Lunch - two open-face mesquite turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on multigrain baguette
Dinner - ginger chicken stir fry
Snack - rice krispies cereal
Snack (or Dinner part 2??) - half a chicken burrito
Snack - half of a big chocolate cookie
1 hour cardio
10 minutes ab workout
Anytime I start a workout routine/healthy eating plan, I absolutely fail after a few days. Like the one time I vowed to eat only unprocessed, whole foods for a month and instead spent the first 36 hours (literally) consuming nothing but Taco Bell.
So I've been thinking about ways to keep myself on track, and I think the best way to do this is through a mix of short-term and long-term rewards/goals.
Short-term
- I went out and bought some really kickass workout gear. I figure if I like my workout clothes and feel good in them, I'll want to workout that much harder. So I bought a moisture-wicking top and shorts from a company called "Eco Yoga" which makes organic and sustainable clothing. Not super cheap, but hey, I'm improving my health and helping the world at the same time (although if I may be honest, it is slightly lame to pay $42 for spandex/bamboo shorts that only use 1 square foot of fabric). Then I got some sweet Calvin Klein yoga pants for when it's colder out (which actually is the case now. It's MAY and it's only 50 degrees out. BS).
- Since my home is lacking in weights that weigh more than 2 lbs and I feel silly either using those or am realizing it's probably not the best idea to use heavy books for resistance training, I bought a fancy, pink medicine balls that has grooves in it so you can hold it more easily.
Long-term rewards
- Knowing I won't throw off the averages in Denver (which you may recall is the "skinniest" city in the country)
- Having more energy
- Having better skin
- Knowing I won't feel as self-conscious when I put on certain clothing and finding relief in not having to worry about constantly sucking in my stomach ever again! (Yeah, I really do this...)
- Having more money because I'm not spending it all going to the bars
- Feeling better about myself in general. I feel pretty good about myself right now, but I know I'm not at the best I can be. Yesterday, after my workout, I was still wearing my workout gear to the store to pick something up (which is pretty form-fitting) and even though I know there aren't any noticeable differences yet, I felt so much better about myself already. I may have even been strutting a little bit.
Long-term goal
- I've read that the fat around your lower belly is the most telling indicator of poor health and lack of exercise. And, coincidentally (or maybe not), this is the area that I want to work on the most. Of course good quads, triceps, biceps, inner thighs, and glutes are high on the list as well. But if this is the part that gives me the most turmoil when putting on jeans and it has the most direct impact on my health, then trimming my waistline is my big goal. I have no tape measure but I figure I will be able to tell whether it's gotten bigger, shrunk, or stayed the same based on my clothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment