Enter corny and overused title. Yay.
I'm not sure how liked my last post was. I'm sure it was offensive to some currently partaking in a 30 day challenge or taking a branded supplement and I apologize if it was in anyway. I only wrote it because I want people to know there's an easier and less expensive way that is long-lasting and easily maintainable! The spread of that information alone was my only intention. However, I will never have anything negative to say to anyone who is attempting to get healthier and change their eating habits. So good job for taking the hardest step if that's you!
Something that I've learned over the past 4 years that has been absolutely vital to sticking to my plans and reaching my goals is to not over commit. We all have that "I'll start Monday" mentality and then we are going to miraculously find the motivation and will power to workout 12 hours, only eat meat and veggies, and cook these healthy new meals, and run 5 miles a day, and pack every snack for everyday, and yah-dee-yah. How many times does anyone stick to this longer than a week, two tops? I never do.
I know when my "plan" involves anything about consistently cooking at night or waking up really early- I. Will. Not. Stick. To. It. It only took 5,000 times for me to realize that. If it involves a restrictive diet- I will not stick to it. If it leaves me hungry- I will not stick to it. If it involves more than 3 days of cardio- you get it. I'm hating the corniness of these sayings but the first step is to really do a self reflection/ self evaluation. What do you know you will not do? What is the easiest time to workout? How many days a week are ACTUALLY realistic? Now making a change is going to take SOME self-discipline and change, so you will have to push yourself outside your comfort zone of driving through Taco Bell on the way home and planting it on the couch for a night of TV shows.
Here is my little self evaluation that only took an eternity to learn:
1. I will not cook often at night. I hate it. 2 nights per week tops.
Solution: I come up with 3-5 SUPER easy meals that I can throw together when I get home from the gym, or have a couple places I can stop on my way home that are healthy and fit my macros. My super easy meals include taco salads (who can't brown meat for 3 minutes?), eggs and bacon (whoop whoop!), turkey wraps, egg scrambles with spinach and tomatoes, or a protein smoothie with fruits and almond milk. Fast food options have included Subway 6 in, Chick fil A chicken wrap, or a pre made salad from Fresh Market or Neighborhood Market.
2. I will not run 5 days a week. I actually made this a "goal" not too long ago and failed, once again.
Solution: I make the lower expectation of possibly running 2 days a week. That way, you're still doing enough to improve and if you do more, its just bonus points :). I have a very love/hate relationship with running as many of you do. Another alternative for me is to incorporate plyometrics between lifting sets. (Shoulder press superset with 20 jumping squats x3 sets). Cardio = done.
3. I will not meal prep every Sunday.
Solution: My easy meals I listed above and some on-the-go options.
4. I will not wake up at 4:30 a.m. for more than 2 days a week to go workout.
Solution: Make time in the evenings and make it a priority to get workouts in after a hard long day's work!
5. I will NOT do below 120g carbs per day.
Solution: So I don't. But don't go over a set number either. I'm telling you, low carb is the devil. Low carb = low energy= low motivation = failing all of your goals and binge eating. Don't do it.
You get the idea.
This came to mind the past few weeks as I've been trying to find a maintainable middle ground during the rest of my pregnancy. I have no where near the stamina I did pre pregnancy, so I was failing week after week with setting these ridiculous goals similar to what I've been doing for years. I don't have that same strength and body! I had to go back to this simple concept. To set myself up for success, I had to lower expectations and be realistic based off of how I've been feeling and energy levels. I'm calling any week with 3 workouts or more a huge success and check mark for me. I'm not really tracking macros right now, but I have committed the last few weeks to not eat anything fried or any fattening drinks. Just those goals alone make a substantial difference in energy and body composition. I've actually lost 5 lbs (some due to a stomach bug, but the weight isn't coming back due to healthier eating), and feel my clothes loosening just enough to where I'm more comfortable.
Start small and make your goals easily obtainable. Once they become habit, add a couple more. I promise you'll stick to this far longer than any extreme lifestyle change going from 0 to 100. Hope this helps anyone find a starting point! Thanks for reading!
Angela
