Health update

Fitness-wise, things are going along the usual track. I am one day away from finishing this year’s January Yoga with Adriene. As well, I usually do two half-hour yoga sessions each week through work.  I still have ballet twice a week, and I ride once (when I can catch Fancy). I have added in a one-hour dryland training class with a swim club. It is HIIT, and I am getting better at it but it is still tough. Whenever I can, I add in something extra, such as a powwow workout or skating. Today I walked for almost 5 km and skated for 45 minutes.

Health-wise, things have been less satisfactory. I finally got some blood work done following an annual check up, and stopped in to my doctor’s for a pneumonia vaccine. I asked about the results and the next thing I knew I was being prescribed blood pressure medication and  talking about ways to reduce my cholesterol through diet. I have a follow-up appointment in two months. If my numbers aren’t better by a follow-up appointment in two months, I may find myself on cholesterol medication too. My doctor did not comment about weight (she is good that way). However, when I raised it, she recommended that I cut down on my carbohydrates, and consider some very basic intermittent fasting to reset my metabolism (mostly having earlier suppers and no snacking at night).

Here is what I am doing about it. I am back to tracking my food intake for the first time in over a year. I stocked up on veggies with the intention of making some specific healthy meals, mostly vegetarian.I had been pretty satisfied with the results of my Veganuary, and the extra fibre will also be good for my ongoing efforts to keep colon cancer at bay. And after a bit of reading, I decided that I could manage to finish eating by 5 or 6 pm, since breakfast is rarely before 8. I have eliminated alcohol, at least for the moment, and all snacks after dinner. 

Mostly, this is quite manageable, though my body is still rebelling a bit at the early dinners. I had gotten into the habit of eating dinner as late as 9 pm, and sometimes following it with a bit of chocolate, a mug of hot chocolate, or a drink before bed. Distressingly, I had a small bowl of pasta tonight and the carb count ended up far higher than my recommended limit, so I won’t be having nearly as much pasta in future. It’s absolutely my favourite food, so that will likely be the toughest part of the new regime.

Here is a good article about the diet pattern I will be following. I rather like the name of circadian rhythm fasting, rather than intermittent fasting. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156