Tag: 1 year challenge

Day 49

It’s just about adapting, finding the new routine, around our choices and convictions, as long as it doesn’t affect others. And mine is that I will have 2 so called workout a day. One just after wake up. Then the second one after my home work done. And on week-end, longer walk, of hours. The nature is not a carrier, so seems to be a safe choice. So let this journey resume. Got a goal to reach. And there is no ways I won’t reach it. One life isn’t it. Mine here, so the right I have to control it and decide what it will be, as long as it won’t impact the rights and choices of others, what I will make sure of, keeping a long distance from anyone I may cross.

Day 46 – COVID-19 Parenthesis

Did some reading on COVID-19 today, to understand the what, do and don’t do. Just sharing the reading here. And well, wanted to see how this things look like, so the pics. No intent to blog on the COVID-19, I’m just a citizen here part of this global economy, global warming etc. We are survivors aren’t we ? Some from obesity too 🙂

Switzerland reached the security level 3, meaning army involved for medical support, Federal government ruling over the regions (Cantons) and closure of non essentials business such as fitness, bars, etc. Schools closed.
Most companies have requested to their employees to work remotely. The point is not to over do, but the situation is definitely serious, and everyone is invited to see it as such.

As a reminder and for completness, symptoms are fever, cough, sometime with throat pain, breathing difficulties. Complications can be pneumonia. Others symptoms can be digestives symptoms and conjonctivite.

To avoid flooding the hospital, they recommend here to call the helpline or doctor first and consult only in case of serious symptoms, as there are no cure or vaccine. Doctors can only treat symptoms, not the cause itself. In particular, with intubation to help with breathing difficulties.

Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen mustn’t be taken as it can worsen the symptoms, after studies made on mice, and reported by the French Health Minister. If one is infected and have fever, paracetamol can be taken as per official sources (Swiss Government).

It is highly recommended to people to stay home to avoid catching and spreading the virus. 97% of the people who have catch it will make it, most without even noticing it. Impacted people are mostly people with damaged immune systems, such as the elder, or people with health condition.

In some case, touching surface can be a source of propagation, in particular when picking the nose or putting the fingers in the mouth. So hand must be washed 20 seconds at least, carefully.

See the Washington Post simulation here.

Wishing to all of us to make it and well, not only health wise, but economically, emotionally, and so wise. In Switzerland, the virus have reveal solidarity and health care providers have in many occasions been thanks, singing or applauding from outside the window for eg. Again, the stats shows the vast majority will make it. Staying home will stop the spread: the virus can only propagate between 2 people and as such obviously, staying home will end up killing the virus.

The purpose of the blog page today is to raise attention to the people who may underestimate the COVID-19, and contribute as such to its spread.

See WHO website, Swiss Government Page

Walked 15 km today. Does it matter after this COVID-19 “parenthesis”? Why not. Will walk tomorrow again, after home work done.
I suppose walking respect all the recommendation in place to date, and if I catch it, I won’t easily spread it, as I’m not in contact with others people at work or home. And I don’t intent to catch it. I won’t hugs people along the walk also, unfortunately. Anecdotic things happened today, no jokes: Just before I catches the train, a woman approached me and said “Sorry Mr. I just wanted to tell you that you are very handsome“. No jokes. Maybe a COVID-19 side effect ?

Day 36

fat
muscles
water
bone
sugar

So the transient weight gain was probably just water.
Its good to feel getting some control of our life, being able to be out of the food system and improving its own health.

It take so little to change all that. A unprocessed based food “diet” and a little bit of exercise, which is really nice, because it offer a moment were one can escape from the daily routine that life can become. It balance the overall self in different ways and seems the body like it, as all the body parameters improve.

The lazy routine that consist of doing no physical efforts, eating junk and drinking soda is far worse than the routine of enjoying healthy bio food and moving the body, at the end, just a little. An hour of cardio (with musics) at 65% VO2Max is really a very easy workout.

The food diet is bio and typically made of:

After wake up

lemon juice, apple cider, supplements (caps): Omegas, calcium + D, Q10, L-Carnitin + Magnesium, black garlic, iron, curcuma, C + folic acid + B12, probiotics. Sometime others, such as selenium, resveratrol, PQQ, etc

Breakfast

breakfast depends on the mood: either quinoa tuna sushi or tuna and veggies sandwich

Lunch

regular size or bigger salad with spinach or lettuce, egg, crouton, carrot, celery, olive, tomato, grains, french dressing and sometime parmesan and free range beacon or others greens.

Snack

Fresh figues or berries, coffee, sometime small sandwich or something healthy

After workout

Effervescent: Multi-vitamins, electrolyte, vitamin C, ginger juice with water, lemon juice with water

Dinner

asparagus, hard free range egg. Sometime small salad. Green tea or others, coffee. Sometime something else

Water intake of about 2L/day but sometime, less. Should make sure it is of at least 2L a day, as water seems to play a crucial role in the body, weight loss, healthy life style. Also, the kidneys need water to function properly. Especially, after a workout.

The things that are the most surprising are: following the instinct (didn’t knew I may have one) and envy no craving at all, fully enjoyable. Again, the workout is super easy and also enjoyable. Energy level on the raise, great improve in body parameters, body transformation, higher level of happiness and definitely memory, better focus, better looking.
No real feeling of forcing myself, but rather to do the right things. Healthy life style is definitely and with no doubts much more enjoyable than a sedentary junk based life style. And getting rewarded!

This new lifestyle went progressive, following instinct (and readings and video based) and as such, came naturally. It hasn’t lead to a massive fast weight loss (roughly 4kg in a month) but it still represent a volume of 2 x 2L bottle of water, muscles gain, lower internal organs + external fat, almost “out” of diabetes without medication, much better resting heart bit rate, etc. And definitely easy, natural, bio. So less toxins, no cravings. At the end, a lifestyle closer to the ancestors or cave men one. Even closer from the one people were having before the 80s, when the food industry started to take control.

Fridge and supplements, for the only sake of logging this journey and came back to it if needed

The biggest learning of all of this journey was to think healthy green bio diet is a diet where one must fight hunger. It is a big lie. The hunger come from the carbs and maybe fat. So eating a pizza and veggies for eg won’t fix the craving.
At the moment carbs enter in the diet, so do the craving. But switching to a low sugar diet and low fat diet lead to 0 craving. And if I need fat, I have. I’m overweight. I doubt the body won’t store in fat all it needs to survive in bad time. And if I want to add fat, 2 spoons of olive oil will do. The sauce that is added in the salad or sandwich have anyway glucides and fat. And I’m pretty sure it’s far enough, but I’m not a specialist. Instinct matter, like for the cave men I guess. Our body won’t lie. It will be less energetic, have wrong parameters (will do a full blood count next month to check more things) if it was something not healthy. I may adapt the diet along the way as long as it is instinctive, cover the body needs, isn’t junk, is bio, improve the health and body parameters, energy level and so. And can still time to time eat something different.

I always have in mind what the cave men were eating for millions years. And we still exists and even have evolve to what we are today. So wasn’t probably a bad life style. But what the food industry have to offer definitely lead to cancer, diabetes, heart failure and so many others health complications. They make money out of addiction. And we end up with a shorter life expectancy, of less quality, maybe having a non joyful life and ready to die just around the retirement age, consuming along the way meds that we won’t need if we were just eating healthier and exercising. It’s funny how I am assertive today. But moving on the other side, I feel to become more aware of the reality of the things.

Considering finding local bio producers near by.

Day 35

fat
muscles
water
bone
sugar

uh, didn’t expected that weight drop and sugar level! Happy with that

Watched a documentary yesterday. Basically, we are surrounded by fake food, lot of carbs, fat and empty calories. Lot of poor, uneducated and others people are suffering from obesity, hyper tension, diabetes, etc starting even for some at the age of 5 years old. The documentary highlighted some responsibilities of the companies and governments. They also mentioned the importance of healthy intestinal flora and fibers. On RTS here

Since back to healthy diet, I can also confirm what the documentary was mentioning: eating junk cause constant craving: Eating raise the insulin level in the blood, which feed the cells first, less the brain or the muscles, causing craving to feed the brain and muscles. So the over eating behaviours, in more of the sugar addiction. Eating healthy on the other side, cause feeling full.
That is a reality that I have experiment. So what seems to be a diet is not. The body is very happy with the food intake and isn’t asking for more.

Hopes won’t be late for the workout this morning but going. Easy too!

Workout morning and afternoon

  • Morning
  • Afternoon
The watch stopped recording the workout during the afternoon exercice, again, restarting.
  • Morning
  • Afternoon
BPM during workout

Day 34

fat
mus
water
bone
sugar

Back to this journey. Gym after work

Workout

Workout at 65% VO2Max

Tried to remain in the 130 bpm range. The workout is so easy that it’s almost embarrassing to call it a workout. Seems (as per the watch) the bpm is still a bit too high to maximise the fat burn

Last 30 days heart bit rate trend at rest

Each days the gym will open at 6:30, will do 2 cardio sessions. One at 7am, the other at 6pm. And the other day, weight training + cardio. On weekends, cardio either by hiking or at the gym.

Will see if as a colleague mentioned, it is an awesome tasty meal

Day 33

Went to visit a so called 4* gym. Well, I would give it 2.5/5 stars. Maybe I’m having to high expectations. In South Africa, the gym are very spacious, with 25m swimming pool, but I mustn’t compare. Still, was hesitating to conclude a new membership. But went out, took a coffee, to think. Ended concluding what matter is that I can train, the the space around me. So tomorrow, I will absolutely resume this journey. This include daily sport and healthy food.

Gained 2 kg in the process, very disappointing. Funny how change in life can impact things. As working now, I have also to be rested so I can hit the gym after work, as the gym open every second day at 9am, which is really late. Hoped daily work out at 6:30am, but will have to compromise

Hoping the 2 kg gained are mostly water. Eating healthy since yesterday. Hoping they will go away within a week. Can’t be back 3 weeks back for just 4 days or so off. But again, that journey won’t stop. There is no way. Wanna be fit and will be.