Year of Discipline Update—Health and Fitness
One of the big areas I wanted to focus on in 2023 was my health and fitness. So far, I have mainly focused on running and losing some weight.
Running
My goal for 2023 was to run 500 miles. As of today, I’ve already run 255 miles. So I think I’ll hit that goal.
The biggest change I made was low heart rate training. I wanted to try something different with my running this year, and this sounded interesting. Basically, I try to keep my heart rate around 145 bpm while running. When I started doing this in January, my pace was about 12 mins/mile. This morning, I broke 10 mins/mile for the first time. That was exciting!
I’ve noticed a few big changes. I’m less tired. I’ve been able to stop drinking caffeine to get through the day because I just feel less exhausted. Because I’m not so tired, I’m able to run more. I would struggle to reach my goal of 12 miles a week before. Now, I’m regularly doing over 20 miles a week. That feels pretty good.
Progress has been slower than I was hoping, but I feel so much better, so I don’t mind. I’m a little worried about how things will go when it gets warmer here. There’s already been a couple mornings that have broken 70°F, and it’s definitely harder for em to run when it’s hot and humid. So it could be a rough summer.
Weight Loss
I’ve lost about 18 pounds this year and have been maintaining my weight at my target for about 1 month.
I started the year by stopping eating after 7pm. That was when I tended to eat the most junk food and treats. So that helped. With my low heart rate running and running more, I was burning more calories. That helped. Around February, I really restricted my caloric intake, as well as not eating until 11am. That’s when the pounds really started coming off.
I’m now eating my regular diet again, but between running more and intermittent fasting, I’m able to maintain my weight. I’ve noticed that I’ve shifted more of my junk food and treat eating to the middle of the day. So I need to do better at limiting those, otherwise I don’t think I’ll be able to maintain my weight for much longer.
Other
I’ve been trying to get up early a few times a week and do some strength exercises. My goal is 3 times a week. I started off well, but now I’m lucky to do it twice a week.
Overall, I’m pleased with my health and fitness so far this year! I just need to continue to focus on not eating so much junk food, and be more committed to strength exercises—I notice a huge improvement in how my back and shoulders feel when I do it more often. But, this is the best shape I’ve been in in a long time. So that’s a win.