Edit: I just realised that in the midst of this post I started referring to my partner, step-son and daughter by their names (Penny, Spencer and Rosie respectively) and as I’m not sure if I have done this before I just wanted to clarify who was who. Apologies for any confusion.
Only a week since my previous post, almost 250 days without missing a Spanish lesson and after months (maybe more than a year) without exercising much or stepping foot in a gym I have been walking a lot more and have been to the gym a couple of times in the last fortnight (and plan to go again tomorrow). I do find I’m more at peace with some semblance of routine, or at least with a few little routines here and there. I’ve even found myself doing more menial tasks I usually avoid like housework and revision. In addition I’ve been finding it easier to wake up and get out of bed in the morning and have found my energy levels are higher throughout the day. I have no doubt the folic acid has helped but also in the past whenever I’ve done more with myself I’ve found myself having more energy too.
Right now it is almost ten a.m. and my daughter is asleep upstairs, my partner is out having coffee with a friend and my step-son is in his second day in his new school. When I picked him up yesterday he said he really enjoyed his first day. He only moved because his previous school wasn’t very big and his class didn’t have many boys in, we felt this was contributing massively to him disliking school so much – hopefully more boys equals more friends and he enjoys it more.
As for me my plans for the day are to obviously stay at home while Rosie is asleep, maybe get out in the garden to enjoy the sun while it’s here, then when Penny gets home she is taking Rosie out to meet up with some more friends so I have the afternoon to myself before college at six. My plan was to go for a walk to get some more exercise in while listening to a new audiobook. I had thought about going to the gym again but after going yesterday I’m a little reluctant to overdo it and maybe sap my energy a little too much, I’ll go for a long walk today and get back in the gym tomorrow.
I’ve been tracking what I eat with the goal of eating in a slight calorie deficit but with a high protein intake – so far this has proved a little difficult; so many different types of food are higher in calories than you would think and getting in 150-200 grams of protein per day is nigh on impossible. Chicken, fish and meat in general are the best options but aren’t cheap and most other foodstuffs that have a decent amount of protein in I would have to eat a tonne of to make a difference. When I last went to the gym regularly I would drink a high protein zero carb shake, maybe I’ll have to buy some more.
On a lighter note I’ve found myself reliving my youth somewhat lately: I’ve had the urge to play football more (the Euros and good weather no doubt) and I’m thinking about finding a five-a-side team, I’ve started re-watching the Cell saga of Dragonball Z (I used to live and breathe DBZ when I was a kid) and I’m keeping an eye on a second-hand pair of rollerblades on eBay for me to buy and maybe join a few old friends that have got back in to skateboarding and blading again lately as well as leisurely skate around now and again – good exercise and a more fun alternative to walking.
Talking of fun exercise Penny and I have been trying to find something fun for Spencer as we worry he spends too much time in front of a screen and he’s always been a little chubby – but he’s always had a lot of muscle and strength for his age too. He goes to rugby on Sunday mornings, and will continue to, but he’s not a big fan. He has been taking swimming lessons every Tuesday and loves it, we have agreed to take him swimming once a week in addition. We’re not sure what else to try; he’s good on his bike but finds it hard work, doesn’t have the best balance nor really enjoy rollerblading or skateboarding when he has tried before, we don’t know if he may be a little young for martial arts (he did do karate for a few months before the pandemic but it was very expensive for a short weekly class and he never seemed to take to it) and we’re worried he may be too heavy (as I mentioned muscle as well as a little bit of fat) for something like gymnastics. I’d like us to do something together to make it more enjoyable for him and for us to have a fun father and son thing between us.
Maybe it’s watching too much Dragonball Z, TV and movies but I like the idea of doing some kind of martial art too – maybe general MMA or Brazilian jui jitsu, both seem very popular at the moment and there are a few gyms around that offer classes and training. As I say right now I’m just trying to make sure I don’t overdo it so I’ll stick to walking, maybe skating, and working myself up to going to the gym a few times a week to start with and maybe take on something more in time.
Well it’s half past ten now and time for me to finally have some breakfast (granola and Greek-style yogurt for those of you that want to know how my healthier food choices are going). So far today all I’ve had is four glasses of water and two cups of tea – the typical English vice that I refuse to remove from my diet, though I’ll try not to have too many per day.