- This check-in is for September 7th – 13th.
- I overdid it at the Ohio Renaissance Festival last weekend and ended up having to take a couple of days off from work. I felt so bad, I thought I had come down with the flu.
- The night before I went back to work, I realized I had less than two weeks before I move, and I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions and anxiety since. I’ve been moving from one place to another, several times to different countries or across the US, my entire life, but this time feels very different despite only moving across town. Maybe it’s because of why I’m moving or maybe it’s that I’m getting older and all of the major life changes and stress over the years have piled up, but this move is the hardest one I’ve ever done.
- The few vegetables in my garden that didn’t die have been plentiful. I ended up with a giant eggplant, far more bell peppers than I know what to do with, three enormous carrots, and a ton of green beans. I’ve been eating the green beans with a ham that I baked, and trying to figure out a way to put bell pepper in everything else. I’m going to cut up the carrots to put on salads, and I’m baking an eggplant lasagna sometime this week.
- Next year, I’ll mostly be doing container gardening, but I think I might have room on my patio for one or two gardening boxes that are similar to raised beds.
- Exercise Days: 0/7
- Steps: 30,613
- Miles: 12.40/16.31
- Total Miles: 556.22/850
- Zone Minutes: 12/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 31st – September 6th.
- Yesterday, I went to the Ohio Renaissance Festival for Fantasy weekend. I had a wonderfully whimsical time, walked over 10k steps, and was exhausted by the end of the day. It was 100% worth my time and energy!
- I now have an official move-in date for the townhouse apartment I’ll be renting, so I’m going to be spending most of my free-time over the next couple of weeks packing and prepping for the move.
- Exercise Days: 2/7
- Steps: 42,781
- Miles: 17.20/16.31
- Total Miles: 543.82/850
- Zone Minutes: 75/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 24th – 30th.
- This past week was very low-key. I didn’t have any social plans except for on Thursday, and I used a lot of my free time to read. I’m not sure if the considerably slower pace after such a busy week was the cause, but I felt down a lot. Maybe it’s just more of the ups and downs of dealing with the ending of a relationship and the major life changes that come along with that. Reading definitely helped, though.
- One thing I forgot to mention in last week’s post was that I decided to also participate in #75Soft. I did fairly well the first week, though I struggled a bit with journaling, getting enough water, and moving my body, but I really fell off the wagon this week. I’m doing my best to be gentle with myself about it, and getting back on that wagon this weekend.
- Yesterday, I drove out to Lynd Fruit Farm to go to their market. They got in fresh apple cider and had some good deals on produce that made it worth the gas to get there and back. However, I wanted to go so I could get out of the house, take a mini road trip by myself, and treat myself to a sinfully delicious apple fritter. I also bought way too many pickles from the Crazy Cucumber and a small bag of kettle corn.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 42,835
- Miles: 17.27/16.31
- Total Miles: 526.62/850
- Zone Minutes: 55/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 10th – 23rd.
- I had a massage last Saturday afternoon, which helped me quite a bit with the crazy amount of stress I had. The rest of that weekend was busy and I’m not sure how I would have managed if I hadn’t had the massage to “reset.”
- My calendar was jam packed this week with social activities I had scheduled when I was doing really well in addition to appointments that had been scheduled for a while. One of those appointments was with my Health Coach. We discussed how busy I was going to be if I went to the social stuff and I was concerned about how I was going to fit in the self-care activities I’m trying to do every day and also get enough sleep. I was considering cancelling those plans, but she reminded me that doing fun things is just as important a part of self-care as all of the other stuff like meditation, journaling, exercise, etc. She’s right, of course, so I didn’t cancel my plans, and I’m glad I didn’t.
- I’ve joined two social clubs – the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and a local chapter of the Silent Book Club! I could go on for hours about how much I love the SCA (but I’ll spare y’all), and the Silent Book Club is the perfect no-pressure book club for me.
- Exercise Days: 1 and 1/7
- Steps: 31,408 and 46,875
- Miles: 12.69 and 18.97/16.31
- Total Miles: 509.35/850
- Zone Minutes: 48 and 20/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 3rd – 9th.
- I went out yesterday looking for ideas for my apartment and doing some price comparisons. I’m not all that into shopping, so deliberately going to stores and taking a look at the options was a bit eye-opening, mostly in a good way. It reminded me of how much I already have, but it also showed me that the possibilities for organizing and decorating my new home are just about endless. I saw some of that possibility online, but it was narrowed down to my search results and whatever the algorithms gave me.
- I’ve started journaling every day again. I stopped a while back, thinking it wasn’t really helping all that much. However, I definitely noticed a difference in my mood and stress levels after I picked it back up again.
- Tomorrow I’m starting a short daily challenge on the meditation app I use, Insight Timer. It’s a Morning Routine challenge, and I think it will help get me back into a regular morning routine that’s more focused on self-care instead of just getting dressed, gathering up my things for the day, and rushing out the door.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 38,009
- Miles: 15.41/16.31
- Total Miles: 477.69/850
- Zone Minutes: 49/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 27th – August 2nd.
- My mental and physical health hasn’t been great this week, but I’m getting better. Maybe it would be better to say that I’m recovering.
- Yesterday, I went outside for a walk. The weather was perfect, and getting out of the house for something that didn’t involve work or running errands felt really good. It gave me the energy to continue packing, and I got quite a bit of my stuff and many more of my books boxed up.
- Exercise Days: 2/7
- Steps: 34,613
- Miles: 14.04/16.31
- Total Miles: 462.28/850
- Zone Minutes: 45/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 20th – 26th.
- I’ve been approved for the two-bedroom townhouse apartment and will be moving in September. As I mentioned yesterday, my perspective about this whole move shifted a bit when I discovered the amount of modern-style home decor that also is covered in dinosaurs! I also re-realized the freedom that comes with living alone. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been on my own, and I’m having to relearn how to do a few things, but I know I’ll be alright.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 40,007
- Miles: 16.21/16.31
- Total Miles: 448.24/850
- Zone Minutes: 42/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 13th – 19th.
- I spent most of my free time this week looking for an apartment, and I submitted my application for a two bedroom townhome on Friday.
- The apartment search and discovering all of the household stuff I’ll need to buy (after my ex and I did a walk-through of the house to divvy up our belongings) left me feeling exhausted physically and emotionally. I decided not to do anything else related to moving for the weekend so I could rest and relax.
- A coworker and his wife are expecting a baby, so I began crocheting a baby blanket while listening to an audiobook as part of my relaxation. I’m planning to work on the blanket a bit more today, and hopefully finish the audiobook, too.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 37,809
- Miles: 15.35/16.31
- Total Miles: 432.03/850
- Zone Minutes: 37/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 6th – 12th.
- As I mentioned in yesterday’s “Building the Book Fort,” my relationship of 12 years ended last weekend and I will be moving to my own place in the coming months. This somewhat sudden major life change put me in a lot of pain, both emotional and physical, but right now, in this moment, I’m doing OK.
- I went to the Columbus Book Festival yesterday. Though the festival was expanded, I think there were even more people than last year, and the lines for just about everything were still very long. The one author panel I was really looking forward to had a line that wrapped around the inside of the library (which, for my readers who have never been there, is massive) and I knew there was no way I was going to get a seat or even a place to stand before the auditorium was full. Since I had been on my feet most of the day, and was exhausted, I decided to go home and skip the last author panel I had planned on seeing. I left at just the right time and beat the traffic of everyone leaving for the day. I also got home right when a thunderstorm was rolling in. Overall, it was a good day, though. I bought three books, a few stickers to put on my water bottle, a pack of “Bookworm Bingo” cards, and a notebook with a cover that says “THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.”
- My plan for the notebook is to start a list of all the things I can and want to do now that I’m not in a relationship. It won’t be a bucket list so much as a reminder list of the advantages of being single. I’m also planning something fun for me to do each month. For instance, in October, I’ll be going to see “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” I don’t have anything planned for August or September yet, so if you have ideas, please leave a comment!
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 41,828
- Miles: 16.91/16.31
- Total Miles: 416.68/850
- Zone Minutes: 85/150
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for June 29th – July 5th.
- My life has been turned upside down and shaken vigorously. I’m barely holding it together emotionally, and the stress is causing me some neck and shoulder pain. I’m meditating every day, and doing other things for self-care, so I’m sure I would be an absolute wreck if I hadn’t already established those habits and routines.
- Exercise Days: 3/7
- Steps: 33,693
- Miles: 13.62/16.31
- Total Miles: 399.77/850
- Zone Minutes: 115/150