Seeing as I’ve not written anything in the journal for a few days (not been down the gym either, but we’ll come to that in a moment) I thought I’d write a short blog post on a relevant topic instead…
“Proper” Winter finally arrived this month, after several weeks of warm sunny days (and crisp, clear, cold nights), August brought us the rain, grey and general miserableness that had been lacking so far.
It’s been interesting (and frustrating) to see the impact Winter has had on my routine, so I’ll give a quick summary.
impact on health
I’ve had a really annoying sore throat for 3 or 4 weeks now, just as it seems to be easing off, it flares up again. Whenever it flares up, it is accompanied by headaches, sniffly nose and other cold-like symptoms. It’s the 3rd or 4th instance of illness that I’ve had this Winter – after half a year of not being ill at all!
This is currently making me very annoyed because all I seem to want to do is sleep, and I’m failing to wake up in time for the gym. Yeah I could set an alarm I guess, but I figure that if my body is refusing to cooperate naturally, then it may not react too well if I force things.
changes in eating habits
The other big thing I’ve noticed this Winter is the way it affects what I eat. During the warmer weather I will happily eat a salad, or meat and salad sandiwch for lunch. Lately I’ve been craving warm food, slightly more “substantial” food. While I have been taking care to ensure that there’s a reasonable veggie content, Winter food simply tends to be a little less compatible with weight loss, particularly anything bought for lunch.
some positives
On the plus side, I have been fairly pleased with the way that I’ve dealt with these issues – missing the gym for a couple of days doesn’t knock me off-course completely, and I always return with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
Likewise, I’m quite happy with the food choices I’ve been making – ensuring that lunches include veggies, choosing fish more often and generally sticking to relatively healthy options.
I’m really looking forward to Spring to be honest, brighter, fresher weather, back to walking a lot more in the morning and at lunchtime (including walks up to Kings Park), and a renewed appetite for lean, clean lunch options.