top of page
Search

October 2026 Life Updates

Writer: Ash
Ash
4 hours ago
9 min read

Quick Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase through these, I may earn a small commission. Please see my "privacy policy" for more information. CW: discussions about health issues and weight loss.


Welcome back to another life updates blog! What have Ashy, Benji, and Luke been up to this month of October 2026?



Previous 2026 Life Updates:



PIN IT

Collage of smiling woman, man and corgi in home, outdoors and car, with text October 2026 Life Updates and asheycakes.com
PIN IT

October 2026 Life Updates


CW: health issues, weight gain/weight loss (skip ahead to the bullet points if you wish to avoid these topics).


I think we should start with a little bit of a health update because we're slowly but surely getting somewhere. As you know, I've now been seeing a rheumatologist who has basically told me to "go on a GLP-1 and all my problems will be fixed" and has focused solely on weight being my only issue (I don't agree that my weight is the problem; I think it's a symptom, and I'm always like, if I am getting told this stuff, then what is getting told to people bigger than me?). I am aware that I need to lose weight, but pushing a GLP-1 when we don't know what's actually wrong doesn't feel right to me and don't get me wrong, I'm not against them; t don't think going back to how skinny I used to be is the answer, and if I'm using it purely for inflammation, it feels like a band-aid fix rather than a long-term fix - and we're more interested in why my platelets are so f*cking high. I am in two minds about the rheumatologist because it's been both a good and bad experience (bad re the fat shaming, but good because we are getting closer to some answers and it does seem like he is doing some further investigations).


The rheumatologist put me on a trial of the anti-inflammatory drug prednisolone for 10 days (which you can't take long term because it's a steroid) and got me to do another blood test, and he didn't show me the numbers cos he said, "oh, we'll do it later and compare" - don't worry though, my GP sent them all to me hehe. Since then, the rheumatologist has put me on a different lower-dose anti-inflammatory, meloxicam, which he told me to do for 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off and then another blood test (yay). So that's where I am with that. We have found one thing in my blood, and that was my insulin was a little bit high but not high enough to be in the prediabetes range, but low enough that I should be able to reverse it with lifestyle changes (I also don't seem to fit the criteria for PMOS, and the blood markers for that aren't what I have). So I'm kinda like, "we found something, so I can do something about it to fix it", but we don't have the full picture; i.e., my GP doesn't think that's the main cause of my blood markers/fatigue issues, and even in the letters back to my GP, the rheumatologist said fatigue isn't caused by weight, even though he told me my weight was the problem! My GP also explained things in a much more coherent way than the rheumatologist did. She said that I was doing everything right re lifestyle changes (I'll explain below) and that she doesn't think a GLP-1 is right for me right now. She also said that I don't fit nicely into the criteria boxes for specific disorders, so it's more about managing my symptoms and seeing what we can do to improve things. She made me feel a lot better about things and told me weight shouldn't be blamed (especially when I do have some muscle from lifting weights). The reality is, though, we may never know fully what is wrong. Sometimes I wish I fit nicely into a box so we could get the right treatment, but unfortunately that's not the case - and I just learned that IBD and the blood disorders haven't been completely ruled out yet either.


Since coming back from Canada, I have lost about 4- 5 kg and 6cm around my waist, and I feel good about that. I wasn't unhealthy with my diet before, but I made some really simple swaps like sourdough for rye, any sort of white carb for complex carbs, and upped my fibre intake (so far no IBS issues). I'm also managing to do my strength training 3 x a week and have been getting 10-11k steps most days. Switching back to strength training has been a game changer for me - I haven't had PEM in so long, just DOMS. I also haven't avoided "bad" food when I've been at events because we have to live our lives and have a healthy relationship with food. Allowing yourself cravings like that means that you don't go and binge eat. I feel very vulnerable typing this out because weight and eating aren't things I've necessarily been very vulnerable with before (like with my history of being SO underweight, I was very embarrassed, and now I'm embarrassed of being overweight lol). I also feel like the anti-inflammatory meds have given me a little bit of a reset too.


And lastly, my GP is tapering me off my antidepressant medication to see what that does to help (I was using it for pain from nerve damage and managing IBS symptoms). I've been reading a bit of peer-reviewed research, and a couple of articles have said there's a correlation with weight gain and these types of meds and a little bit of correlation with insulin resistance when you're on them long term, so I think tapering off it is the right thing to do just to see what happens. I'm happy with my progress so far, and I think we should strive to be strong and muscly, rather than skinny and weak, so we have enough bloody energy to fight the patriarchy LOL.


I've also managed to keep my iron, B12, and Vitamin D (this one was never low) levels up while all this is going on, but it is really nice to have some energy again. I think my next goal will be to work my way back up to hiking again. I'd really like to do the George Bass Coastal Walk and, whenever we go back to NZ, the hikes there again. For God's sake, I was able to do the Lees Valley Track to Tarn Hut without struggling (fun fact - my whole toenail fell off during that hike because I wore the wrong shoes LOL).


As for the POTS stuff, the rheumatologist said I meet the criteria for that/dysautonomia, but he said I don't have orthostatic intolerance, so I think my fitness improving is helping. It does get a bit frustrating when the specialists all say different things.


  • I have been doing some cute Instagram trends and even making Canva "week in my life" posts, which are so fun to make.

  • I've had more brands reach out re sponsorships, which I'm so excited about, and I need to get round to making a media kit; I am just a bit overwhelmed with how to do that.

  • Luke and I celebrated our 4 Year Anniversary on the 30th of September.

  • We went to one of Luke's friends' weddings, which was fun - I was actually able to dance for a while without feeling awful.

  • Speaking of weddings, Luke's parents had one to go to this month as well, so we had their dog for a sleepover, and we took Benji and Frankie to a corgi meet-up in Brunswick. It was so much fun. We even drove past Briggs which was so random.

  • Step Counter Updates: As you guys know, one of my goals for 2026 is to walk at least 5 - 10K steps per day, so here's my October 2026 progress. As usual, I'll add in the rest of the month later.

STEPS

MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

WEEK 1




8976

11,028

5996

10,344

WEEK 2

12,177

10,954

11,977

11,978

11,925

11,291

7440

WEEK 3

11,150

10,590

10,235

10,982

10,700

9390

10,055

WEEK 4

10,550

11,756

10,924

7814

13,260

11,207

5799 (rest day)

WEEK 5

11,536

11,555

10,510

*

*

*



SAVE TO PINTEREST

Collage of happy moments: smiling couple, ebook reading, workout gear, meals, fruit bowl, and a cheerful corgi; October 2026 Life Updates.
SAVE TO PINTEREST



I also thought we could end on some embarrassing things that have happened to me:


  • Obviously the toenail story from earlier.

  • Didn't realise a public bathroom door wasn't locked when I was using it, and someone nearly came in until I made a little squeak and went "sorry" LOL. I legit thought it was locked.

  • Was on the dance floor at an Australian wedding and didn't know the moves to the Nutbush and got very confused when I couldn't keep up (I am Kiwi and not a good dancer haha, but I tried).

  • Accidentally went through a red light at one of Melbourne's scariest roundabouts because I got confused, and now I'm scared I'm gonna get a fine. I don't think there were red light cameras there, but it freaked me out.

  • I was coming out of our shared driveway to drive to an appointment, and one of our neighbours swung into the driveway and wanted me to reverse back into the electronic gate so she could come in. Idk why I find this one embarrassing; I had the right of way here.

  • Going to my psychologist on a Wednesday instead of a Friday and walking out telling everyone to "have a good weekend" because I usually go on Fridays.

  • Constantly pulling a push door (how has my muscle memory not fixed this for me, LOL).

  • When I was 8, I was in the car with my dad, and we parked next to the bakery we were going to, and as I got out of the car, I fell into the gutter because the gutter guard wasn't there for some reason, and my dad noticed and just started laughing at me. In hindsight, it's funny, but for 8-year-old me, I was stuck!

  • The time I ran into a wall (yes, this one is funny AF).

  • One time I was walking near NGV in a summer dress with a backpack, and my dress got caught in my underwear, but this nice lady told me, and I was able to fix it. No clue how long I had been walking around like that.

  • One time, I was hungover in Melbourne and wanted to go to Queen Vic Market (I was visiting my friend who lived here at the time), and at the end of the bus ride, I threw up on myself and then threw up (literally just water) in front of this dad and his kid, and I was like, "oh gosh, so sorry", and they hurried off. I didn't wanna miss out on anything, so I went to the bathrooms, cleaned myself up, and got on with my day.



Things I am looking forward to in November are:


  • Getting my 31st birthday over and done with (I feel old).

  • I've got a haircut - I booked all my appointments until the end of the year. Christmas is coming around fast.

  • One of my friends from NZ is coming to Melbourne for a week with her partner, so we're going to go out for dinner with them one night.

  • Working on the last of my 2026 goals - I hope I can get through them (otherwise a few will be pushed into next year).

  • Buying a 2027 diary. I always find that so fun.

  • Now that Benji's fur has grown back, we're gonna get his sandpit back and give him a proper bath.


Hope you enjoyed this month's wacky updates!

Thank you for reading and supporting my journey.

Ash xx


PIN FOR LATER

Collage of colorful brunch and salad bowls, plus a woman holding iced coffee; text reads October 2026 Life Updates and asheycakes.com.
PIN FOR LATER

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet
Add a rating
My logo
bottom of page