My problem, when it comes to diet and exercise, isn’t knowing what is right and wrong and isn’t even the lack of having a good plan. It’s that I posses no discipline. Zip, zero, zilch. Berta, the 300 pound Italian girl inside me, Berta, always wins out when there are tasty treats about.
I headed out for two weeks of business travel. I packed up apples, halos, and granola bars. I cut up celery sticks, cucumbers, and carrots. My iPod was loaded with awesome workout tunes and I packed up an extra bag just for sneakers, sports bras, and running gear.
The plan: eat well, exercise daily, and use these two weeks of business travel to amp up physically.
The reality: the food is really amazing in Chicago and I gained 6 pounds in two weeks.
Since I scrapped the first plan, I am now on to the second. It took 2 weeks to put it on so I am going to give myself 2 weeks to take it off starting Sunday. Why not start today you ask? Big weekend plans, and my hubby loves hanging out with Berta.
“When you establish a destination by defining what you want, then take physical action by making choices that move you towards that destination, the possibility for success is limitless and arrival at the destination is inevitable.” ― Steve Maraboli
Check back daily to see what workouts and meals work and which ones don’t.
Do you have a favorite low cal meal? Leave a link below.
How are you doing on your New Year’s resolution? I don’t mean planning on next year’s already. How are you doing with this year’s? Yes, I know. I am the only one still talking about it in May. How unfashionable!
It’s not hopeless. You can get back on track with your fitness and nutrition goals with a little help, and a few tricks. Here are some tactics to keep you on track when that devil on your shoulder is trying to tempt you.
1. Make a workout calendar. I have a separate Outlook calendar for my exercise plan. It puts my goals in writing, getting me one step closer to achieving them, and when you already have your workout planned you can’t lay there in bed debating “do I want to go to the gym or go for a run” until, oops, 30 minutes has gone by and it’s time to get ready for work.
2. Sleep in your workout clothes. OK, this may not be for everyone. At least get out your clothes the night before. It’s funny how the fashionista only comes out as a time staller helping us avoid getting to our workout.
3. Get the weather.com app and always check it the day before if you’re planning an outdoor workout. This helps immensely with tactic 2 and, if undesirable weather is coming, it’s way better to change your plan the night before than use it as an excuse in the morning.
4. Put your alarm clock 10 steps away from your bed. Once out of bed there’s no stopping you!
If you exercise later in the day:
5. Take the batteries out of you TV remote. Don’t turn it on. Not even for a second. Just a second to catch up turns into minutes and then hours and now it’s time for bed.
If nutrition is a concern:
6. Pack your lunch the night before. If you’re doing great with numbers 1-4 you might not have time to pack a healthy lunch. I find that no matter how good my intentions are I just have no will power when eating out. A little planning and preparation keeps me on track.
7. Don’t put it in your cart. Oh sure. The chips, cookies, and soda is just for the kids. You’re not going to touch it. Ah, ah, ah! If its not in the house to tempt you then you don’t have to fight the battle.
Keep focused. You can do it!!!! Change a few minor habits and you can stay on track and crush your goals!
Did a double workout yesterday; P90X then 30 minutes on the elliptical all because my kids wanted me to bake cupcakes. I know me, and when it comes to sweets – no discipline. So rather than worry about it I just put my tunes on and got in an extra 30 minutes of cardio. Every song that came up on my favorite play list I inserted the word cupcakes.
Here’s Rihanna. Cheers to the Fricken’ Cupcake
Cheers to the fricken’ cupcake I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Oh, let the frosting sink in I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Don’t let the haters get you down Turn it around and don’t gain a pound
There’s a cupcake o’er here yo Everybody pull ‘ya paper off And I eat to that Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(And I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah
Life’s too short to be sittin’ ’round miserable People gon’ talk whether you doing bad or good, yeah Got a cupcake on my mind and my mind on my belly, yeah Looking so bomb, gonna find me a honey, yeah
Got my Nikes on and I’m feelin’ hella cool tonight, yeah Everybody’s workin’ out so we give fat a fight, yeah
Cheers to the fricken’ cupcake I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Oh, let the frosting sink in I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Don’t let the haters get you down Turn it around and don’t even gain a pound
There’s a cupcake o’er here yo Everybody pull ‘ya paper off And I eat to that Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah (And I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah ‘Bout to hop on the treadmill, workin’ on my cardio tonight, yeah Might be sore in the morning but you know we goin’ hard tonight It’s getting Coyote ugly up in here, no Tony (Horton) It’s only up from here, no downward dog ‘yo
Got my Nikes on and I’m feelin’ hella cool tonight, yeah Everybody’s workin’ out so we give fat a fight, yeah
Cheers to the fricken’ cupcake I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Oh, let the frosting sink in I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Don’t let the haters get you down Turn it around and don’t gain a pound
There’s a cupcake o’er here ‘yo Everybody pull ‘ya paper off And I eat to that Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(And I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah (And I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah
Cheers to the fricken’ cupcake I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Oh, let the icing sink in I eat to that, yeah-e-yeah Don’t let the haters get you down Turn it around don’t even gain a pound
There’s a cupcake o’er here ‘yo Everybody pull ‘ya paper off And I eat to that
Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah (And I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(I eat to that)Yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeahYeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah, yeah-e-yeah(And I eat to that)
Next up on the playlist, Ziggy Pop, Lust for Icing (Life) What’s your favorite workout tune?
We did it! We finished 90 days of P90X! In spite of turkey temptations at Thanksgiving and tantalizing tiramisu at Christmas (not very traditional, but we love it) and bountiful bubbles at New Years we stuck to it and finished the entire 90 days of extreme workouts.
Wow! Looking back I remember the first week and not being able to do even one wide arm pull up. I can still only do 3 or 4, but each one is a self gratifying moment of glory. There is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment going through this program.
Here’s what I found to be ultra rewarding:
being good 90% of the time and cheating 10%
realizing I needed to eat MORE calories every day
metamorphosing from extremely tired to extremely energized
doing crane for the first time if only for a second or two
looking in the mirror and watching the physical transformation
improving my running time (I even took first place in my age group for a 5k)
being able to choose any dress I wanted for the holiday parties
getting in the best physical shape in my life in my 40’s
I’ve talked to a lot of people who have tried P90X, but didn’t make it the entire 90 days. I don’t want to bust on my friends, but why not finish what you started? For me, the results I have achieved so far are all I need to keep going, but here’s some tips for sticking out any program you start in 2013.
1. Define your personal goal. Your goal should not be the program. It should be what you want from the program. If you go in with the plan to “do a xx day exercise program or go on xx diet” it won’t be enough to get you to the end. It should be lose xx pounds by xx/xx/xxxx or lose 3″ around my waist by Easter.
2. Inspire yourself. What is your “why”? Do you want to look better, feel better, have more energy, rock a bikini…. Your why is what is going to help you stay the course. When you feel like hitting snooze instead of waking up to work out or when you feel like you may want to go through the drive thru instead of making a healthier choice thinking about your why, your purpose, will keep you on the right track.
3. Put it in writing. Write your down your goal and three things you will do to execute your goal. Example: if your goal is to lose 5 pounds by March 1st and your “why” is to have more energy to play with the kids on your days off then your 3 things may include things like: pack my lunch for work days the night before, don’t buy junk food at the grocery store, cut out all soda and sugary drinks.
4. Keep a log. I love the P90X app. I record my workouts each day. I record what I eat daily in my nutrition journal, and I record my measurements. This helps me decide if what I am doing is working or if I have to adjust.
5. Celebrate milestones. Don’t wait for all 10 pounds to come off to celebrate. Celebrate the first pound, then the first two pounds. Cheer from the mountain top when you get the first five gone. Keep yourself internally motivated.
What I learned the next 30 days of P90X.
1. Once you can do something for 30 seconds you can do it for 60.
2. They make wide arm pull ups look too easy in Skyfall.
3. If my 8 year old can do crane then I can too. I just have to stop thinking so much and just do it.
4. I hate recording snacks in the nutrition journal enough to help me cut them out completely.
5. Working out with your partner makes it so much better.
6. Sodium is as bad, bad, bad. Just as bad as sugar.
7. You only have to be good 90% of the time. Allow yourself a little latitude and you will enjoy it more.
My problem, when it comes to diet and exercise, isn’t knowing what is right and wrong and isn’t even the lack of having a good plan. It’s that I posses no discipline. Zip, zero, zilch. Berta, the 300 pound Italian girl inside me, Berta, always wins out when there are tasty treats about.
