Introduction

Wow, thirteen days into January already! I know one thing, I’m tired of the ice and snow now… the novelty of having to de-ice the car has really worn off. Apart from the weather, my January so far has been really productive. I’m starting to feel a bit more like myself again. Of course, there are still dips and bad days, but they are becoming less frequent. I’ve really tried to focus on myself this week and ways that I can make myself feel better. My priorities have been working on my fitness, diet, and self-care. 

Fitness

Wednesday was much harder to get myself to the gym, and I nearly bailed. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had to go out to pick up my medication, then I may well have just stayed in my warm bed. Later than planned, I got myself to the gym, and again, did feel better for it.  

Wednesday was much harder to get myself to the gym, and I nearly bailed. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had to go out to pick up my medication, then I may well have just stayed in my warm bed. Later than planned, I got myself to the gym, and again, did feel better for it.  

Friday was a much better day. I managed 47 minutes on the treadmill, prompting a compliment from the man on the treadmill next to me. Again, I followed up with a strength session before nipping to ALDI and then for lunch. 

To my relief, I didn’t have to de-ice the car before heading to the gym on Sunday! I spent just over an hour on the treadmill, with my heart rate mostly in zone 2, but with some zone 3. It was more just about time spent moving. I skipped the strength training and went to ALDI to pick up some protein pancakes for lunch. 

My treadmill run today (Monday 13th) went a bit haywire as my watch didn’t start recording my pace for the first 1 minute and 50 seconds. I have no idea why as my arms were moving, but there you go. Luckily, I was just focusing on keeping my heart rate low and aiming for at least 30 minutes of running, so it wasn’t too detrimental. I had a really good strength workout afterwards where I actually felt somewhat strong again! Granted I’m not lifting as heavy as I used to in my home gym, but I can see and feel improvements. 

None of my strength sessions were pre-planned this week; it was a go with the flow approach. I didn’t want to go all out intense, but rather ease myself in. Plus, as always with a public gym, it was a case of working with what equipment was available at the time. Boy, do I miss my home gym! 

Diet

My gym is right next door to ALDI, which has been quite useful! I’ve managed to find the motivation to start cooking again. Cooking makes it a lot easier stay under my 1500 calorie target every day. I’m also tracking my macronutrients and making sure that I’m getting enough protein to help my muscles repair and grow.  

My scale batteries died, so I haven’t managed to do a weigh in this week. Although, truth be told, I’d expect to be storing some water weight at the minute anyway as I’ve started training again. It did surprise me to learn that there aren’t any free scales at my gym. They have some in the changing room that you have to pay either £1 or £1.50 to use. At my previous gym, I could weigh in for free at any time. 

I do have to say, I really love ALDI’s Sweet Chilli Marinated Tofu! I tried it for the first time this week and it went straight on my “must buy” list for next week.  

Unfortunately, all of the tofu was sold out when I went again on Sunday, so I picked up some Tempeh to try instead. Now, I was a bit taken aback when I first opened the box. My first thought was that it looked like a brain! Still, I gave it a try and found it a bit tangy without seasoning or sauce, so added some hot sauce and spicy rice. I managed to eat it all, and would eat it again, but it’s more of a last resort protein option.  

Self-care

I’m currently having weekly check-ins with a mental health nurse, so I spoke with her on Tuesday. My next therapy session isn’t until the 21st. 

I finished my first book of the year on the 10th (The Self-Acceptance Project, Tami Simon). It was quite an interesting read, and definitely challenged my way of thinking. I’m currently reading Stop Saying You’re Fine, Mel Robbins. I listened to one of her podcasts about building self-confidence whilst I was at the gym and found it insightful, so thought I’d give her book a try.  

I had a nice long soak in the bath with some muscle relaxing salts after my run on Sunday. It’s very rare that I take the time to just chill and do absolutely nothing, but it was a nice change. I took my Kindle into the bathroom but opted to just sit with myself for a while instead. 

Conclusion

Well, I don’t want to jinx it, but January has started 2025 a lot better than I imagined! From my first solo break, to getting back to training and working on myself, I can actually say that I’m proud of my journey so far. There’s still a long way to go, but I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I can see improvements in my mental and physical health, and have things that I want to achieve. There may still be light at the end of the tunnel. *Fingers crossed* anyway!