Shape Shifters Team Chat - JULY 2022

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  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    @frankwbrown - 🤩 Monday was an amazing day for steps! Inspiring —
  • cre804
    cre804 Posts: 341 Member
    Gotta share this as I just posted in in the Group Challenge a few minutes ago...

    Somebody slap me...knowing it's in the 90s outside, making the heat index a 100+, this brilliant person decides to wash a load of clothes and turn on the dryer in the middle of the day...wait, I'm not done...THEN I decided to take my hot shower in the middle of the afternoon...sometimes I wonder which turnip truck I fell from as a child...sweating in and just out of the shower is NOT fun. LOL
    Jessica

    Laughing along with you as I’m running my washer and dryer and about to get in the shower (as cold as I can stand it!). Forecast is 110 today in DFW.

  • cre804
    cre804 Posts: 341 Member
    JenHul wrote: »
    JenHul
    Weigh in day = Monday
    PW: 175.6
    CW: 176.6
    LTD: -4.4

    This week I want to focus on walking every night and water consumption. Looking back at the July tracker spreadsheet, those are the two areas I fall short on most days. The next one is tracking ALL day. I start off strong and fizzle out by supper time.

    Good luck to everyone and their weekly/monthly goals!

    We have similar goals for the Week! I’m making an effort to make my water goals and walk at least five days this week, which is tough with a forecast of 110 today. And I fizzle out on tracking too. I’m doing better, but the afternoon slump does me in.

  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    Hi Guys...very busy day at the office today. Finally started on a report which I usually start on Mondays at nearly 330pm...not my best effort, but it was the 2nd day in a row of putting our fires all day and just dealing with current issues...couldn't do stat reports...not enough time...hopefully will push to finish it tomorrow, but it usually takes two days, so we'll see.

    Got up early this morning and walked first thing...just finished by steps for the day and getting ready to lie down and read. A lot of people will be out of the office tomorrow, so other than emails, at least I won't be distracted. Hope all of you are staying cool, drinking lots of water and not pushing yourselves too hard. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
    Jessica :smile:
  • izzyred9400
    izzyred9400 Posts: 881 Member
    @PatriceFitnessPal thank you so much for your kind words.I wasn't calm at first when I got the news.In fact Monday evening my husband was out & I was on my own. I got chest pains & felt that my bra was too tight.Exactly how a friend of mine felt when she was having a heart attack ! It happened again this evening but now I know it's just indigestion.
    So I had a good talk with myself & decided to try & forget about it it & stay calm.Im sure the high heat hasn't helped.It was the same temperature in Greece but different when you can cool off in the sea.
    I'm thankful for my cool porcelain tiles in my kitchen.I walked up & down them with bare feet this evening BLISS.
    Hope everyone is keeping cool & staying hydrated.
  • kcpond
    kcpond Posts: 648 Member
    User: kcpond

    Weigh In Day: Wednesday
    PW (Previous Weight): 247.8
    CW (Current Weight):247.2
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    @izzyred9400 - What a scary experiecnce, feeling similar symptoms to those of your friend who had a heart attack! Anxiety and heart attacks can produce similar symptoms. I would definitely not feel comfortable until the doctor told me which one I was experiencing! Our rowing coach recommended a virtual presentation about hydration last night, and I was thinking of you. My schedule did not allow me to participate but the other rowers summarized some of what they learned, which I'll cover tomorrow on the topic of "Thirst-quenching Thursday!" One of the main points they noted today, reinforces exactly what you said: "... the high heat hasn't helped. (4h!) The coach said that our heart rate increases with the heat. So, when we add exercise - or any type of exertion - it excelerates heat exhaustion. I'll be taking your advice to keep cool and stay hydrated on another hot day in Virginia and the surrounding Washington, DC area.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    @kcpond - Great work! You seem to be making really consistent progress. Is there anything special that you've been doing lately? Best wishes for your continued success!
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited July 2022
    Wellness Wednesday

    Recently, I read an article that described 5 Visualization Techniques that the author recommended trying along with meditation practice: (1) Color breathing, (2) Compassion meditation, (3) Muscle relaxation, (4) Guided imagery, and (5) Goals visualization. I'm including the steps for guided imagery below and encourage you to try it with me for Shape Shifters' Wellness Wednesday.

    Guided imagery "helps visualize positive scenes and images, which can help you relax, cope with stress or fear, and feel more at peace. It’s also a great way to boost your mood or unwind before bed....

    How to do it
    • Get into a comfortable meditation position. You can lie down or sit, whichever you prefer.
    • Close your eyes and begin slowing your breath to a calming, relaxing rhythm.
    • Visualize a place where you feel content and calm. This might be somewhere you’ve visited or an imagined scene of somewhere you’d like to go.
    • Use your five senses to add as much detail to your image. What do you hear? Can you smell relaxing fragrances, such as trees, blooming flowers, or something cooking? Are you warm or cool? Can you feel the air on your skin? Is the sky bright, dark, stormy, full of stars?
    • Imagine yourself moving forward, feeling calmer and more peaceful as you enter your vision more deeply.
    • Continue breathing slowly as you look around the scene you’ve created, fully experiencing it with all of your senses.
    • With each inhale, imagine peace and harmony entering your body. Visualize exhaustion, tension, and distress leaving your body as you exhale.
    • When you feel ready, you can leave your vision. Knowing you can return at any time can help your newfound sense of relaxation linger throughout your day. This can help you feel more in control of difficult feelings and allow you to manage stress and frustration more easily."

    Feel free to share the positive scenes and images that help you relax, cope with stress or fear, and feel more at peace. Or, if you tried one of the other visualization techniques, let us know how it went. Enjoy!
  • LaurieWrobo
    LaurieWrobo Posts: 1,241 Member
    Current Maintenance Weigh In
    153.8
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited July 2022
    For my guided imagery exercise, I sat on a shaded deck in a comfortable chair with a view of the ocean. I could smell the fragrance of flowers, especially roses, off to my left, and felt the light ocean breeze on my cheek. The smell of salt also kissed the air, but it was not overpowering. I had a book in my lap and a hammock nearby but, in the moment, I was drinking a (alcohol free*) frozen pina colada and watching the sailboats go by in the colorful sunset.

    I feel as though my peaceful place is a bit stereotypical. I’m generally curious, so I can enjoy most any new experience, but this is where my heart took me today. Ahhhh! So, refreshing! 🏝

    *I also thought about having freshly squeezed mango juice but settled on the icy drink instead. I’m not much of a drinker but I really don’t enjoy drinking alcohol in the heat or sun because it’s a terrible drain in my energy and I feel dehydrated.
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    @PatriceFitnessPal When I was in college, as part of my Psychology 101 class, our professor taught us some visualization techniques to help with stressful or panic situations. She told us to sit comfortably (or lie down if at home) and think about sitting in a comfortable chair with cool, refreshing water being poured continually over our head and as the water fell on us, to relax the parts of our body, starting with our head, face, ears, shoulders, arms, chest, etc all the way to our feet as we breathed slowly in and out each time until we reached our feet. If at that time you still felt any stress of anxiety, do the exercise again. To this day, I still use that to relax and it really helps!

    I love the article you shared...fits right in, with a few other visualizations added...also love what you said about the ocean breeze with the smell of the salt ...I guess that's why the ocean is always so relaxing to me...from the smells, to the breeze of the wind, to the sounds of the water on the shore and the birds, etc...never fails to calm me down.

    Great discussion!
    Jessica
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    Anyone have a suggestion for next week's Group Challenge? If so, please post or send me a message...I'm just starting to think about it...gotta have it ready to start on Sunday. Let me know...
    Jessica
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited July 2022
    @jessicakrall8 - Thanks for sharing your psychology class example. It sounds like a variation on the muscle relaxation choice above. I use that one when I’m having trouble sleeping and it worked well for my older son when he was young, too. He still suffers from insomnia and other sleep difficulties so I’m wondering now if he ever uses it with success these days. I have an early morning tomorrow so maybe I’ll try it soon!
    😴💤😴
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,778 Member
    Just wanted to give a quick update. Im on vacation on the Oregon Coast with my family, and where we are we uave very little reception. We currently are at a beach house with WIFI so yay.
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,778 Member
    Oh, and apparently nobody owns a scale LOL. I will be back home next Wednesday and will weigh in then
  • Pupowl
    Pupowl Posts: 1,450 Member
    Steps
    July 17: 17.084
    July 18: 14.568
    July 19: 10.821
    July 20: 14.327
    Good morning Shape Shifters. I haven't been around here because of the heat. It was really miserable, especially Tuesday so I gave up on steps (38°C/100.4°F). I couldn't get the heat out of the house anymore because it simply didn't cool down enough at night. I wanted to go out on Monday, but I had a horrible night and just no energy at all. I pretty much spent the past few days sitting on my butt with a fan blowing nearby, drinking liters of water, eating popsicles, taking naps and taking pills to try to manage my non stop headache. It finally started to rain and thunder a bit last night, but the heat is still in the house. I hope today will be a bit better. I am washing my bedsheets because I feel like I have been sweating buckets, gross. I don't have the energy to write more today, sorry. I hope everyone is doing well.
    Here is a visual of my wonderful sleep...
    xdw42c33o028.png

    @izzyred9400 I hope your heartrate will settle down and that it is nothing serious. Sounds really scary! I have had issues with something similar as well, though it mostly happened at night. I had a really loud and fast heartbeat and it made it feel like I was going to pass out or throw up. I also went to the doctor back then but nothing ever came from it. It is really hard to stay calm when every fibre of your body is telling you to panic though. It was horrible. Hopefully you are able to distract yourself a bit, take care!
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    @Pupowl - The heat has been terrible and I’m sorry your sleep is suffering so much. When I was growing up in Boston without air conditioning in my room, I remember sleeping sprawled out so that no body part would touch another one, relishing any tiny breeze that came through the window. I try to keep our energy use down, and I feel a bit defeated by the Catch-22 effect of dealing with the rise in temperature by consuming more energy through central air conditioning!

    I hope the rain brings some relief!
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    Here’s my weekly maintenance weigh in report.

    Name: PatriceFitnessPal
    Weigh-in day: Thursday
    PW: 126.6
    CW: 126.8

    SW: 168
    LTD: 41.2

    My maintenance target range is 120-130.

    I hope all our Shape Shifter friends are feeling good about the progress we’re making this week to improve our health.
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