My Gym occasionally does a nutrition challenge. In the past I've been very good at the challenge, but I don't see a lot of results. Even if I follow the letter of the challenge and all of the rules, I know that I'm not putting everything I can into them and getting everything there is to get out of them. This season the challenge is sort of on steroids. It's not just about nutrition. It encompasses everything: Sleep, exercise, nutrition. I'm sort of excited to start this one.
The nutrition part is less strict than it has been in the past. This time each individual sets their own challenge. WE had to pick something that was a personal challenge, make it measurable, and set the goal. There were many examples given, which included following a strict paleo diet, zone diet, iifiym (if it fits in your macros), no fast food, no processed food, etc. The only standard across the board is that everyone cuts out refined sugar and alcohol. Natural sugars like maple syrup (gross), honey (yum), and stevia are allowed.
I decided to keep it simple. I don't eat enough. I'm overweight and grew up restricting calories, so I have a mental block when it comes to eating enough. I rarely eat breakfast, and I am not fueling properly to exercise. I'm having trouble getting past that. I know that my body needs more healthy food, but I feel like I'm eating too much when I feed myself properly. So this is a very real challenge for me.
My mom and I were recently discussing the Whole 30 diet as well. So we are starting that together. I think the timing is good for me. In truth, I *mainly* eat good foods. I do have dressing with sugar in it on my salads, so I'll adjust that. I'm not a fan of simple vinegar and oil on the salad, even though I know it's the best for me. My son makes a fantastic dressing with mayo, oil, and garlic. I'll put him to work this weekend, helping me prepare. I also let myself get off plan when yummy treats come my way. I have a problem saying "no". So part of my challenge is to do just that. Keep it on track and learn to pass up things that aren't for me.
The sleeping part is not overly difficult for me either. We have to aim for 8 hours of sleep. I normally get 7.5 hours. My fitbit helps me track it. I have no problem laying down, closing my eyes, and sleeping until morning. My hang up will be trying to get that extra half hour and pushing the kids to as well. But honestly, this is the easiest part of the challenge for me. I like my rest.
I'm excited about the addition of points for exercise. I have not been getting enough. Between sickness a few months ago, busy summer, crappy air, and general I don't wanna run feelings, I haven't been getting enough. Or any. I'm very excited to be getting back to a regular schedule, now that school is back in. I'm headed back to the gym this week. Embarrassed for how much I've gained and how much I've lost. I've got some catching up to do. I'll be at the gym again 3 -5 days. And additional walking a mile or two on other days. The rule is to get 5 days of honest to goodness exercise. I'm putting my fitbit to work on that as well. I have a baseline on daily steps. (It's a sad line), and I'm setting a goal for that as well.
We also have to increase our hydration. I'm glad to have this forced on me as well. I don't drink enough water. Nearly never. I'm always thirsty. I'm thirsty as I type this. I should go get a drink of water now. The goal on this is to aim for 1/2 of your body weight. Drink that many ounces in water each day. For me that is a LOT of water. I'm not even sure I can drink that much, or if that is even healthy. But I"m going to give it my best shot. I have a pitcher that I'll fill daily and aim to drink it all.
Another piece of this is to do a ROMWod each day. This is a stretching/yoga program. I'm not sure, yet, what I"m going to do here. I don't plan to pay for the ROMWod program right now, and I don't have time to stay at the gym and use their membership every day. I have a foam roller and know some stretches. I'll probably use those a lot and look up on the internet some other good techniques. I don't do this enough either, because duh, I don't do anything enough. I'd like to be stretchier.
The last piece in this challenge is to report to the group every day. WE have a private page to do this. And it will be a busy one this month.
I have EVERY intention of killing this challenge. I want to both win this (there is a cookbook prize), lose some weight, gain sime muscle, and gain some bendy. I haven't felt this determined in a while. FOr me this challenge is happening at just the right time.
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