Image: Me in 2009 at 178 pounds vs. in 2014 at 155 pounds #progress #actionplan
Happy Transformation Tuesday! I’m keeping today’s post short and sweet…
3 years and minus ~25 pounds…the only thing consistent is my dress (thanks to my tailor). Once I got serious about taking control of my weight, and my life, I wrote down an exercise action plan and stuck to it for 8 weeks. I worked out with a personal trainer every Friday morning, did 30 minutes on the elliptical every Monday and Wednesday and lifted weights every Tuesday. Over time, I increased the intensity of my workouts and started eating less simple sugar. The key to my weight loss success was writing down a weekly action plan that consisted of small tangible, realistic goals. My success is NOT due to following a hardcore diet plan, starving myself or sticking to an insane workout routine. Little by little my weekly actions became habits which lead to a healthier lifestyle. If you’re just getting started on your fitness or weight loss journey, I highly encourage you to write down your action plan! How will you achieve your goals?
I am down another 2 pounds on Brit’s September Shape Up Plan (woo hoo). The most important part of this process has been the ability to focus on my diet and exercise (even though the later has been waylaid due to illness). As I mentioned in my week two review, I have a lot of personal things going on: renovating our new house, getting ready to move, and preparing to start a new job (all while finishing up at the old one)! Having this challenge has actually been a blessing since I tend to stress eat! So, here’s how I did last week…
Diet:
I managed to get in three smoothies for dinner and subbed for 2 other meals on other days. I am actually really enjoying having the smoothies and utilizing unique ingredients for them. I think when everything is said and done with this challenge that I might actually keep this practice around. I don’t know about you but usually my Achilles heel when dieting is dinner. I tend to eat pretty well through out the day and then get home and my diet goes quickly down the tubes. Having to record my food and having smoothies has definitely helped with this! I’ve also started experimenting with some new to me foods including coconut water and almond milk. Hooray for new food items!
Hydration:
Being sick has really focused me on making sure I am drinking way more than I usually do. Hooray for checking off this box!
Blake (in the pink pants) and Friends after a sweet 3 mile run!
Thursday: Assisted with tiling at the house – this entailed lifting hundreds of pounds of tile up and down the stairs in my house for about three hours – talk about some power lifting – marble is HEAVY.
Friday: More tiling in the house.
Saturday: Attempted to help with the tiling in the house. Instead I was so sick that I sat on the floor pretty useless.
Sunday: Definitely really sick 🙁
Brit’s Tips for Blake:
Stay strong to the finish! You are doing an amazing job and already seeing great progress – down over 4 pounds! Also, be sure to stay hydrated when you’re sick. However, I believe that it’s still important to stay active when are you aren’t feeling well – physically and mentally exercise can help you get back to feeling normal. If you feel sick, do some resistance training or yoga. If you aren’t able to workout, be very conscious of your calorie intake – lots of low-calorie fluids, water and nutritious smoothies instead of heavy meals. You’ve already done so much hard work, so keep on truckin’ – you’re almost there. GO BLAKE 🙂
