My Mounjaro Journey Week 11 - How Much Exercise Is Enough?

How are you?  Good I hope.

Whenever I do the third check in for each Kwik pen, I have to complete a questionnaire.  It asks whether I've had any side effects, what they are, how bad and other general health questions. Once the questionnaire is submitted, it's reviewed by a clinician who then decides whether I need additional support and prescribes the next dose.  As expected, I've been prescribed another 5mg and I'm perfectly happy with that.

I've been mulling over whether I'm doing enough exercise.  Like lots of people who work full-time, it's difficult to fit exercise in every day.  I have a walking route that I take daily but it only takes about 20 minutes, which is obviously better than nothing, but I think I need to up the ante. I've considered joining a gym but I don't know whether I would actually go.  I've been a member of a few different gyms over the years but I'm particular about what I find comfortable. I don't like huge rooms where you're on display and much prefer smaller intimate spaces. I'm also a solitary exerciser, I don't understand people who go with friends and spend their time chatting.

There's a gym near me that has a women only room and I used to be a member.  However, I moved to a new office and it became too difficult to keep to the routine so it just fizzled out. The nearest gym to me is huge and I just don't feel comfortable there.  Basically, what I'm saying is, I'm not going to join a gym.

If I'm honest, the only exercise I really like is walking so I need to find a way of making that more challenging.  I've got walking poles which make walking more like using a cross-trainer and I'm considering buying some ankle and wrist weights to make it more of a workout. I need to set myself a target of either a set amount of steps per day or a minimum amount of miles per week.  I used to walk 10,000 steps every day and around 25 miles per week and I'd love to get back to that level of activity.

The other exercise I don't mind is cycling and it helps that I've got an electric bike. It's not as easy as it sounds; you still have to peddle, but I can happily cycle ten miles on that.  As this is enough to get me to the beach, it's totally worth doing.  My only concern is that my husband watched a programme about lithium batteries combusting unexpectedly so he decided my battery had to be stored in the shed.  I'm a bit concerned  the frost has killed it and they aren't cheap to replace.

I've also started doing indoor walking.  Apparently seven minutes a day is enough to turn a size 22 into a size 12 in 6 months.  Yeah right, I doubt it's quite the miracle social media says it is but it does feel like it's doing something and it's easy to fit into my day. The only problem with this is that I'll find excuses not to do it, "it's only seven minutes, I'll do it when I get in" or "it's only seven minutes, I'll do it just before bed". I suspect you know exactly what I mean.

About 10 years ago my husband and I did five different walks in five days to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The first day involved walking along the South Downs Way from Petersfield to Cocking which is about 13 miles (21km). It was really hard work and we had blisters by the time we got to the B&B we'd booked.  We'd planned to walk on to Amberley the next day, another 12 miles (19km), and we really didn't think we were going to be able to carry on.  We discussed getting a bus into Chichester and then getting the train home.

The next morning we talked about all the sponsorship and money we'd raised and the thought of telling people we'd given up and having to give what we'd already raised back spurred us on. The owner of the B&B even donated some cash so off we went with renewed vigour. We made it to Amberley and got the train home. The next day we walked a shorter trail around Queen Elizabeth Country Park, the next Seven Sisters to Beachy Head and the last day, Golden Cap in Dorset. On the final day the nail of my little toe fell off but at least it had the decency to wait until the end.

I think the point of this is that I need someone else to be relying on me to keep me motivated so I'm going to look into raising money for charity. Something that requires a set amount of steps or miles over a month might work.

Anyway, here's this weeks progress report:

Weight  - 14st 7.5lbs
Mounjaro dose - 5mg
BMI - 38.5
Total loss - 1 stone 7.5lbs

I'm off work for a couple of weeks and I'm hoping I don't lapse into stuffing my face for the sake of it. You'll find out next week. 

Adios x

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