Some days are more difficult than others

The current weather is getting me down a little. Today is not a Fast day and will therefore most likely feature chocolate in one form or another, most likely hot. We are trying to eat well on non-fast days but sometimes a cheerer-upper is necessary just to get one through the day.

Now, what will get me though my exercise? I am finding that on some days the exercise is easy and I feel like I could stay on the treadmill for ages – I crank up the speed or the incline and just enjoy being able to stretch myself physically. On other days it’s an effort just to plod along or to make myself stay there for a mere fifteen minutes. It’s not a mood thing but genuinely physical – some days hold more aches and pains than others. Some days my body just feels stiff and unresponsive –  or even plain sore.

Possibly one reason for the pains is that I am still exercising in ordinary shoes. I have some trainers coming – I ordered them as a Black Friday deal from Reebok. I had been looking for a while for some affordable treadmill trainers and was delighted to get these at 30% off. They were dispatched on the 1st December and are somewhere between Reebok/UPS and Sinclair’s. (They were scanned in Inverness yesterday, apparently, so may take another couple of days yet.) I hope that, when they come, I shall find I develop fewer cramps and pains in my legs when I try to walk briskly. EDIT: Update – boats for this afternoon and tomorrow morning are cancelled due to the weather. That’s going to delay my training shoes for a while.

Overall my exercise periods are shortening. True enough, I see improvements in overall fitness and now have to work harder to make my heart pump but oh, my, it is so very tedious. My will wanes now that I see less results – the initial sharp drop in weight has settled into a very slow loss pattern, as it should, and it is hard to see the effects of the work… and so motivation decreases. I need to get my head into shape.

I should hit a total of 50 kilometres today – maybe that will give me a surge of fresh will. It’s one target met, at least. I enjoy ticking things off lists.

Yesterday saw us tackle salmon again. This time I served it on mixed grains and rice, with a large salad. That left sufficient calories over for a mug of my home-made broccoli & cauliflower soup to warm us up. Did I mention that the weather is foul just now?

Monday's 500 cals
Monday’s 500 cals

500cals8-12-14b

The grains were (oh, the shame) ready cooked and took but 1 minute in the microwave. I confess to finding such convenience useful, as the calorie counting is done for me. These were wheatberries, red rice, green wheat, black barley and quinoa from Merchant Gourmet (231 kilocalories/half pack serving)

On Thursday I am hoping to produce a 500 calorie meal containing haggis. That should be interesting, given the fat content of haggis…

That was the plan at least, but these have just arrived

Plenty to read
Plenty to read

and I may find an influence less Scottish and more Middle Eastern by the time that Thursday lunchtime comes along.

I have started a selfie record of my progress. I’m hoping to remember to take one image a week and make myself a rogue’s gallery (correct apostrophe!) If I plan to wear the same clothes each time I can make a morphing animation at the end of the 5:2 year-and-a-bit.

Today: a nice non-fasting curry (egg and spinach, perhaps), those recipe books and, I hope, some work on my handspun Curl.

I forgot Spinning Group yesterday. I remembered in the morning but somehow slipped into post-lunch routines with the Dyson etc. and completely forgot that I was going out! At least the bedroom is far tidier than previously.

There is no sign of the new fridge yet but Mr L spent Sunday lifting more of the old tiles in order to have a level place to stand the fridge when it does arrive. I’m actually quite happy if we don’t see it until the weather changes – I’m not keen on taking doors off hinges in this wet and wind.

Ooh – one more thing to make this one of the Better Days: letter from our mortgage lender this morning saying mortgage will be paid off on the 1st March 2015. Not long to go now!

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