The gyms are clearing out and the self esteem of yet another “New Years Resolution-er” is gone down the pipes. If this sounds like the nutty cycle you are on I wanted to help you stop that cycle. I want to see you actually follow through with your goals. I don’t want you to give up on yourself and so I am sharing a simple test that I do weekly to keep me focused on my vision of being as healthy and fit as I possibly can be. I want you do take the fit test too and see how you do!
Here are my scores and improvements within 30 days.
Jan 1
1 Mile Run: 10:40
Push ups: 33 modified
Sit ups: 23
Balance: 30 seconds each leg looking up
Sit & Reach: 7 inches beyond the heels
Right shoulder up: 6 cm away from touching
Left shoulder up: 5 cm away from touching
Jan 31
1 Mile Run: 8:51
Push ups: 44 modified
Sit ups: 29
Balance: 30 seconds each leg eyes closed
Sit & Reach: 8 inches beyond the heels
Right shoulder up: touching!
Left shoulder up: touching!
Improvements
1 Mile Run: 1:49 shaved off my time
Push ups: increased by 11
Sit ups: increased by 6
Balance: I can close my eyes and balance on one leg for 30 seconds!
Sit & Reach: 1 inch
Right shoulder: 6 cm
Left shoulder: 5 cm
I shared mine and this is just the beginning! Now I want to see how fit you are! Do the Fit Test and share your results in the comments below!
Challenge: For you and me both let’s see how good it can get! Let’s dedicate time for daily fitness and see how much we can improve our fitness scores!
I am one third into this 30 day challenge and I am sure you know it is not ending after 30 days. I love using 30 day challenges as an opportunity to gain some momentum for establishing habits I want in my life on a daily basis. Fitness is definitely one of the top habits I want for good!
I started feeling a change in my body after about the 3rd day. Each day I have been feeling firmer and have noticed my fitness level improve. At the same time I have noticed that my appetite has increased and I wasn’t prepared for it. Rather than making amazing food decisions I observed myself making default food choices. Perhaps I was grabbing a lentil wrap from Trader Joes, or picking up some lentil soup from the local market. I immediately noticed bloating and just not feeling my best. Finally, I sat down with my journal and asked myself a few questions and I am stopping sabotage in it’s tracks NOW!
Here is my strategy to get back on track below:
1. Keep a journal and ask the following questions:
What is my vision for my health and fitness?
Why do I want those things?
What is working in this fitness challenge?
What is not going as optimally? (These are the sabotaging default habits)
How can I support my fitness efforts further?
Do I have any limiting beliefs about my vision? For example:
Exercising is too hard
Being fit takes too long to see results
I don’t have enough time to workout
I am way too busy
I don’t have enough money to go to a gym, hire a trainer, etc…
As long as your mind believes those thoughts you are going to feel like you are climbing an uphill never-ending battle. It is quite simple to turn things around and re-adjust your psychology so that accomplishing your goals feels fun and effortless. Remember it starts in the mind, before it manifests physically. I love Byron Katie’s “The Work” worksheet. I also love the “Judge Your Body” worksheet too!
2. Review daily and weekly what is working and what isn’t and keep refining your plan as you go.
3. Get prepared for the new habits to be incorporated
4. Go for it! Remember you deserve to have what you really want!
5. Keep reminders around you so you stay connected to your intention during the new phase of establishing a habit ( like a bracelet, a vision board, etc..)
6. Create accountability & support (perhaps that is a friend, role model, coach, or team member of a sport)
Today’s Workout
60 min yoga class (feeling super sore from yesterday’s boot camp event & rewarded myself with a massage!)
60 min walk with my kids
I love using walks as an opportunity to catch up on all my relationships. Other times, I like being in solitude or to listening to audiobooks or interviews. Today I enjoyed re-connecting with my children since they had been with their father for the weekend. I have noticed when the walk is long it really gives them a chance to open up. 🙂 Love staying connected to what is going on in my children’s lives.
In my last post, I mentioned that I had shifted my priorities. However, I completely neglected other aspects of my life such as my nutrition and fitness regime. I was becoming pretty frustrated with the way I looked and felt. The more I focused on my frustration the less I was inspired to eat right and workout, so the phase went on for a couple months leading me to gain weight. I avoided social events because I was embarrassed with the way I was letting myself go and my confidence went downhill.
Inspiration
I knew I needed something to look forward to that would make me want to make a change and to start taking care of my body. When I am excited about something it turns chores into pleasures. If I have a REASON then working out and eating right turns into something I call Effortless Effort. This is when you are so excited for the end result that you become proactive and committed. The effort is something you look forward to doing rather than dreading.
Action
I also knew I needed to reset the tone of my eating habits. I can’t think of a better way than to do a detox. Luckily, I had the opportunity to do the 21 day Detox Kit from The Clean Program which consisted of a shake for breakfast and dinner and a healthy lunch (according to the dietary guidelines). Upon opening the package, I was impressed by the simplicity of the program. I didn’t have to go buying all sorts of different items. Everything I needed came in one kit. I immediately got started on the detox and took notes along the way.
My Results
*Improved Workout Recovery: I actually kicked up my workout regime during my detox, which normally is not recommended, but I felt so much energy that I wanted to maximize the results. I noticed I would get sore after some intense workouts, but it didn’t last long. It felt like my body was so fluid that there was no space for the stagnation of lactic acid. In addition, I felt that any microtearing of the tissues healed very rapidly due to the energy being freed up by the detox. My body was able to go heal the places it needed to recover quickly, which allowed me to complete 2 hours a daily exercise on this program.
*Improved Appearance: Puffiness left my face and under my eyes, and much to my surprise the hyperpigmentation on my face started to diminish. I have heard that it was possible during a cleanse, but this was the first time I really noticed the dark patches on my face begin to fade away. This was extremely exciting because I would go through great measures to cover it with makeup, so it is an amazing feeling to feel like I look just as good with less makeup. Woo hoo!
*Weight Loss: I lost a total of 10 lbs from the start of the pre-cleanse all the way to the end of the 21 day kit. 5 lbs came off before I even began the shakes, which was probably water retention. Then throughout the 21 day program I continued to lose another 5 lbs.
*Stamina & Energy: I definitely noticed I was sleeping much less and lighter at the same time. I felt like tackling projects that I had been procrastinating on. Plus, in the gym when I would normally start to hit a plateau during my workout, I felt a burst of energy that allowed me to go further with my workout. I was really seeing rapid results in my workout stamina.
*Quieting of the Mind/ Sense of Peace/ Focus: I tend to have a mind that runs like a hampster running in a wheel which can be very distracting, but during the cleansing process I noticed a significant decrease in mental chatter. I am not too sure what it is about a cleanse that does this, but it feels like the mind went on vacation or to the spa. I just felt a sense of peace and the ability to focus.
*Appreciation for my body and for healthy food: I gained an appreciation for my body during the program. I felt gratitude to have a strong able body that is free of disease and pain. I also gained an appreciation for the flavors and textures of food. When you complete a cleanse, it really heightens your taste buds and even very simple dishes seem to have much more depth to them.
My Modifications
Bigger Shakes: I made my shakes with either frozen blueberries or raspberries, water, 2 packets of stevia, along with the formulas MOVE and NOURISH. Since I worked out most days I noticed I wouldn’t feel quite a satiated as I would normally feel if I wasn’t working out so intensely. To curb the appetite a bit I would drink a glass of water beforehand and I would add more frozen berries and powder to the shake so that it felt more dense. This really seemed to do the trick so I wasn’t tempted to break from the plan. I wouldn’t suggest others to do this, but this is something I did so that I could maintain a workout regime.
Lunch Suggestion: Make your lunch the night before or while you are sipping on your shake. If you wait until you are hungry to eat lunch and still have to take the time to prepare the meal, chances are you may make a poor choice.
Side Notes
Pre- Cleanse Diet: For 4 days, I basically followed a very simple eating regime of just plain fruits and veggies in their raw state. Nothing fancy. I thought I might struggle with the cleanse so to prepare for it I went as basic as I could with the diet.
Menstrual Cycle Revelation: Normally, I will experience an increase in appetite and cravings, a decrease in energy, and some bloating. On the rare occassion I would get some cramping as well as low back pain. However, my cycle came and went without much notice. I am really feeling that if we cleansed during our pre-cycle and even during our cycle that suffering women would be relieved from PMS and cramps. I am going to experiement a bit more with this myself and I encourage you to do the same. That is if you are a woman reading this post. 😉
Who CLEAN is Best Suited For
* Newbies: People who are new to the detoxification experience. Some programs can be pretty intense for the average person. If detoxification happens too fast a person can feel like they are weak, tired, or coming down with flu-like symptoms. This cleanse is very gentle and because food is allowed on this cleanse it makes the process very doable. This program will provide enough fuel to keep going with your normal activities and still get great results of a cleanse.
*Fast Paced Peeps: Some people are have pretty complicated schedules and the last thing they need is a detox that requires a lot of prep work. This program comes with everything you need and requires VERY little to perform on a daily basis. The work is all done for you so that you are not slowed down or boggled with a plethora of steps and a rigid schedule.
*Schlumpers: These are people who are in a rut (mentally, emotionally and/or physically), who are feeling a lack of passion, motivation or inspiration in their lives and they just need some sort of jump start to get them back on track. Since burdens are being removed from the body, it frees up energy within. The mind, body, and spirit are all intertwined. The changes in the body affects everything. The mind becomes clearer and we begin to view the world and our capabilities on a whole new level. It’s the catalyst that starts the road back to inspiration.
*In need of Healing: Detoxification is really great for people who are recovering from injuries or trying to get a handle on health ailments. The best way to heal the body is to give it a rest so that it can do it’s job of healing itself. When the body is not busy digesting complicated meals, the energy is freed up and goes to work where it is needed. Injuries or post surgeries often recover much faster when a detox is in place.
*Chunky Monkies: I have to giggle when I write this because I was in this category a bit. These peeps are in need of shedding some poundage. Water retention and sludge that is weighing the body and digestive track down is whisked out of the body with a great detox. This program really resets the appetite, taste buds and heightens the appreciation for healthy food. The 21 days really gives momentum to break bad habits and you can become a more refreshed version of yourself.
Conclusion
Truth be told, I didn’t follow the plan to perfection, I didn’t always have a shake for dinner and sometimes I would snack in between, but I still experienced great results. I feel like I am out of my slump. I feel like I have awakened. I feel passionate, excited, and the momentum to keep going on my health journey has been reinforced. I feel inspired about my life and have the desire to improve the quality of the lives around me. I feel like I’ve got my groove back and that to me is PRICELESS!
If you are running through life feeling overwhelmed and not really making the impact you know you want, or wishing you felt alive and filled with passion then you are going to LOVE me!
