Day One, it's always easy!

HAPPY St. PATRICK'S DAY
So per my challenge rules I will journal my fitness, nutrition and corresponding activities, thoughts, mood, etc etc. etc daily. The first day of anything is easy, it's the long haul that throws most of us for a loop. With that being said it is important to verbalize your goals and desires almost daily. To put your mind ever in the present with your eyes still on the prize. Here is what Day one looked like.

Weight, do I really have to write it.....? Okay I weighed in yesterday at 189lbs. I gained about 16 pounds back. I did not take my measurements but will get right on it. I have a goal of about 2 pounds a week with an ending weight of 155. It will take longer than my imposed 12 weeks but I feel like it is very achievable. I am tall and have a bit of muscle already. At 23 I weighted in at 150 pounds and was very thin. Am I compensating here? On to the Nutrition and Fitness journal.

I struggled through 50 minutes of circuit training using 10 lb. weights and body weight resistance.

OPT Model Stabilization Endurance

SMR and static Stretching (2 sets)

SL Bridges 15 ea. Side (2 sets)

Floor Crunches 20 (2 sets)

Scissor kicks 24 (2 sets)

Prisoner Squats 20 (2 sets)

Jumping Jacks 30 (2 sets)

Push ups 15 (2 sets)

Mountain climbers 30 (2 sets)

Front Lunge 15 ea. Side (2 sets)

Skaters 30 (2 sets)

Triceps extension 10 lbs. 15 reps (2 sets)

Frontal Plane Jump with Stabilization 15 (2 sets)

Bicep Curl 10 lbs. 15 reps (2 sets)

Transverse Plane jump with stabilization 12 (2 sets)

Ball Cobra15 (2 sets)

Cool Down with a repeat of SMR and static Stretching

* I will modify the program every 4 weeks . This routine will be preformed 3 times per week. On three other days I will hike or bike.

Day One Week One

3 Scrambled free range eggs

3/4 cup Broccoli, Cauliflower mix

Coffee with 1 tbsp. half and half

Water

Mixed Greens with Pork Loin Medallions and Dijon roasted garlic vinaigrette

Orange slices

Water

3 Tbsp. Macadamia Nuts

Water

Small Banana

Salmon Cakes from Wild Alaskan Salmon

Sliced strawberries

Mixed Greens with Grape Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Lemon Balsamic

Vinaigrette made with Olive Oil.

Water

Coffee with a tsp. of Half and Half

At the end of the day I felt pretty good and didn't miss my typical pass out in front of the television ending. I stayed focused on several tasks and accomplished my to do list. Even read up on some anatomy. Let us go forth and see what this day holds.

May the luck of the Irish hold your hand today!

What to do when you fall off the wagon again

When I first started my journey to fitness I had about 40 pounds to lose and lots of soul searching to do. I have came very close to my goal but never quite got there. Life and weight gain are what happens when you are not paying attention. I have been on a steady gain for about the past three months. I think that after my certification I felt like all of my hard work had come to an end so to speak. Trying to gain clients, keep up with family and a car accident got the better of me. I let myself fall off of the fitness wagon and spiral out of control. As someone who wants to make a living in the fitness industry this was pretty devastating to my ego. Every day would come and go with unspoken promises to hit the gym and eat my vegetables. Eventually I came to the realization that trainer or not I am just like anybody else who struggles with weight issues. The old adage “You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make them drink” rings true. It would not matter if I had a masters degree in exercise physiology, if I am not living it I can’t preach it. I am going to bare it all in a challenge to help motivate myself and anyone reading this. Starting today I will do what I expect my clients to do. I will succeed and prove once again that it is possible to pull yourself back up onto your wagon and keep going. This is sort of a retake of my blog. I want to stress that people will fall, just get back up. One meal, one workout, one healthy thought, this is fitness for real people. I want to add that it has got to be one of the hardest things to accept. When we have achieved a weight loss and/or fitness goal and gain it back or stop exercising it is the ultimate form of self betrayal. I have wanted to bury my head under a rock Am I alone in this? Not at all. As a women I have a sisterhood with all who have or will do the same thing. We can break this miserable self sabotage and achieve lifetime goals. Living the healthy lifestyle starts with our thoughts. Getting to a place of acceptance and a desire for change must happen first. Okay so we really messed up and went off track, if we immediately shift our focus to staying committed and getting on course then we will leave no room for negative consequences. We are creatures of habit good or bad. Get in the habit of picking yourself up the moment you fall.

Okay now for the rules of the challenge. I will track my progress for 12 weeks and eat as close to a Paleo diet as possible.

Rule number one: Weekly weight and measure check in. This will not be easy. What is out of sight is out of MIND!

Rule number two: Food diary, this is very important! The diary aspect of this challenge will keep me focused on achieving a level of nutritional value and hold my lips accountable.

Rule number three: Chart my exercise program as I would for any client. Keeping record of how and when you exercise is a great way to track progress and set goals. I love to feel the burn as they say however if you spend too much time away from exercise it becomes habit to sit on the couch. “Energy begets Energy”

Rule number four: Entertainment must come in the form of activity, not the television. I am going to turn off the television set for 12 weeks, this will be one of the hardest rules to follow. I am without a doubt a T.V. junkie

I challenge all who reads this to join me, feel free to send me your progress. I would love to hear your story.