June 2024

In many ways, June has not been a great month, but its been a month of improvements and a slow steady return to normal after the nasty bug of May.  It has not been a month of weight loss.  I have held pretty steady for the whole month and I think there are a few reasons for this.  I just don't think being tired and under the weather is my bodies preferred time to let go of fat stores.  As the month went on, I pushed my fitness, so I knowingly didn't help.  I decided fitness was more important.

I really want to do the year challenge for walking on my Garmin watch and this requires you complete four quarterly challenges.  I did the first quarter and April saw me nicely ahead on the second quarter.  This gave me a useful buffer in May when I walked very little once I came down with the bug.  I started June a little behind but still not feeling great.  I was walking but my walks were often less than a mile a day, so I was losing ground.  The last ten days of the month saw me with 20km to go.  April me would have eaten this for breakfast, June me knew it would be a challenge.

At the beginning of the month I was in no way able to do a 5km walk and I was not walking up the big hill.  This meant my walks were very limited and I was not able to make it out of town.  I was walking regularly though but even these short walks saw me with long recovery times on my garmin.  Pushing for longer walks to complete the challenge was going to really push my recovery and leave me very tired.

There are some days I don't walk, too much going on and I need rest days.  So in order to complete the challenge, I had to push it and do some longer walks.  I did and my recovery times were horrendous.  I think 56 hours was the worst.  I did three walks between 4 and 5km in June, that's all.  Then 2 walks between 3 and 4km.  Even with really pushing, my walks total around 10km less than February, March and April.  May was around half.  

But I did do it.  I accepted I was pushing it, that I wouldn't lose weight and I would be tired.  I also had the June walking challenge (a mile a day average in June) and a virtual challenge that all required around the same distance, so I completed the June walking and my Dublin Conqueror medal too.  It helped having so many things to encourage me.  It meant I also completed the walk 15 hours challenge and the 20 activities over 20 minutes challenges.   So in the end, I had a good month and met my goals.

I found my training load pushing in to the red towards the end and my body battery was seeing the effects for sure.  It was not just my recovery times...  but interestingly pushing through it has allowed me to recover some of my previous form.  At the end of the month I was tired but my recovery times were looking more normal and my training load had just dropped back down in to green.  Sure, I will take a day or two off, but it's all good.  I can be a bit more balanced now.  Consistent.

There has been no cardio...  too much energy required for that, but I will be back to the youtube dance videos soon.  I hoped to get be back swimming by now, making the most of the warmer months.  My ears are often problematic though and since the bug, they have been rumbling.  If I were to swim now I would probably end up with an ear infection.  As much as I love swimming, it's better to be careful.

I did start Park Yoga though!  I had hoped to join in May but I managed it the first week in June and have been each week since.  I very much enjoy it.  There are issues though.  I don't have the strength or stamina to hold my body weight in some of the positions.  Balance is an issue.  I spend a proportion of each session just watching or in childs pose.  Its ok.  What I am doing is more than I was doing.  I don't care if others have judgements on my body or my abilities.  It reflects on them, not on my story.  In truth though, I am largely invisible there.  People might chat with their friends but people don't arrive way in advance or linger afterwards.  It's quiet and nice.  I don't think anybody spends much time thinking mean things about me lol

Doing yoga enabled me to also get the Garmin June Warrior badge too and next week I should get the badge for five yoga sessions ( I forgot to record my first week).  It's nice because I need one more breathework activity to get a badge and a few more kms of steps for another challenge.  I am so close to level 4 for badge points, it won't be long.

Having finished the Dublin Conqueror challenge, I had two codes to chose from; the very short Inca Trail and the much longer Ring of Kerry.  I went with the Inca Trail which at 42.2km should be done by the end of July.  Then back to Ireland.

Clothes continue to be a huge interest!  I have been working at letting more and more things go on Vinted.  I let go of some things I thought I might hold on to through the summer.  I don't need them , they are too big and I have summer things that fit.  Its all good.  Some things have sold, others have not, yet.  I have more to list and more to let go of.  

The money from these sales has allowed me to keep working on my wardrobe, filling in the gaps...

Apart from this, I had my first individual dietician appointment online with the Weight Management Service.  It was very positive and supportive.  I won't have another for 3 months.  The aim is to provide support over time rather than in a short burst to get me ready for surgery.  I don't want surgery, it's not my aim...  I actually only have about 4 stone maybe before they would discharge me, because my BMI would be below 35.  So I just need to keep going.

SO June - not great but pretty good considering my overall health and great in terms of careful management.  Hopefully July will see a full return to form and my body will start burning fat and losing weight!