One Step At A Time

It's been a busy week. Getting in the running for my training plan, learning my new job (and trying to understand just what the hell they're saying - swear to God it's a different language they're speaking), catching up with friends old and new.

Also going to the eye hospital twice ... because that's always fun, isn't it? I have (or hopefully had after the amount of anti-biotic eye drops I've dripped in there this week) an ulcerated cornea. Doesn't that sound cool?  Bet you're jealous. You are, aren't you?

I've also been trying to stay on top of my company's admin and work out what I have to do to keep things ticking over, and despite being an accountant myself it's frankly baffling sometimes.  I don't think I'm ready for this adult malarkey.  Not yet.

I bought a Fitbit just after Christmas, and so did the rest of the UK apparently because it took and AGE to arrive, but it got to me just before last weekend.  I've now had it on for a whole week, and it has indeed encouraged me to move a bit more.  I'm quite active anyway (I thought) since I walk to and from work 5 days a week, but it turns out that's not quite as much as I thought and with the prompting of the Fitbit I've been adding extra bits of walking in on days when I'm not running so I can hit my daily targets.  In the last week I've managed to get my daily 10,000 steps on all but one day, and the one day I missed was only by a couple of hundred steps.

According to Weightwatchers the amount of walking I'm doing translates into a quite ridiculous number of activity points. Luckily, under the new style plan, I don't get to swap any of my activity points for additional food, so I'm not tempted to splurge out on things I don't really need, but my tracker said I earned 97 points last week, and I've already earned 42 in the first two days of the current week. Blimey!

Still, it doesn't seem to have done me any harm, because after another week on the good eating after Christmas, and staying the same last week, I dropped 3.5 lbs this week.  DEFINITELY not to be complained at.

Whether that was fluke, the Fitbit, or the cumulative efforts of 2 weeks of good eating when I didn't see any change last week, I don't know. I'll just have to keep doing both (eating and moving) and see what happens.

Speaking of moving, the running is getting a tiny bit easier.  My short runs this week were improved - I did another solo 2 miles without stopping and my lunchtime 2.5 mile run with my friend Liz was steady with just a few breaks ... mostly for her I think, I felt like I could have kept going.  I've got another 3 miler to do this afternoon.

Yesterday, in a fit of adventure we headed into South Wales to venture up Pen Y Fan. I've only ever climbed one mountain before, Snowdon, back in the days before I lost weight, and it was a mammoth effort.  Yesterday would definitely have been easier if it hadn't been covered in snow! We ended up only going up to the first peak as that was a steady hour and a half climb as it was and we had had to leave Bristol late and wanted to make sure we were down in good time for the light.  The climb up was pretty slow going as it was slippy as hell on the path and up to thigh deep off the path, so you either had to stamp up the side of the path dodging anyone trying to do the same on the way back down, or forge your own path.  We weren't sure how long it would take us to slide back down and the visibility was incredibly low at the first summit,  so we took a sensible decision to call it there and just enjoy the shorter than planned walk safely and in relaxed fashion.

Still, it was fun being out in the fresh air and snow for a few hours, and I now know that getting a pair of micro-spikes would be a great idea of me in future as I really do have an irrational fear of slipping and falling hard.

On the January challenge side of things, I'm still doing well.  No alcohol, despite having 3 nights out this week, no takeaway, and obviously the running's still going.  Two more weeks to go!

Apparently tomorrow is know if know as Blue Monday, as it's the most depressing day of the year .... stay happy out there folks.

xx