Hi Everyone,
Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday.
While lying in bed last night after indulging in a pizza I realised I am lacking motivation to get my lazy ass to the gym lately. I started my fitness journey last March when I signed up to the body coach 90 day Shift Shape Sustain challenge. I was always into fitness before this but my eating was never healthy. I always found I had a fast metabolism. I have a really big appetite and am a junk food fiend but always managed to sustain my weight no matter what I ate. It was only when I tore my rotator cuff in a bootcamp class and had to give up training for a few weeks that I noticed the weight pile on. When I hit my heaviest of nearly 11 stone on the scales I decided to get my ass in gear and do something.
I was delighted with the results from the body coach plan and continued my healthy eating regime and fitness right up until September/ October. I lost nearly 2 stone and dropped body fat since starting the challenge. I mostly done morning training sessions because I found that they really set me up for the day. Once I done my morning workout I felt it was much easier to eat right for the day. I learned so much about nutrition from doing the plan so I know the right things to eat after training and on rest days.
When the colder mornings started to creep in I lacked the motivation to get out of the bed and to the gym. Skipping my morning workout and saying I will go after work didn't always pan out. I'd find any excuse under the sun not to go work out on the dark evenings.
I took a look back on pictures from a couple of months ago last night just to depress myself. I took the picture on the left just after my holidays and the one on the right is from today. Although I have only put on a couple of pounds since then I have definitely lost muscle definition and can really notice the difference between the two pictures.
With Christmas just around the corner I don't want to set myself unrealistic targets. At the same time I don't want to slip back to the way I was before I started the body coach plan. I definitely need to create a balance that suits me.
So if you are like me here's a few helpful tips to get you on the right track.
1. Morning prep- Food is my main battle. I need to start the day with a healthy meal so I can maintain it throughout the day. If you keep hitting the snooze button and find yourself skipping breakfast to get a couple more minutes in your leaba, prep your breakfast the night before. Overnight oats are great for this or anyone on the go in the mornings.
2. Workout prep- If I go to the gym not knowing what I am doing that day I kind of arse around and just do whatever I feel like. When I was doing the body coach I had structure so I knew what I had to do before I went. I had different days allocated to training legs, arms, core etc. This system is much better. So do out a list of exercise's for each gym day e.g Monday = leg day. If you need help ask a gym instructor for a plan.
3. Don't sacrifice too much. It's Christmas after all so just learn to have a balanced diet. Have 3 sweets instead of the whole box!! Even when I was doing the body coach I allowed myself treats. There is nothing worse than going cinema and not having the popcorn or saying you can't go for that meal with your friends because it doesn't fit in with your plan. There is always a healthy option on the menu.
Hope this helps!!
Dominique
Xoxo