My Health and Fitness Journey – week 5
A slide backwards with some key learnings
After such great progress in in my first 5 weeks and having lost 6kg in the first few weeks, my routine took a massive hit in week 5. During week 5 I was moving house and so instead of going to the gym I was spending the time packing, moving boxes and furniture bit by bit.
It threw my whole routine out of sync, but I was still able to maintain many parts. I also broke a few of my own rules in terms of diet and was able to really notice the effects on my body – highlighting the benefits of my routine and strengthening the beliefs.
Exercise:
As I mentioned, I was unable to go to the gym all week. Well, technically I was able, I could have gone, but that would have seriously impacted my ability to move house in the timescale required.
It takes about 3 hours of spare time for my gym visits. That’s getting there, getting changed, working out, getting changed again and then getting home. That’s a significant chunk of the day and leaves very little time to be able to do anything else.
I’d said in my previous blogs that I was able to spend so much time at the gym because I live alone and my kids are grown. This week has highlighted how difficult it is to integrate exercise into a busy daily schedule. That’s where we need to be better, clever and find a way that fits with everyone’s lifestyle, commitments and available time.
There are massive benefits from short-time high intensity cardio, experts say that just 10 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio a few times a week, can make a massive difference to cardiovascular and overall health. The equivalent time needed if just walking is so much greater for the same level of health benefit.
In the end, I did plenty of exercise, not exactly structured but if you have moved house yourself before, then you will know how physically demanding it is to lift and carry boxes and furniture back and forth and up and down stairs.
Healthy Eating:
Even with moving house I continued to eat healthy with a protein filled, low carb diet as much as possible. I was still drinking lots of water and having Matcha Tea in the morning instead of coffee.
However, I did end up eating out a few times and in doing so had some carbs that I had not been eating, some rice, potatoes and bread. I really noticed a difference in energy levels and feeling tired afterwards. I also noticed that just because I had some, my body increased the cravings for carbs and even though I had gone past those craving stages weeks ago, they came straight back even with a small quantity.
One afternoon I was at an outdoor event, and I ate a piece of ‘rocky road’ (a kind of chocolate sweet) and of course up until then I had not eaten anything sweet like that for 5 weeks, the sweetest thing I had eaten had been blueberries. Therefore, I really felt and noticed the sugar high and then the crash afterwards. After that of course, just like with the carbs the sugar cravings came back.
Then finally I had some alcohol. I was on a night out and decided to have some and see the effects. I didn’t particularly notice and difference to the effects while drinking it, just the same as before, but I really noticed the effect of it during the night and especially in the morning and the next day. Energy levels, cognition and just general wellbeing were all noticeable impacted, even though I didn’t drink very much.
I knew that by trying some of these things back into my diet that I would notice it and have some negative impacts, but I didn’t realise it was going to be so profound and affect me so much. It really goes to show the impacts of poor diet and the benefits of a healthy diet. But then again, sometimes you must just live a little.
Intermittent Fasting:
Despite the rest of my routine being disrupted somewhat, I did manage to continue with the 16/8 intermittent fasting all week. I am now completely embedded in this routine, and it really works for me, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a ‘normal’ eating routine as this is my new normal. I have also found out that there are some positive health benefits from fasting for longer – 48hrs plus which then puts the body into ‘autophagy’. Autophagy is a cellular “self-cleaning” process triggered by fasting, typically beginning around 12–16 hours and peaking after 24–48 hours, helping recycle damaged cells and support metabolic health. It helps the body repair itself and flush out old and damages cells etc… This is something I plan to try at some point in the next few weeks once things have settled down for me.
Supplements:
I continued with all the same supplements as before which are:
NMN – to boost my NAD+ levels and Mitochondrial function.
Nitric Oxide (L-citrulline & L-arginine) – for cardiovascular health and reduce blood pressure
Magnesium – to helps with sleep and rest
Multivitamins – these cover almost everything and are the staple essential
Vitamin D – helps with bone health, immune system support, muscle function, mental health and energy
Creatine Monohydrate – this enhances muscle energy, strength, recovery
Resveratrol - offers antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive benefits
Vitamin K2 MK7 - offer significant benefits for bone health, cardiovascular health, and calcium metabolism
Results at the end of week 4:
Weight: Despite falling off the wagon, I didn’t gain any weight this week.
Body Shape: Didn’t notice any real changes this week but then again, I wasn’t really expecting to as I wasn’t working hard in the right areas.
Energy: Energy wise I felt a lot less energetic and a lot more lethargic. The afternoon slump was worse, and this was all from the small amounts of carbs and alcohol that I consumed. This did set me back and I realise that I do now need to stay as strictly to my diet plan as possible.
Mental Focus: Not as good as before and impaired at times, noticeable after eating carbs, the sugar or the day after consuming alcohol. This highlighted for me the fact that you get out what you put in.
Sleep: Still sleeping well and getting a good night’s rest almost every night except for when I had alcohol. I had acid reflux for the first time in weeks and didn’t wake up as fresh as I had in the previous weeks.
Don Marshall
Marketing & Sales Manager
Voyager Life
Links to the supplements that I take:
NMN – NMN Supplements UK | High Purity Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Powder – Voyager Life Limited
Magnesium – Magnesium Citrate 500mg 120 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited
Multivitamins –Vegan Multivitamin & Minerals 60 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited
Vitamin D –Vitamin D3 4,000iu 365 Tablets – Voyager Life Limited
Creatine Monohydrate – https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/creatine-monohydrate-powder-500g
Resveratrol - https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/resveratrol-150mg-90-capsules
Vitamin K2 MK7 - https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/vitamin-k2-mk7-100ug-120-capsules
