Day 1

I’ve made a decision. I need to focus my own health and fitness. 8 weeks.

I had a bit of a reality check this January. My weight has gone up almost 5 lbs since the end of the Half Marathon training season, last October. Clothes are fitting tighter. I’m running slower. I’m getting soft, losing definition. Yikes, time to take back the reins!

I have to admit, even though I whine a little about training twice a year for Half Marathon, it keeps me in shape, as does my work as a yoga teacher (12 classes per week), fitness instructor (7 classes per week) and personal trainer. Having said that, it allows me to coast and not do my own training sessions. And voila, I’m gaining weight, getting soft and sluggish.

So, I hereby commit to the following for the next 8 weeks, and have decided to blog about the experience to keep me on track. If even one person is reading this, thank you, you’ve become my accountability buddy!

NUTRITION

Clean it up! No late night eating. Pull back on starchy carbs (just sweet potato, brown rice and oatmeal allowed), and focus on whole foods. Something green with every meal (yes, even breakfast with Greens Plus!). Snacks are fresh or steamed veggies, nuts, tea, Glo bars and the like. 8 glasses of water daily, including lemon water in the am. Protein shakes need to get back in the mix, which means I need to buy the ingredients and plan time in the morning! Much more than this . . .

TRAINING

Skipping every day, starting with 3 minutes and adding more time each day to a max of 10 min. This should help my VO2 max – we’ll see! Resistance training 3 times a week at a local gym. Why not at my studio? Because it’s too easy to slack off, be distracted and not finish the workout. Plus, it’s actually fun to play with all the various machines, racks, barbells, free weights, working on my form and tracking my workouts.

SLEEP

Always a priority with my schedule of about 6 hours of work each morning and another 4 hours each night. If I don’t get close to 8 hours at night, I can sense my energy flagging during the day. And, getting a daily nap mid afternoon of 30 – 45 min seems to be just the reset button I need.

So here I go, writing my first blog! I may not write every day, and I will try to keep it short and interesting when I do write. Thank you for reading and I’d love your comments and suggestions along the way!

Sandy

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