Well folks, it's time for a motivational "rant". I am primarily doing this to hold myself accountable (selfish, I know). But many of you are in the same boat, asking for assistance from the self-proclaimed two best trainers in the world (me and Julia Zammito, duh). So I decided to write about it, emphasizing my recent temporary conversion to "the dark side".
I recently went under the knife. Enough said. This is key point #1. I refuse to dwell on illness, this only makes you feel worse than you actually are. Your mind/body and soul are amazing vessels. I am a big believer in "what you think, you become". I believe this is true not only with our health, but with all other aspects of our being. More than likely, if you dwell on an illness, no matter how great or small, you're feeding energy into that illness. It's fine to acknowledge that you may not feel that great, but leave it at that and focus your energy on what you can do to heal. Rest. Our bodies have this crazy ability to say, "hey! you're going to be tired and fatigued now, so go lay down so we can kick this illness in the butt." Yes, our bodies talk to us, if you would just listen to it, life would be much easier.
Getting back to my first sentence: Because I knew I was going under the knife, I mentally prepared. I decided to make this my one month I took a break from actually working out and running. With that, I also decided to be a little more lax with my eating habits. I knew what the consequences would be, but I needed to focus my energy on healing.
I am in week three of not working out and eating completely clean, and I am disgusting. I have gained 8 pounds. I feel like I've lost my muscle tone. My clothes don't fit right, and my hands and feet are swollen like sausages. Okay, the last part is probably a side effect of the hormone replacement therapy, but still...
It's time to get my shit together and whip my big ass back into shape. Here is my to-do list to get me there. Hopefully this motivates and assists others as well. This is no "secret cure", these are tried and true guidelines that most excellent trainers/athletes follow. You've seen it a million times, I'm just here to re-iterate it:
1. Clean out your damned refrigerator/pantry/secret stash of garbage food. By garbage food, I'm referring to anything that doesn't have wholesome ingredients. What the hell is polyunsaturatedmonoglyceride terthallate? I don't know. It probably doesn't belong in your body if you can't pronounce it, though. Know what you can pronounce? Carrots. Two syllables. Easy enough. Read your labels. Keep it simple. Pure, wholesome, unprocessed is what your body needs. Not monosulfidioushepaiamgoingtomakeyoudieaslowdeath. Stay away from bleached products. Even some of your "healthy" dark wheat breads are made with bleached flour and re-dyed. And while we are on the subject - why the hell are you eating bread?
2. Not all carbohydrates are bad. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who hasn't eaten any carbs in a long time? Yeah, it's like talking to a tree with Alzheimer's. Good carbs IN MODERATION assist with brain function. Just make sure you're getting them IN MODERATION early enough in the day that you're able to burn them off. Otherwise, you'll continue to look like you're giving birth to a giraffe.
3. Hold yourself accountable. Put your workouts on your calendar.
4. Find a support group. This could be a group of friends all sharing a common goal. I'm lucky enough to have my boot camp girls to keep my chunky ass on track. Peer pressure works. Believe me. Check in with this group often. Send them photos of the food you're eating. If it's bad, they should belittle you and criticize you. Just kidding. But they should support you and help you stay on track.
5. You need cardio and weight training to reach your goals. One or the other just isn't going to cut it.
6. Push yourself, but know your limits. This is another reason why personal training, boot camp and fitness classes (NOT CROSS FIT) are so great. A real, certified trainer will help you reach your goals in a safe manner. I mean, seriously, what are you ever going to gain in life by lifting a 500lb barbell once? You need something feasible that is going to help your mobility, strength, endurance, flexibility, and overall well being. Think you can't afford a certified personal trainer? Let me put this into perspective: you can pay a trainer now to achieve your goals and feel the best you've ever felt, or you can pay for doctor's bills, medications, surgeries, and missed work later. The choice is yours. Invest wisely.
7. There's no time like the present. You can't change what you did yesterday, but you are in full control of your life today. Hooray! A fresh start! Now go do something good for your health!
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