Spa(ish) Week: Day 7 Recap

From July 22 through July 28, I’m going to make it my job to be as fit, healthy, and well-rested as I can be. Because I’m curious… How much time does it really take to make health and well being our number one priority? And how much awesomer will I feel if I do it?

Read all about my Spa(ish) Week 2012 plans here.

Day 7 Recap

I’m surprised to find that my Spa(ish) Week experiment didn’t feel too much different than my regular weeks… which I suppose is kind of a good thing. The primary difference was making the time to meditate every day, which I’m going to keep doing, even if it’s only for 10 minutes with a guided meditation. Oxygen and slowing down is so good!

Movement
1. Walk
Done! I walked to the library in blistering heat. It was vaguely unpleasant, but only 55 minutes round trip, so I mustn’t complain. Sadly, the book I went there to pick up was kind of a bust. The intro basically says, “These recipes aren’t tested, so you better be a very experienced cook to make them work.” Um, thanks for the help learning how to cook like a Romanian. Jeez.

2. Hatha Yoga Kundalini Yoga + Meditation
Done! We skipped our Hatha yoga class in the morning in favor of breakfast and watching the Olympics, then I took a 2 1/2 hour nap like I was drugged. Late in the afternoon, I did my own solo kundalini practice at home, including a 25-minute meditation. Lovely.


Food

Breakfast (at Habanero Cafe): machacado and eggs, guacamole, a few french fries

Lunch: Chocolate Chili, spaghetti squash

Dinner (Olympics!): Scotch Egg, a big salad with lettuce, red peppers, cucumbers, and onion


General Thoughts About Spa(ish) Week

Time is precious.
I wondered how much time it actually takes to do all the things we’re “supposed” to do, and the answer is “quite a bit.” On strength training days, my movement commitment took a lot of time: an hour at the gym (plus commute), a little more than an hour for the walk around the lake (plus the commute), and meditation time, which is anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. It’s not impossible, but if I still had a 9-to-5 job, it would require a lot of discipline: an hour in the morning, an hour in the evening, and meditation just before bed or immediately after lunch.

I feel mostly the same.
I didn’t notice any major differences in how I felt this week, but that could be due in no small part to the thyroid hormone experiment I’m doing. I will admit, however, that walking feels less like punishment and more like a release than it did a few weeks ago. I actually look forward to it now — and meditation every day is very beneficial, especially when I’m feeling fatigued. Just a few minutes of focused breathing — either breath of fire or deep, slow breaths — makes me feel clear-headed and energized. I’m working on a how-to post for breathing, so I’ll share that practice soon.

Clean eating.
I’ve been eating 90% Whole30 style for three solid weeks now, and it feels really comfortable. My only treats have been french fries once in a while, some dark chocolate, and some days, more calories than I really need. But no gluten, no grains, no dairy, no major falls into the pits of garbage food. That’s going to continue until… forever. YAY!

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Comments

  • I hate cookbook with disclaimers like that! Then what the heck are they doing publishing them? Anyhow, that food list of what you ha sounds selfish especially the choc chili…mmm. Wow I’m so glad to find someone that is going through this journey while also having thyroid issues. I have hypothyroidism after having had my thyroid surgically removed, and after two years and a lot of self discipline I am finally losing the weight and getting stronger. Look forward to reading more!

  • Jared says:

    I love that you’re focusing on eating so whole. Do you find that you’re struggling with energy at all or have you actually found you’ve got more? Have you cut out coffee too?

    • Mel says:

      When I first started paleo about 3 years ago, I had to play around with macronutrients and amounts to get my energy right… now my energy is all wonky from my jacked up thyroid. Most people experience higher levels of energy on paleo after an initial adjustment phase.

      I don’t consume any caffeine (except the trace amounts when I eat occasional dark chocolate). I drink herbal tea and sometimes had 1 cup of decaf coffee in a restaurant, but even decaf has too much caffeine for me on a regular basis.

  • Heather C says:

    Everytime I read the title of a Spa(ish) post I read it as Spanish…I was a bit confused when I read the first post 🙂

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