Week 2024-18
Busy week so posting this a little late...
With the public holiday the week before this has been my first full week (i.e. five days) at work since mid-March - crazy! Luckily it didn't feel too long as we've been fairly non-stop.
I've decided to experiment with intermittent fasting as part of my wellness journey. I've read loads about the benefits, especially in promoting metabolic flexibility - something that can decline with age. I've been following a 16/8 plan (16 hours fasting, with an 8 hour window for eating) and it has been going well. I've never been much of a breakfast eater, so the only realy change I've had to make to my morning routine is dropping the (oat) milk from my coffee until 11am. I've also found that it has helped to me to be mindful whether I'm eating because I'm hungry or out of boredom. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this up, or whether it will be a constant thing.
Whilst we were on holiday in the UK we stayed with family at a couple of resorts where the lodges had their own private saunas. I've heard a lot about the benefits - even just for relaxation - of heat therapy so was keen to use them almost every day. The upshot is that this week we ordered our own two-person sauna for our home. Whilst we were using traditional Nordic / Finnish saunas while on holiday, we've opted for a slightly more energy-efficient far-infrared sauna for home. It gets delievered tomorrow, so watch this space for initial impressions.
This weekend my eldest daughter's Academy soccer team travelled to nearby Ipswich for a match, and secured their first win of the season. It has been amazing watching the girls develop as a team, and am truly proud of them - their win was genuinely well deserved.
After spending last weekend uplifting our outdoor / al-fresco space, this weekend we used our new upright smoker for the first time. This meant an inevitable break from my plant-based diet for a meal of meat - smoked brisket in this instance. We had mixed results, literally. Whilst one half of the meat was pretty much spot-on the other half as a little overdone. Plenty of lessons learned, and plans made for how we'll do it differently next time (including our choice of meat).