It’s 2021. Germany continues to be in a lockdown status until ??? Thankfully our COVID numbers have been trending downward and I can only hope and pray we resume some sort of normalcy in the foreseeable future. KITA - Kindergarten remains to be closed until possibly February 21st (but likely the end of the month) so keeping my two engaged in something other than Netflix or YouTube videos is a daily challenge. This does not help with their German language development- they NEED to interact with the kids at school. We’ve discontinued lessons for the time being because their attention is next to null when virtually learning. Sometimes I switch their shows to German audio and it lasts for a little while before the begging and pleading to change it back to English kicks in 🤦♀️.
If you’ve kept up with us on Facebook you’ve seen our frequent trips to the alla hopp playgrounds and local parks. Thank GOD for the outdoors during this pandemic. We’ve had a lot of rain but we fully take advantage of any breaks and get out and about when we can. Otherwise we find a fun project to do inside or make a Magic Mirrors Episode on YouTube. All in all life is good, most importantly we are healthy and we will continue to take it one day at a time until these restrictions are lifted and we can interact socially and hopefully see our families! Not that boarding an airplane anytime soon sounds great.
I’m turning 43, that’s actually hard for me to say out loud because I don’t feel like I’m “that old.” It is more of the general aging process that has been on my mind over the past couple of months. 2020 was hard, emotionally and physically because I let myself go more than I normally would’ve. Oh maybe that had a tad bit do do with moving internationally during a world pandemic 🤷♀️ 🤣. I’m turning over a new leaf, better nutrition, better fitness, for a better me.
I have a doctor here that I LOVE. Dr. B. and her Cardiologist husband run their practice out of their home. She is warm, friendly, patient and super thorough. I went for a checkup in late fall and she ran the whole gamut of tests on me. Did I mention she's German and super thorough?! haha. In conclusion I’m doing pretty good! Not news to me - my cholesterol continued to be high (due to high LDL at 161 😳 total is 244) and always has been, and I definitely needed to shed some stubborn weight. My proteins were low though, that was interesting so I’ve upped my amount daily. She ran an InBody scan which was really cool that showed me my legs do not have as much muscle as other parts of my body. Interesting, so she prescribed daily squats and lunges!! (Which are my least favorite part of any routine I do.) I’m doing them anyway 😉. She also “prescribed” me to stop eating carbs - we don’t need them she says. Ok I liked her till now 😂 All joking aside, this is something I know - my love of sweets has to get under control.
Here’s what I’m doing about this:
- 10,000+ steps a day
- Intermittent fasting
- 100+ ounces of water a day
- Counting calories/watching macros
- Cutting daily carbs in half and doubling up protein
Elaborating on these a bit more...I’m currently at a 135 day streak of over 10k steps/day. I average ~13\14k mostly because I LOVE to trek through the forest here! When I can’t get out of the house I have to get creative, run/walk in place, take laps on the terrace while listening to a podcast, or just about everyday I incorporate one or two of Mrs. Sporty’s live workout videos. Side note - thank goodness for this gym I joined in October. We were still able to access the studio to workout before tighter lockdown restrictions but have no fear there are still many ways to accomplish my daily fitness goals with a closed gym. With their app I’m able to access my own personal training plan, as well as receive 1 on 1 coaching sessions from the trainers, join live zoom classes with our club or access daily live videos and archived videos from the headquarters in Berlin. Needless to say I’m 💯 happy with this membership, there are so many options to keep me going everyday.
Intermittent fasting: I have not mastered but have incorporated this new way of life since November using the Fastic App. I toyed with the idea a year ago or so but never fully committed. I read The Obesity Code by Dr. Fung over the summer and gained some great knowledge. In December I followed the 16:8 pattern to see if I could “do it” without really changing my eating habits. Happy to report no weight gain over the holidays 😉. Now I fast at least 16-19 hours a day, it’s not 100% clean as I do splash some cream in my coffee most days but my body is used to it now. Some people jump on this train and drop tons of weight but not me (thank you Hypothyroidism, weight loss for me is suuuuuuuper sloooooow) I am happy to report looser fitting clothing and an all over better sense of well-being. I will say, once I start tracking my fast in the app it makes it pretty easy for me to not break it because the clock is ticking and I don’t want to start over!
Calorie counting: I did not want to do this but have recently been tracking because I “needed” to know. I’m addicted to my Fitbit and using My Fitness Pal, such great apps for tracking. I started with the TDEE calculator to find my maintenance calories and then compared it to Fitbit where I try to stay in at least a 500 calorie deficit everyday. Do I stick to this 100%? No, but you bet I track everything I eat down to those 5 M&M’s that I sneak. My doctor told me not to go crazy with it but until I have a really good grasp and comfort level on what’s what I am tracking it all. I shoot for 1800 calories a day. It is literally a game for me to see how I can add up to that. Whatever motives me I guess?! 🤷♀️
Macros: I’m just getting into tracking macros. Again I loosely use MFP and Fitbit as my guideline to stick to 35/30/35 carbs/fat/protein. I try not to eat more than 100g carbs and eat more than 125g of protein. I incorporate Collagen daily in shakes and foods. I’ve looked into IIFYM and almost ordered the blueprint but I want to make sure I’m ready to commit! My Chiropractor in DSM swore by the “if it fits your macros” way. With this I’ve also incorporated drinking at least 100 oz of eater daily, on top of my normal coffee and tea. I do make frequent bathroom trips but it’s amazing how much different I feel when I don’t get the water in my body!
These are changes that are working for me. I feel that if I can do this and stick to it, anything is possible! I’ve read, researched, and used the knowledge from numerous fitness and nutrition references from over the years (Curves, CCCC, working with various trainers, WW, Orangetheory) to help me execute what is currently working for me right now. I know my body and I know what works for me. Sometimes I join a group on Facebook but then get so overwhelmed with all of the info, comments and recommendations that it is best for me to just figure out what works for me, everyone is different.
I had another appointment with my doctors husband, the cardiologist and after the exam we decided to start on Atorvastatin to help lower the LDL due to my family history. I’m not taking his recommendation to eat a vegetarian lifestyle but I am definitely incorporating more plant based eating into our lives. I use lots of spices and I’m enjoying creating new favorite foods. I could literally eat falafel everyday. I’m also not taking his recommendation to split a cookie with my spouse, nope, cookie is all mine 😆.
At a follow up blood work appointment 8 weeks after my 1st appointment with Dr. B and she was so happy to tell me I’d lost over 2 kilos and decreased my LDL to 84 and total cholesterol under 200! It was the first time my cholesterol had been that low since I ever started getting it checked. I asked her how much of that had to do with diet change and how much had to do with the medicine and she said it was a definite a mix of both. I felt so good about that and am excited to keep it all going. I’m actually excited to go for a follow up in March for the InBody scan and bloodwork. Again, whatever motivates me I will take it!
I feel sort of vulnerable writing a post about this personal journey but I wanted to be able to share my positive vibes and small successes and look back on it for accountability in the future if I need to. Plus I’ve not had a lot going on over the past few months so obsessing over this has been pretty easy! So if you’ve read through it all so far I applaud you, and thank you!! This blog hasn’t blown up with all of our travel adventures as I’d planned but this is another type of adventure. It’s not just for me, it’s an adventure for the whole family. Dave has been running more too! It’s important for everyone to have healthy food options and see the fun in being active. (They do anyway, but I like setting the example!)
We do have some VRBO houses booked this year. We know the date that we can get fully refunded by in case COVID restrictions do not allow us to travel to them. Fingers crossed we will be able to go and we’ll look forward to sharing them with you.
The past year has certainly been an adventure. Not one that I’d care to relive. Therefore, I truly believe that my 43rd year is going to be a whole lot better than my 42nd! Unless this pandemic takes an unforeseen turn?! Good God, please no.
Stay tuned 😉
