this summer and I can’t wait until the weather starts to cooperate to allow me to start doing my training outdoors.

One of the things I seemed to have become fascinated with is my decreasing Body Mass Index (BMI). When I was at my peak weight my BMI was 38.1 putting me in the obesity category (and getting pretty close to severe obesity) but now it is at 22.1 which is in the normal category. I have calculated my BMI every time my weight has gone down and I got really excited when I hit the overweight category and even more so the day that calculator said normal.

So what is BMI? It is simply a calculation using your height and weight to determine your fat mass (note, there are various online calculators that can provide your BMI). A BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 is considered to be in the normal range. While the BMI calculation has been around for about 200 years, it apparently is still considered a relatively new health measure.

BMI to many is considered an important measure that allows your doctor to determine your overall health and your risk of chronic illness such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, liver disease, certain types of cancer, high cholesterol to name a few. It is just one of the tools your medical professionals can use to minimize health risks going forward. Having said that, it is not an overall indication of your health, it is just a starting point. Some problems with the BMI include the fact that it does not adjust for gender (an important point in that women tend to carry more fat than men). It also doesn’t consider muscle mass which as previously noted can weigh more than fat mass. Moreover, there are many people with a high BMI that have no health issues and the opposite is also true, people with a normal BMI who have significant problems.

My thoughts on the BMI is that is it an indicator, not a diagnostic tool. The fact that I am at a normal BMI doesn’t mean I don’t have health risks (anyone who knows me knows there are serious health issues in my family some of which can be hereditary). But, for me it was a huge tool for mental health. I know the exact date that my BMI hit that normal range, something I doubt I have seen in 3 decades. Watching my BMI move further down that normal range just wanted me to get it to move a little more (yes, I am happy with where it is now). I take anything I can that keeps me mentally focused and this was just another tool.

But don’t think of it as the only tool to use. Remember, BMI is a starting point to identify your health risks. I can’t state often enough, this journey can only be successful with the help of your medical professionals so keep them involved. Yes, my doctor was thrilled to tell me when I saw her last month that my weight was normal but I still had a battery of tests that she wanted done to evaluate my overall health. Use the BMI if it is going to do for you what it did for me, just gave me another goal I wanted to achieve.

I got on the scale yesterday and was stunned to see I am actually at my goal of losing 92lbs. Now remember, this is not the original goal that I set. I started with wanting to lose 62lbs then when I got close to that weight I thought let’s go 20lbs more and finally I said wait, I can do this and lose a total of 92lbs. Well, that has now been accomplished and I feel as well as look great. My husband asked me what my new goal is and I told him no, this is it. This is a weight that I am hoping I can sustain long term and I have a long term plan.

So now what? Really, not much is going to change. When I decided to get serious about this journey I realized I had a lot of bad habits that I had to get rid of and I believe I have done that in a smart way. Yes, I made significant changes to what I eat but it simply became a balance of healthy choices and being cognizant of what I am eating each day. I plan ahead most days so that I know what adjustments I have to make to compensate for what I am eating. Today, for example, I am avoiding carbs because I know I am going out for dinner tonight. I will eat some carbs at dinner but no more than I would in an average day. I also know I will be having a seafood dish so that I can get in some healthy fats. I’ve faced the fact that in order to be successful I have to look at this as a life change, not just a change to lose the weight. Going back to what I was doing before is not an option, I have no plans on giving up what I have done.

I’m going to focus on my new goal of running a 10k this year (even if it just by myself). I can’t wait for that to be my main priority (ok, maybe a little sarcasm there since I still don’t feel that ‘zone’ when I am training). I have healed so much mentally and physically that I am not carrying the same baggage that I had for so long. I admit that if I keep eating the way I do and increasing my cardio endurance that I may lose a few more pounds but if I don’t I won’t be disappointed. I told myself at the beginning of the year that I would give myself all of 2021 to lose those pesky last 10lbs but here I am 3 months into the year and I am already there. The rest of the year will be just getting myself even more fit.

Next weekend I am heading up to my trailer to enjoy Easter weekend with my sister. This will be the first trip of the season at the trailer and I am already planning ahead. I have most of our meals planned out and I will admit it now, I will be eating potato chips at some point (note, I have not had a potato chip in months). But, in the grocery order I have already placed there are also lots of healthy ingredients that are going to be incorporated into the meals. I also have mapped out my exercise schedule while we are up there. Though it will be reduced a bit from normal, I will still do some sort of workout each day including my running training on Saturday (I should note the forecast says we may get some snow Saturday so outdoor running could be challenging but I will figure it out). I get that some may read this and say why would you do all that planning? Well, anyone who is like me will understand that having a plan and a schedule in place helps keep me focused and will ensure that while I have a great time relaxing I won’t come home with any regrets.

Today I didn’t want to run or walk. I did my interval training in the morning and was happy I got through it. Then I did my second workout walk and thought, really I don’t want to do this. It is not because I have any physical reason not to, it was mental. Quite frankly I was bored. It might be because my schedule has been seriously messed up this week due to a bunch of meetings but even watching something on Netflix while I walked didn’t entertain me. However, I bucked myself up and reminded myself that I am only a week away from going to the trailer where I will still work out just not quite as much.

This week I had 2 scary incidents that really bother me. The first was at a busy intersection where I had hit the button on a pedestrian crosswalk. The lights were flashing but a driver in a pickup seemed to think that meant he should speed up rather than stop. Fortunately I had seen him and waited. The second was the same intersection and the vehicles had stopped so I thought I was ok. But no, a cyclist came whipping through as I stepped out into the street. I yelled at her saying this is a crosswalk, I have the right of way, she gave me the finger (note this was a woman in probably her 40’s).

These are not the only incidents that I have encountered. The worst was crossing a street when a young woman tried to drive straight through the intersection. I did the WTF indication as I passed her car and she rolled down her window and started crying. I stepped over to her car and said sweetie, can you imagine what you would feel if you had hit me. She apologizes profusely and said she wasn’t paying attention. She was obviously distraught so I told her then great, take this as a learning moment, watch what you are doing and make sure you are looking out for people like me.

Let’s be honest, despite the laws if you are walking or running it is up to us to make sure those not paying attention don’t hurt us. I ride a motorcycle and the mantra is always just assume the people driving cars don’t see you. Well, I have become the same when walking. I know I do the right thing and whenever possible I waive drivers through intersections so they don’t get impatient. I watch carefully at every intersection to ensure I am safe. I will note I hate the fact that it is on me and that law enforcement has witnessed things and done nothing. But quite frankly, I don’t want to be a statistic and be killed because and idiot drivers (or cyclists) aren’t paying attention.

So what can you do, well 1) I make sure I can be seen. That means I make sure I have some sort of fluorescent clothing when it is not really bright outside. My hubby gave me a great light up waist belt that makes it clear I am a walker going down the road. 2) Assume no one sees you. Yep, I get that as a pedestrian you have the right of way (as long as you too are following the rules of the road) but quite frankly cars, bikes and even those on scooters don’t seem to care. 3) Regardless of the rules, give them the right of way. Really anger over idiots not knowing the rules of the road isn’t worth it.

Find your way to stay safe. I admit I get angry at those not obeying the rules and think they should just succumb to me being out walking. But they won’t so it is up to me to keep myself safe. But it is also up to you.

As a final note, just be aware of your environment. I don’t care if it is a walker, runner, cyclist, or motorcyclist. When you are in that massive vehicle, just remember you will do more damage to them than they can do to you.