Off Kilter
Friday, October 11, 2013
Sometimes the social part of SparkPeople can be mentally exhausting.
Actually, I guess the social part of anything is mentally exhausting for an introvert. And yet, isolation is not the answer so I just keep plugging away, adapting to the changes, going with the flow.
I used to go visit with teams, "huddle", all that stuff. I didn't really find it very rewarding. I suppose it expands my exposure to the Spark universe, pulls a few more planets into my field of gravity, but eventually they move away again. C'est la vie.
The other day I got one of those "free" publications dropped off at my door. It's like a mini-magazine, professionally done with editors and experts and the like. It was supposed to be dedicated to Health & Lifestyle -- which means it was about one-third short articles written by people with "Dr." in front of their name (interspersed with ads for supplements the articles were touting) and two-thirds advertorials for various brands of makeup.
Melatonin not helping you sleep better? Cover those under-eye dark patches with X brand BB creme. Hmph!
Anyway, one short article on health talked about tracking food, and they recommended SparkPeople as one of three methods for doing that. To me, that is SparkPeople's strength: tracking food and fitness. That is what I will always use it for.
On a different note, my fitness regimen has changed since losing the weight and losing my first personal trainer. I switched from treadmill to Step class for my cardio, which leaves me tied to the schedule of when classes are offered. I usually get in 3-4 classes a week. With my new trainer, my personal training sessions are now less about machines and more about bodyweight exercises. (This is a good thing!)
On my own, I am doing less weight training but trying to be a bit more efficient about it. When I need a quick full-body workout, I do three machines: Chest Press, Mid-Rows, and Leg Press. I usually try to get a session in on the Captain's Chair, too, and occasionally the Roman Chair. (It's all about the core!)
In the past two weeks I have dropped under 140 and I seem to be staying here, after spending the entire summer hovering around 142-145. I suspect some of the weight I have dropped is because I have scaled down the weight training. But I am also eating less, because I am not going out to restaurants as much.
Which brings me full circle. Going out to restaurants is a social thing. Even though socializing can be exhausting (and adds calories to my week), I miss it. I will be glad when things settle back to a more reliable norm. Everything is out-of-kilter right now.