WOMP. Major major setback of a week. This time last week, I felt like I was on top of the world. I’d completed a full four weeks of our challenge and felt SO GOOD. And then I got really, really sick on Friday night. So this week was a little bit of a bust. I spent most of the weekend + Monday and Tuesday in bed. Wednesday I started to feel like a human being again but felt dizzy if I stood for too long so still couldn’t work out. Yesterday was more of the same. So everything pretty much fell apart this week. Didn’t work out, didn’t meditate very much (it’s hard when you can’t breathe through your nose, and sleep was all over the place. Oof. Onwards and upwards… next week will be a better one!
I’m trying not to beat myself up over it but it’s hard. I haven’t exercised in seven days and am just so bummed out. I am hoping you guys did better though… cheer me up with your own progress reports… I really do love reading them! And if you’re sick like me (I know from stories that so many of you are), rest up and feel better – we’ll get back on track next week.
Workouts:
ZERO. Sad and sick.
Meditation, Dry January, Protein Packed Breakfasts: Not so good except Dry January.
Trying Something New: I actually did try a Sound Bath meditation at MNDFL! This was on Sunday night when I thought (ha ha) that I was feeling better. It was a little weird (a full hour of sounds and no guide to help you meditate) so I was a little out of my element but I want to go back once I am a little bit more experienced with meditation.
This week’s challenge!
- Get to the gym five times between now and Friday’s check-in. This is going to be our ongoing goal; 5 workouts a week. We can do it!!!
- Try something new (this is going to be an ongoing thing!) It can be a new class, a new wellness treatment, a new face mask… even a new recipe! Don’t stress, this one is meant to be fun.
- Meditate every day, eat a protein packed breakfast, and add to your gratitude jar.
- Integrate Apple Cider Vinegar into your day. This is inspired by Julia’s post. I’m going to drink a shot of it every morning as I know how good it is for a cold (and I really need to kick this) but you can also use it in salad dressing + sauces, or put a tablespoon in water for a more manageable way to drink it. Something nasty is going around and ACV is so good for your immune system.
photography by Trent Bailey.
The Bath Sound meditation sounds sort of intimidating! I could never see myself doing it, haha! Meditating isn’t for me at all.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Haha – never say never! I would have said the same thing a year ago and now I really love it!
So sorry that you aren’t feeling well! Don’t be too hard on yourself though, it will pass – hope you get some rest this weekend and start to feel better.
xo,
Em
http://www.organicallyemily.com
Thanks Em! xo
I got to the gym 5 day: Friday-Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday, but have also been sick. Bronchitis. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I took Monday off because I was feeling extra crummy and yesterday I could barely get through 10-mins of my workout. Hoping to make this upcoming week a better one. I tried a new breakfast oats recipe – Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal …. & it was so good!
Hope you’re feeling better in no time!
Great job! That sounds so yummy – would you mind sharing the recipe?
I hear you, girl! I was sick with a really bad chest cold/cough for almost three weeks and am only now feeling like a human again. I went to pilates yesterday for the first time since I got sick and it was the best/worst. Hope you’re feeling 100% soon!
Hope you feel better too!!!!
It’s so hard to feel like your progress has been shot, but try not to beat yourself up! Part of this challenges is to create some lasting lifestyle changes, and in life outside of this challenge, there is no way you can be on top of your game every single week of the year. I think it’s a positive reminder on how to treat yourself when things are not great and you’re not checking every box (easier said than done, but still). Of course it feels so good to be on a roll, but you focused on wellness on the whole this week and listened to your body and what it needed. You should be proud you didn’t force yourself to have an unsafe or unproductive workout for the sake of a check in! Hope you’re finally feeling better!
My workouts felt a little monotonous this week, but I got them in. I have big plans to clear out my gym clothes shelf in the my closet tonight to complete that step and I’m very excited!
Totally. I woke up feeling so much better today and finally got back to the gym!!!
I did do 5 workouts! I should be happy about this, but I have just not been enjoying workouts at all lately. Fake it ’til you make it?
I also tried a new yoga studio which I didn’t hate but also didn’t love (see above about not enjoying workouts … sigh.) My new thing for next week is going to be getting a massage at a new place. I need it BADLY.
I need to read more about ACV! I’m guessing salt and vinegar chips don’t count 😉
Yeah, I think sometimes “fake it til you make it” definitely comes in. You won’t wake up every single day wanting to exercise… we’re human, right!?
Ugh – sorry to hear it, Grace! It seems we’ve all been there this last month! And I woke up to a sick baby this morning, so my workout plans for today got dashed :-/ Just hope I don’t pick up what he has.
Got my 5 workouts in. Tried this good “healthy” recipe for Buffalo cauliflower tacos – felt like eating junk food without actually doing it. It’s from Pinch of Yum – I love her recipes!
It is *so* hard to do something restorative with a baby and on a budget, but I did extra long meditations this week (20 minutes on average!) and I think I’m going to take a bath tonight with a book and glass of wine.
And I sorted out my workout clothes, well really all of my clothes, a few months ago when I was figuring out what did and didn’t work after a baby – so all set on that.
Hope you feel better soon, and take it easy this weekend!
Yeah, everyone has been sick!!!
Great job getting your workouts in!! xo
Giving your body rest when it needs it is NOT a setback. Wellness is about taking care of your body and giving it what it needs, and sometimes what it needs is REST. From years of long-distance running and training, I can tell you that when your body needs a break, if you don’t take one, it will find a way to force it on you, either with illness or injury. Take the time you need, and you will feel that much better when you return to your activity goals.
I did pretty well on all my goals this week, so I’m just focusing on my one new thing, because it was majorly impacted by one of my other wellness goals. The ongoing saga of my displaced collarbone continues. It’s not broken, so yesterday morning I had an MRI scheduled (that’s my new thing). I am HUGELY claustrophobic, and while I tried to downplay it for the doctor, I was pretty anxious. It didn’t look so bad from the outside, but when you’re in the machine, it’s like being trapped in a white coffin. All I can say is that if hadn’t been practicing meditation throughout January, I don’t know if I’d have made it through the scan. I kept my eyes closed the whole time (except for the one time I opened them at the beginning and realized I was in a white coffin), focused on my breathing, relaxing my entire body, and repeating a mantra. I could tell I was still anxious, but it really got me through the 20-25 minutes I was in there.
I’m adding you to my gratitude jar today, because this challenge has been a big motivator to me to meditate even on days I didn’t feel like it. And all those days paid off bigtime yesterday. So thank you!
Thank you Marcia. And thanks for including me in your gratitude jar! xo
I am SO sorry you’re feeling sick! This winter has been a doozy. And to think we aren’t even close to done yet…but rest and listening to your body is so important!! I think you get major bonus points for that. I have a really hard time being okay with not working out when I’m sick that I actually consider it a success. Flip my mindset!
This week was a great one for me, channeling your motivation! I meditated every day except for Saturday, but I didn’t beat myself up for missing a day and instead added a few extra throughout the week. I love doing morning and night when I can now! I worked out 6 days and finally talked myself into trying a hot yoga class! I hated it in the moment but felt SO good after and am going back tomorrow! I also got some more inspiring breakfast ingredients to make healthy, protein packed start more exciting! Writing this all out makes me feel a lot better about some of the other areas I should have worked on – thank you for the inspiration!
Thank you so much – it really has been! And I feel like everyone has been so sick which is a huge bummer!
Great job this week!!
Working in ACV has been a goal of mine for a while but I can’t stand the taste! I’ve been trying to cook it into foods but I’m not sure if its getting the same effect. Any ideas???
http://www.stylebysamantha.com
I do ACV every morning with a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of local honey, plus I dilute it in a teacup of hot water. It’s like a tea. You can probably still taste the ACV but it’s much better with honey and lemon. Good luck! I’ve been doing it for several years and I think it helps (it can’t hurt!)
Honestly, I think you should just shoot it! If you hate the taste that much I think you should just get it over with rather than trying to sneak it in. Julia swears by salad dressing and I like that, but if you hate the flavor then you aren’t going to like it.
5 workouts is a stretch for me, so my personal challenge is to work out 2-3 times/week. I have a 4 month old so some days I feel like I get nothing done, but I’m trying to make time for me!
Good job!!!
Hope you’re feeling better! This challenge has been so motivating for me — I’ve definitely been inspired to go outside my comfort zone!
This week, I participated in an hour swim for charity with the team I’ve been swimming with. The deal was to swim as many laps as possible during the hour, and raise money per lap or for the whole hour. I’ve been swimming on teams my entire life, but was always turned away by the hour swim fearing I’d get bored. Well, I felt inspired by this challenge and I went for it! And I had way, way more fun than I expected!! Also, I’m new to my city and team, so decided I needed to be a good team player to feel more part of the group. Plus, the team chose an organization which is essentially a LGBT community center and provides LGBT youth a safe space for activities, support, etc, which felt especially important given our current political climate.
Other than this swim, I did pilates videos twice, hot yoga three times, and one additional swim. I haven’t been the best at keeping up with my meditation apps, but I made an appointment for acupuncture/cupping this evening, which I find to be very meditative and relaxing, so that’ll have to work for now :-).
I’m so glad that it’s been motivating for you!!! I FINALLY felt better this morning and got to the gym, it felt so good!!! Great job with the swim! xo
Oh no!!! I’m sorry that you were sick and hope you’re on the up and up!
I feel ya – this week was not my best in terms of getting in my workouts but I’m proud of myself for listening to my body instead of just pushing ahead with a workout like I might have in the past. So I live in New Orleans and Mardi Gras is starting!! There was a parade last weekend but tonight starts the 2.5 weeks of nearly constant parades and parties. Last year I did an ok job of not over-doing it on going out and drinking and I’m looking forward to doing even better this year! I want to have a great time but not hate myself every morning. Here goes nothing…
Have a fantastic weekend!
P.S. I love ACV! I try to have a capful of it in a glass of water every morning with lemon. And sometimes it’s fun to make it into a mocktail of sorts with a lime Lacroix and some honey!
I love ACV in water too… it’s so good! Love the idea of trying it in La Croix. 🙂
I’m sorry you’re sick – that sucks! The mental toll is sometimes as devastating as the physical toll. I hope you’re bouncing back!
I got in five workouts, had some alone time/meditation every day. Cleaned out my workout clothes and I’m buying some new running pants – yay. I’m trying the new GapFit “blackout” pants that are supposed to be not-see-through (which my middle-age bod totally appreciates.)
My new thing: I am making my own kombucha! Inspired by your kombucha drinking for Dry January, I had a friend willing to bring me a scoby and I ordered my bottles this week. Wish me luck!
That’s so impressive! Let us know how it goes!!!
I’m so sorry that your week was a bust! I fell off the wagon as well, but not because I was sick. I’m a resident, and I started a rotation where I am on a Q3 call schedule (this basically means I have a 28-hr shift every 3rd night). Anyway, I didn’t work out at all M-Th, and am about to literally DRAG myself to the gym today since I got off early. It’s funny because I spend my days encouraging my patients to eat healthier, exercise regularly, and sleep, and I can barely do one of the three. Self care is so important, but so undervalued in my line of work :/ I think the meditation progress you’ve been making sounds great, and it’s so inspiring to see all of these people commenting here and talking about their wellness journeys. We can do it!
Oh my goodness… 28 hours! I will think before I next complain about work. Good luck this week!
Last week was a tough one because I had little time to dedicate to health/wellness. This week however was much better. I actually look forward to meditation every morning and get angry when I don’t give myself enough time in the morning to do it ha. I am constantly cleaning out my gym clothes drawer because it quickly gets overstuffed. Love buying myself new clothes as a motivation to workout more. Workouts went well this week. Worked out everyday this week. Yippee! Didn’t get around to trying anything new :/ But I will treat myself to something new this weekend for sure.
Excited to do the ACL challenge. I used to take a shot of ACL, ginger & lemon every morning and I want to start doing that again.
Mine gets SO overstuffed too!!! I don’t know how it gets so full, haha!!!
That shot sounds so good… it really is so good for you!
I feel you. Boy, do I feel you. Just in January, I dealt with the end of the flu, and as if that wasn’t enough, I had a wisdom tooth become impacted and abscessed, so badly I had two surgeries and spent five days in the hospital. SO… needless to say, Weekly Challenges didn’t work out for me. On the plus side, Dry January wasn’t even hard at all! Ha
My mama has been preaching about ACV and coconut oil for years and we kids always rolled our eyes. Now I’m thinking she knew something we didn’t.
Feel better!! xo
Oh no, that sounds absolutely awful!!!! Feel better!
I LOVE ACV! For some reason the kinnd from Trader Joe’s tastes totally fine to me, much better than brags. I pour some in my water every day and have come to like it. All about creating habits I guess. Please feel better soon!
I actually really love it too!!! It tastes a little strange but the bite makes me feel like I’m doing something really good for myself.
Do not beat yourself up about being sick! You listened to what you needed to do and I am sure you bounced back a lot more quickly because you have been so focused on wellness. I am sorry that you felt so crummy though! This is a new week and I am excited for you to get back on the wagon and feel better than ever.
I worked out 3 times this week plus tomorrow will be four. I am okay with it though. I traveled this past weekend so it was hard to get back on track and I am proud of what I was able to fit in. I have not cleaned out my workout clothes but I plan to! I want to pick up a couple of new things and need to get rid of some leggings!
No meditating this week again. I am thrilled about trying ACV. It should be interesting!
Thanks again for all of your work to keep this going!
Thanks Emily… you are totally right. Great job this week!
Glad you are feeling better! And it’s good that you didn’t try to push yourself and allowed yourself to get better! I flew up to NY for work this week and came back with a fever/cough/chills, so Ive been in bed since I got back. Can’t wait for Tuesday’s post, I need something besides TV to get me through.
Oh NO! FEEL BETTER. Whatever is going around is the worst. Take care.
Went down an online Hanacure rabbit hole today. Have you tried? Are you gonna review?
I don’t know what Hanacure is… so… not planning on it! A bit inundated with beauty products to review.
A bit late for my Friday check in but here it is:
Friday – HIIT incline interval workout with my trainer. this was no joke. squats, weighted squats and jump squats. woof!
Sat/Sun both days did the adaptive 30-45-60 workout
Monday – hit the gy and did a 32 min captive elliptical workout
Tuesday was an absolute sh*i show at work and ended up a rest day
Wednesday – HIIT workout focusing on arms with my trainer
Thursday – elliptical interval workout to try and give my knees a break
Friday – Trainer HIIT workout that was legs, much like last Fridays. again, so many squats.
I was pretty self conscious all week. I made the mistake of steeping on the scale, and I’ve only really lost two pounds. I don’t know how that’s even possible but it really put me in a funk. Between that and work just being incredibly stressful this week, I was so tired I went to bed most nights as soon as I got home.
I used a new face mask and this time tried it while in the bath instead of reading – so it forced me to sit still..haha
Stuck with dry january until the very end…then acted like I was in college on Friday night. Amazing how low your tolerance is after not drinking for a bit. I haven’t been that hungover in ages….back on the wagon this week i think. I like the idea of saving wine/booze for the weekend or for celebrations!
Really love this challenge and this community! Hope everyone has a successful week! go pats!
Great job!!!!
I wouldn’t focus on the scale… focus more on what your clothes say! I haven’t weighed myself in years, actually!!!!
And agreed, it’s so funny how low your tolerance gets. I like it though – less calories, less money!!!! I had two glasses of wine over 4 hours (and didn’t even finish the second glass) and was definitely very tipsy… + had a headache the next day!
Kate, I’m in exact same boat! I’ve been trying so hard to shred a stubborn twenty pounds. I’ve been disciplined with intense workouts and clean eating and the scale doesnt seem to be budging. I’m only down about 2 pounds myself. I don’t understand it and trying to not let it discourage me, but know exactly how you feel.
This is short and sweet update, but I stuck with the challenge. Got all my workouts in. Allowed myself a cheat day the Sunday before because it was my birthday, but got right back on track. My something new I guess would be taking two spin classes last week, versus one. I was never a fan of spin and now I’m really enjoying it. Have a great week everyone! Stay strong .
Yay – good for you!! xo
I have been loving your wellness check-in posts, Grace! Definitely making me feel like I need to get back into the routine of working out!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Thanks Katie!!! So happy to hear that.