Day 2.8: Uncle & Goals

UNCLE!

Not the relative, but begging for mercy.  I feel so much better.  Last week was rough for me.  Of course, I was sick, but still.  I did eat my super foods and I did have a cheat meal.  Isn't that part of the plan?

Monday.  A fresh start.  I hope you have done way better than me, exercising and snubbing sugar in all forms.  If not, start again today with a will.

It is also official:  I have set a new December record for days I've worked out.  3.  That is 300% improvement over past Decembers, so you can see why I'm so very proud.  

My December "Hail Mary" in the fitness and dramatic weight loss department has bit the dust, so I've come up with my new game plan.  My new focus goal is to work out 6 days a week.  And all I'm going to do is walk.  Yep.  Walk.  Here's why this works for me:

1.  It gets me outside.  The outdoors calls to me in a very instinctual way, and I have a burning desire to be out there.  Housework and other responsibilities can drown out this call if I let them, but I'll keep that from happening by going first thing in the morning.  Sometimes the thought of an hour sweating in the basement fills me with dread, particularly if I'm feeling stressed.  If you want to do something, you usually do it.  I want to go outside.  So I will.

2.  It clears my brain.  Instead of stewing over Christmas gifts, making phone calls, and being the secretary and last minute go-fer for 24 hours a day, I will only do that for 23 hours per day and take one hour to walk in silence (relative) and enjoy how it makes me feel.

3.  I helps me achieve a goal.  Just doing something I love will help me reach my 6 days/week goal.  And that is huge for my self-worth and sanity.  While I can't control many, many things about December, I can control this.  By making it simple, I can accomplish it.

4.  I helps me be grateful.  I am grateful for warm winter clothing.  I'm grateful for a body that functions.  I'm amazed that our bodies can create warmth as we move, and not freeze in 7 degree weather.  I love Utah's wintry, blue-sky days.  I am grateful for snow plows.  And I'm grateful that Tess has a nice warm garage, so she doesn't have to back out into the street to brush off her car, just so she doesn't have to shovel the driveway twice. :)  See?  So much to be grateful for.

So while walking uphill isn't my usual caliber of exercise and, frankly, makes me feel like a granny, it also boots my mood, accomplishes my goals, centers my thoughts, and fills my heart with gratitude.  Can't complain about that!

Today, be thankful!

2.1: Our Next 10 Days Start Monday December 2

Whew.  Am I glad that's over.  I had a really fabulous holiday with my family, cooking, playing, skiing, and going to a movie.  But me and my delicious Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake had to part ways.  Had to.  It was it or me, and knowing how my family feels about pumpkin in general, it was the cheesecake that got dumped.  Lucky for me.

We got to see "Frozen" Saturday...loved it!  Oh my, you really need to see it.  I'm not going to spoil it, but I am going to buy it.  Definitely.  It made me proud to be a strong woman, and to have strong girls.  Girls rule!

So the fridge got blitzed last night, all delicious holiday food covered in cream and cheese, masquerading as vegetables are gone and we are starting fresh.  I'm keeping all my lean turkey meat, and I've boiled the turkey carcass for some delicious turkey vegetable soup.  I feel so much better already!  I am going to weigh myself this morning, and most likely weep a little over the pound or two loss I erased with the help of my cheesecake, but I am looking forward to feeling a little better, tighter, and stronger over the next 10 days.  I relish the return to my predictable & scheduled life.

This 10-day cycle we are 

ditching the jiggle to maximize the jingle in our December!

Goals for our next 10 days:

• Eat 1400 calories per day.
• Drink 64 oz of water per day.
• No added sugar.
• Prioritize your workout.  Make it a scheduled time each day, and do not allow interruptions, even if you are at home.  
• Exercise at least 30 minutes every day but Sunday.  Do not skip.
• Super foods: Olive Oil & Greek Yogurt.  Greek yogurt (buy no-sugar-added) is packed with protein, a great recovery food, and vanilla flavor with added fruit is a great ice cream substitute.  Olive Oil has a multitude of healing properties and its monounsaturated fats could help you burn and store fat more efficiently. Sub it in for butter and drizzle it on your salads or cooked veggies, saute your meats and veggies in it.

Hints & Tips:

• We are entering party season.  Look forward to family Christmas Parties by making them your cheat meal.  Enjoy them most by eating clean and working hard so they aren't tainted by negative feelings.
• Drink water at parties.  Nothing racks up the empty calories like punch and soda.  Drink two cups of water before your meal, and even eat a cup of veggies at home before you go.
• Don't buy Christmas candy.  Don't do it.  Leave it at the store or tightly packaged.  You can't cheat with something that isn't around.
• Working out releases endorphins which regulate our moods and stress.  Holidays are stressful as much as they are enjoyable.  Skipping your workout is detrimental.  View it as a blocked time of day. This is increasingly important during the Christmas season.  Do it in the morning, when it's too cold to do much else.
• Workout just before one of your meals or snacks.  An empty-ish tummy is a happier tummy when you are running or jumping around, and you can feed your muscles by eating post-workout.

Tasks:

• Weigh & measure yourself.  Write it down.
• Prepare your specific meal plan based on the guidelines below.

The 10 Day Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving complex carb

1 serving protein

1 fruit

Morning Snack: 200 calories

Lunch: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving veggies

1 serving protein

1 grain (1 slice bread - whole wheat only!)

Snack: 200 calories

Dinner: 400 calories

16 oz water

1-2 servings veggies

1 serving protein

1 complex carb (brown rice, beans, quinoa, yams, wild rice)

Have things on hand like raw nuts, V8 juice, raw fruit like apples, and cut up veggies.  Having a snack plan of attack will keep you from mindless eating.

If you want to do a meal substitute with a protein shake, add spinach, kale, whole kiwi, pears, or apples, along with greek yogurt to add fiber, a veggie serving, and muscle-building dairy to your protein shake.

I will be posting some healthy food ideas, carbs to avoid, new exercises, and other motivation to keep us moving toward healthier happier selves.  

Let's get to it!

WE MADE IT!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Our First 10 Days is over!

We did it.  We are awesome.

Things to today:
1. Weigh yourself
2. Measure yourself
3.  Write it down

Did it work?  A little?  Then let's do it again Monday!!  I'm ready, are you?

My pies are lined up, calling to me.  My turkey is in the oven, and I'm drooling just thinking about my mom's rolls.  The girls helped me cook this year, and I must say, it was super fun!  I'd like to think they will carry on  something about our Thanksgiving when they are married, but considering my penchant for new recipes and winging it, I feel bad for them if they even try.

Anyhoo, enjoy today, a cheat day since it's a holiday after all!  But I think I'm still going to practice a modicum of restraint.  Nothing is worse than stuffing yourself just for the sake of it.  Not.  Even. Worth. It.  Yuck.

Since we have begun establishing a new relationship with food as clean burning fuel, try to enjoy flavors and textures, and feeling slightly more full than our 1400 calorie days.  Just remember:  food will always be there.  There is nothing you are going to eat today that you can't have in the coming year.  You can make it any time you want if you really are craving it that badly.  Food will not disappear from the planet, requiring you to eat everything in sight until your family must roll you out of the house. (personal experience)  Still drink plenty of water through the day.

Try to get outside today, between rotating turkey, sides, and desserts through the oven.  Here's a clever little workout I found yesterday that looks like a fun mix-up.  The boys get to play basketball, so take 30 minutes and move your body!  Away from the kitchen.

Won't take long, and I guarantee it will make you feel great!

Check in tomorrow for some ideas to get you through the weekend.

Have an awesome holiday.  I am so thankful for all of you.  I'm thankful that you are supportive, and thank you for joining me in this journey to get fit.  I hope I'll see you all tonight, so we can all enjoy a piece of well-deserved pie together.

Stress!!!

I am stressed, okay. I admit it.  I have a to-do list for Thanksgiving as long as my arm, dinner schedule coordination that is NOT going as planned, and a filthy house from being away for two days, and the first brilliant thing I did today is shelf my exercise hour.  Somehow, I felt this would help.

Which is exactly the OPPOSITE of how it works!

Exercise relieves stress, and so I am going to keep up my routine.  I'm really going to try.  

The extra 30 minutes is not going to shorten your list, just your fuse.  Don't skip it.

Your family will thank you for it :)  I know mine will.