This year, I fell into the the old holiday "give up your workouts, eat a lot of crap, and pack on a few pounds" trap. This was the first year of falling off the bandwagon for me, because I was never ON the bandwagon in years prior. Not working out and eating whatever I wanted was just my lifestyle, holidays or not. Also, I was going through some shit in November, so I didn't really eat well or work out that month, either. I can't even fully blame the holidays.
As a result, I've lost strength and gained about 10 pounds. I was kinda planning on the reverse of that scenario happening, so I've had a wake-up call and realized I need to get my shit together before I gain another 10. So from now (really January 1, but I'm terrible at timely blog posts) until February 21, I'm going HAM. I'm going to give it my all to move toward fitness for these 52 days.
Why February 21? It just so happens to be my 30th birthday. And I would like to ring in the new decade of my life feeling my best. Also looking my best, because I'm headed to the beach for a week the day after said birthday. Lastly, I just want to. I finally have some motivation back, so I'm going to make hay while the sun shines and get more regimented while the desire to do so is there.
My rules for going HAM:
- No sweets. This means no cakes, cookies, froyo, candy, etc. I can still have fruit and even non-sweet splurges (e.g., a slice of pizza or French fries) on occasion, but I'm cutting out sweets altogether. It's often just easier for me to do all or nothing; I find if I allow myself treats sometimes it quickly becomes all the time.
- Keep a food log. My trainer designed a log I like, where I'm not logging specifically what I eat, just if the meal was compliant (there's a few criteria, but the focus is on veggies and lean proteins with limited carbs), with symbols for treats and after-workout meals. It's faster than keeping a full log and allows me to easily monitor how many splurges and workouts I've had.
- Get your workouts in. I try to work out five days a week (2-3 days each of cardio and lifting), so I definitely want to do that, but even on my rest days, I want to go for a walk outside or do a yoga DVD. Something that keeps me in the mobile mindset.
So, that's the plan. I decided to share it with y'all for accountability. If I'm the only one who knows the plan, it's a lot easier to stop following it. But if I let y'all in on it, I'll feel guilty if (or when; let's be real) I want to quit. I suppose you could call this my New Year's resolution, but it's not really anything I haven't done before, I'm just resolving to get back to business. Side note, part 2: Whenever I say "the plan" in any context, I think of that scene in 10 Things I Hate About You where she shows "the plan" to her soccer coach. Every. Single. Time. Probably cuz I watched that movie about once a week during most of my formative years.
Now that you've seen "the plan," tell me: Did you let your fitness slide over the holidays? And if so, are you dedicating (or re-dedicating) yourself to eating well and working out this month?
No comments:
Post a Comment