I am definitely one of those people who gains 5lbs from looking at a piece of chocolate. In my 34 years on this Earth, I've learned that my body does not burn fat on its own like some lucky people; it HOLDS ONTO IT. I blame my northern heritage. It's so cold in the winter that a few extra layers of fat help a bit.
Knowing this, I need to make sure I am active and eat right. Do I accomplish both things 100% of the time? NO! I find it extremely hard to teach and take care of myself. God bless teachers who have their own kids because I don't know how they do it every day.
On a "good active and healthy day", here's what my timeline looks like:
6:11 am: Hit snooze
6:30 am: Get up, make breakfast. Breakfast is usually two fried eggs on two pieces of toast smeared with avocado. Add Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning and chipotle hot sauce.
7:10 am: leave for work.
11:00 am: quickly shove food in my face and savor any adult conversation time. Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before or a salad. Greek yogurt cups, La Croix, and Baby Bel cheese.
3:40 pm: eat a snack. A handful of almonds.
5:30 pm: leave work, change clothes, head to a Camp Gladiator workout.
(If I don't go to Camp Gladiator, I have to wait until it's not too hot outside to run. Usually this does not work because I will either eat everything in house or fall asleep or both.)
7:45 pm: return home from working out, make dinner. Dinner is usually planned, but I've added pasta into the mix now, as well as maintaining a vegetarian diet.
9:00 pm: shower and get in bed. (hopefully. Usually doesn't happen.)
This routine is exhausting. I had a really rough start to the school year mentally, so all I wanted to do was eat and lay on the couch. So I did.
Sometimes, balance is good. But, I tipped the lazy side of the scale a little too much, and now my fat pants are more like regular pants. I'm starting to feel like myself again, so here's the new plan to make my clothes fit better before the holidays: (notice how I'm not focusing on a number on the scale, because we don't have a scale. Numbers are overrated.)
1. Enter food into MyFitnessPal. This always works for me. I need to track my calories to force myself not to eat so much. When I know I have to add what I eat into my phone, I don't eat as much.
2. Be more active. I want to get back into running again. My dog misses it. And we're giving our "foster" animals back this weekend so she will be lonely and bored. My plan is to go to Camp Gladiator on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays, and run Wednesday or Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
3. Get more sleep. I struggle with this. My body cycle does not match my work schedule. It's been 7 years and I still cannot get myself to sleep early and wake up feeling refreshed and ready. Mornings are the devil. BUT, I plan to stay away from electronic screens before bed. I have a stack of scripts and novels I can read before I fall asleep. I plan to get in bed at a reasonable hour so I can be asleep at a reasonable hour.
Getting healthy and staying healthy is tough. Some people may find it easy, but let's be honest: a healthy lifestyle is difficult. But when I achieve a fitness goal, I feel strong and unstoppable.
It's time to set some goals for the fall!
Cheers,
Kasey
