Day Six, Part I

Another day without the gym. The tickle in my throat has evolved into a full-blown ache. I'm sneezing, coughing, and uncontrollably sniffling. I just cancelled training and am feeling the regret -- I don't want to lose the momentum I have gained and am sensitive to the role that cardio and weight training plays in managing my appetite. I don't want to push it, however, with my health. A tickle in the throat can mean days of recovery and I loathe the thought of being stared at suspiciously by fellow passengers on my plan on Friday. Depending on how I feel in the morning, I will try to get up and workout. If not, I have Friday morning as a back-up option. I am reminding myself that three days of workouts in Week One is nothing to sneeze at (couldn't help it) and increasing next week to four would be perfectly reasonable. But, I wouldn't be me if I didn't set the high standards.

Also, I need to give some thought to the meals that I have set up for myself. As I stated before, the cereal and yogurt are working well. The soy jerky and bars are good, too. I haven't followed through my late afternoon/evening plan of tuna sandwich and spinach. Instead, I have been turning to small snacks that eventually turn into moderate-sized meals. I reflected on what the WW Team Leader said last week and think that the issue must be behavioral. I spend the day meticulously charting and eating my planned meals and the evening becomes a time of fatigued rebellion. Moreover, I have less routine and structure in the evenings. This issue is not new. I discovered it the first time I was on WW and it is largely the reason why I ultimately ended up going to the gym in the evenings. While waking up early was an admirable goal, I found that I needed the discipline of a workout class to help decompress and divert myself from overeating.

I'd like to tell myself that I am busier now than I was then, but that's not quite the case. In actuality, I was able to lose weight successfully attending only 2-3 classes a week. Giving up Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings on a regular basis is not too much of a price to pay for my health and peace of mind. That gives me two nights to go out and -- let's be honest -- a third night to decide there are other ways I'd like to spend my time. It seems silly to give up on the early morning exercise before I got it started, but then doesn't make sense to try something new if the "plan" isn't working? I've got family in town next week and it is Labor Day, but I don't think two exercise classes are out of the question. I am going to take a look at the calendar to see what I can build in now.

I am also going to give myself a bit of a break -- I am sick after all. I always feel a bit bad when I hear or read about people who push through illness and ache to maintain strict workout regimens. I have never been able, I think, to accurately draw the line between overdoing it and not pushing myself hard enough. It is often an all or nothing scenario and moderation is not my strong point. Maybe at some point I can work on that, too. I suspect it'll help the diet as well.