Weight-loss results for this challenge
September 1st start weight: 77.1 kg / 169.9 pounds
September 30th end weight: 76.2 kg / 167.9 pounds
Total weight loss after 30 days: 0.9 kg / 1.98 pounds
Day 1
This morning I got up bright and early to get started with the first day of the Fitness Gaming Challenge. I wanted to get out early before it got to hot and busy. Back to school isn’t for another 2 weeks yet, when the official end of summer happens here on the islands.
I was totally going to go back to my walk starting point but I kept going and ended up walking 2,55km. 😆 I’m quite proud of myself for that.
Too Much Cereal?
When I finally got home I was READY for breakfast. I usually fill a bowl to the brim with cereal and then cover it with however much almond milk is needed to drown it. 😅
Today though I stopped and thought ‘I wonder how much cereal is actually the recommended portion?’ Google tells me it’s something between 25g-30g which I had no idea of how to measure but apparently it’s a mug full. I continued to measure out a mug full into my bowl and gasped in amazement.
I’d been having TWO and a HALF times that for months, maybe a year? Two years? Could this be one of the reasons for my weight plateau? I know I’m building muscle and all that but if I’m eating far to much cereal it will explain a few things for me, feeling sluggish and so on…..
So I was worried I would be very hungry after reducing my cereal to a normal person’s portion but I wasn’t. What I did do was sit at the dining table instead of my desk and had breakfast with my Mum via videochat which was nice. I’ll let you know if I see any difference after a week or so but it’s bound to make a difference to my digestion at least.
Day 2
After yesterday’s successful start to the Fitness Gaming Challenge and a nice power walk, I decided to do Ring Fit Adventure today. I even set up my phone to film some of my workout to put on YouTube hence why I have a screenshot of the moment my back muscle went into spasm.
I’d finished the warm up and headed to Armie Temple. Maybe a minute into playing, I felt a muscle pull in my back. I actually caught this on video, watching it back I wasn’t even doing anything too crazy, basically the same moves I’ve been doing. I think I may have overstretched though and that was that.
I panicked a bit because the pain in my left flank over the kidney area, which I get nervous about due to past kidney surgeries for nephroptosis. I went to lay down on my back almost right away and I know that was probably a bad idea. I don’t know but it didn’t seem to help.
So that was me basically out of action on day 2… I hope yours was way better! 😆
Day 6
This morning I woke up really motivated to go on a power walk, so that’s what I did. I made sure Pokémon Go was on Adventure Sync, and did a track walk. I had some dance music on my phone to keep my pace and went for it.
It seemed longer than my beach power walk on Day 1, probably because it was along the same track and I didn’t have the ocean to look at but it was still a great walk. I managed 2,62km in 35 minutes.
My 7km Pokémon Go egg hatched too! I got a Galarian Ponyta, it looks just like a unicorn and bonus it has healing powers which is just what I need right now after hurting my back on Day 2 of this fitness gaming challenge.
Did you know that slow walking was a thing? Apparently it can be a form of meditation and although not classed as cardio, still has plenty of benefits like self awareness and reducing risk of injury if you’re just starting out.
At the end of my day, with the power walk and the cleaning I managed to rack up 8,199 steps which is such an achievement for me. My daily steps have stayed around 4,000-5,000 for sometime now. I’m sure Pokémon Go is going to encourage me to get even more steps in. E has also since re-downloaded the app, so we will be able to play together on our walks.
Day 8
I’ll call today a rest day because I didn’t purposely go on a walk or do a workout but I was active and it was hot out. My step goal hit about 4,000+ which is what used to be a very active day for me. I think it’s important to recharge, listen to your body and rest if you need to. After hurting my back on Day 2 I’m trying to listen better.
Day 10
So about that redecorating I was doing yesterday.. yeah I’m really kind of regretting it now because I woke up this morning with that same pulled muscle in my back as day 2.
The pain was knocking me sick and I couldn’t possibly exercise. Hence why I got stuck into sorting out the toiletries and to be fair, I did rack up a few steps tidying round in the house.
Later on we had a walk and I finished the day with 5,991 steps. Not my best but certainly not my worst, Pokémon Go is definitely helping. Hopefully tomorrow my muscle will feel rested enough to play Ring Fit again for the first time since Day 2.
Day 11
Was I scared to head back into Ring Fit Adventure? Hesitant? Yes and yes! I know you have to keep motivated and push yourself a bit when on a weight loss and fitness journey like I am on my Fit By 40 challenge but it’s important to know when to press pause. With my past kidney issues (nephroptosis) and the pulled muscle in my flank, I didn’t want to push too much.
Tonight, however I decided it was time to get back to Ring Fit and at least start it up and see how I got on with the dynamic stretches. If it didn’t feel right I would stop.
Level 29 to 30 passed quickly as I played the Aerochute level for the first time. I didn’t pass so I paid 50 coins, I will try another time, I just couldn’t work it out and wasn’t keen on the side stretching that came with it.
Thankfully I was feeling strong because the arm master, cleverly named Armando, wanted to have a few rounds. I selected all of the arm moves, including the Overhead Arm Press which is now my new favourite fit skill. It felt good to be using my arms and not so much waist twisting or bending.
After this I hit Level 31 which I’m very proud of. I could have sat down and not worked out, but I moved my butt.
I’m also starting to lose a little bit of weight after a MAJOR plateau. I think all the hard work I put in during August’s 15 Day Ring Fit Adventure Club challenge is starting to show.
Day 12
After yesterday’s return to Ring Fit Adventure, I decided to stick with it and after my evening Pokewalk I picked up the Ring. Several Ring Fitters have given me advice on trying out the custom mode for those days when Adventure Mode seems a bit much or to change it up.
So on Custom I added a bunch of arm skills, some of which were completely new to me. I also have yoga as a list. I was so glad to see Tipp before and after this set for some stretching.
Some new arm skills: Overhead Arm Spin (not a fan), Shoulder Press (another new fave), Tricep Kickback and Back Press.
I enjoyed myself and although the calories burned was low, I know the strength and muscle work is going to be very beneficial. I’m still getting some niggle pains in my flank and I think I might actually buy a sports back support or waist trimmer.
My specialist advised me to wear one of these before I had my two kidney surgeries and it did help. It squishes the kidneys back up into place and feels like a nice hug. I guess I have weak spots and I certainly don’t want any relapse, so this might be the way to go for me.
Day 13
Tonight me and E went on a sunset stroll and played Pokémon Go together as we walked. I caught so many different Pokémon including a Ninetails!!
I’m not sure why my apple watch cuts time off my outdoor walks though. It never seems to sync up with my total exercise for the day, but I guess I’m doing the work so it doesn’t matter.
I feel really happy today, plus I’m finally getting somewhere with my Fit By 40 goal. I’ve even broken through my plateau and lost a little bit of weight!
Day 14
I was up at 5am so I managed to go on a 2,81 km walk before breakfast and before my eyebrow appointment. I had Pokémon Go Adventure Sync on and I caught a wild Espeon! Result. I’m loving playing Pokémon Go lately.
Later on me and E had another walk and I managed to rack up a total of 9,390 steps and 6,59km! This is the closest I’ve been to 10,000 steps in a long time. 😃
Day 17
So I decided to MOOOOOOVE and play Ring Fit Adventure, but I was feeling a bit lazy so I decided to film it to hold myself accountable. I did the level Stopfoot Wastes which is in World 5 and I was basically smashing boulders with my abs using the Abdominal Press Hold.
The video actually cut out, but at one point I fell backwards and landed on my laptop which was on the sofa. 😂 Oops! I’m hoping to film some more of these and upload my progress to YouTube.
Day 19
Prior to the volcano eruption news we were having a nice lazy Sunday with egg on toast and coffee. A nice close to the weekend.
So with the lazy day and then a lot of tv watching for updates, I hadn’t moved much. I grabbed my iPad and just watched the live streams of the volcano nervously from my bike in the end and managed a 36 minute ride. I’ve been trying to close my apple watch rings each day and pushing myself a bit more. Lately I’m starting to see some more weight loss so that is very encouraging.
Day 27
I like to break my workouts up throughout the day, so I did 32 minutes on my indoor bike this morning, burned a few calories painting and then went for an evening Pokémon Go walk. I hatched a Swirlix from a 2km egg. 😄
I can’t believe there are only 3 days left of this month and of the September edition of the fitness gaming challenge. In October’s challenge we are sure to have some more people joining in as quite a few have shown interest on Twitter. The more the merrier, use what you have and are able to do. If you don’t have any fitness games at all, I hope you still join in for the spirit and motivation of the group. You can always download Pokémon Go for free.
Thanks for reading,
Vikki 💓
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