Project: Muffin Top Reduction - Week 2

It's been two weeks, so here we go....

What went well:

• Waist measurement went down
• Normally I would have had out of control cravings, and while they were still there they were a lot more manageable
• This would also normally be the week I'd see my weight go up by a couple pounds - very happy to see it stay almost the same

What didn't go well:

• I did indulge a little bit more than I would have liked to at the training sessions I was attending (they had snacks!)
• My runs didn't go as well as I would have liked - too many extra breaks

What I'm going to do differently:

• Focus on my mental state while running - pushing through the "this is hard, and would be easier if I took a break" thoughts
• Plan my meals and snack options for the next two weeks, and do my best to eat lots of veggies when I'm at my parent's for Easter

"Best Shape of my Life" Plan

I've decided not to use the words "diet" or "workout regime".  Instead this is my "Best Shape of my Life" plan.  The main goal is to change my life by creating a lifestyle that I can sustain and enjoy.  The result will be the healthiest and fittest me I can be based on good food and great exercise.

For the food part of this plan, I'm going to focus on what makes me feel the best and supports my workouts and other activities.  In thinking about what this food includes, I watched the documentary "Forks Over Knives" and was reminded of how great I felt when I ate a mainly plant-based diet.  This included great sleep, regular bowel movements (at least more regular for me), and I didn't experience the crazy cravings for sugar.  So, that is what I'm going to be doing - transitioning back to a plant-based diet.  I'm definitely not saying I won't eat meat, dairy, or eggs.  I will try my best to make these occasions special, with organic, free-range, and responsibly farmed animals.

My goals for the food part of the plan are:

Reduce constipation

Increase energy

Increase the amount of good sleep

Reduction of skin issues (specifically the rosacea on my face)

The workout part of this plan is going to focus on building a program that I can follow realistically, that is flexible, and fun. 

My goals for the exercise part of the plan are:

Run three 5Ks, setting new PRs at each one

Complete the Warrior Dash

Enjoy a two week canoe trip in Killarney

Increase my strength to the point that I can do 5 unassisted pull-ups

To keep myself on track and accountable on a daily basis I have some specific plans.  I'm going to continue to use My Fitness Pal to track my calorie intake and weekly exercise calories.  At the end of the week, I'll use the information to determine my success at eating a plan based diet, but I'll also use the notes section of the app/website to record how I'm feeling each day (full, hungry, tired, et cetera), and also my bowel movements (more information than  you probably need to know).
I also use My Fitness Plan to track my measurements, and even though I don't like doing it, I have set aside a morning every two weeks to record my body fat percentage, my weight, body mass index, and arm/chest/waist/hips/leg measurements.

My end goals are:

21-33% Body Fat

125-169 Body Weight in pounds

19-25 BMI

My end goal target is May 3rd, which is realistic if I get back on track (as I'm slightly behind the plan already).  I will provide updates over the weeks...

Fresh Start

My goal for this blog in 2012, was to post an average of one post per week.  I almost made that goal, but in looking back at the blog the posts were all over the place in terms of topics and timing of the posts.
In 2013, I didn't have posting on this blog on my list of goals for the year, but it makes sense for me to start doing this on a regular basis to keep me accountable for two of my goals.

Goal #1 - Reach a healthy, happy body size/weight/strength/fitness level.
Goal #2 - Develop my photography skills.

So, I've decided to change the focus of this blog and really make it about my fitness and photography.  Keeping that in mind I've gone through my past posts and removed any that I felt didn't fall in to either of these categories (trust me you're not missing out on anything...they turned out to be a lot of posts about my dating/relationship issues).

My goals are actually more specific than they appear above.

For goal number one, I have an actual calendar with body size targets and various 5K runs, canoe trips, and a Warrior Dash to help with the fitness goal.  Which I'll share in another post, and maybe create a separate page for, if I can figure out how to do that.  My plan is to blog about my progress each week, and try to share anything I learn or blogs/websites I like as I go alone.

For goal number two, the specific goal is to learn about one new photography technique each month and then spend at least three hours practicing that specific technique.  With the end result being that I'm more consistent producing pictures that are pleasing to my eye (and hopefully other's as well).  I'll be posting at least twice per month, once about the technique, and then a second time to share my favourite photos that I took during my practice sessions.

Habits

I recently finished reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, and I highly recommend it.  The book explores how habits are created, the impact they have on each individual, business, and society, and concludes with practical suggestions for becoming aware of your habits and changing them.

What I learned from the book that I can apply to my own development, was that every habit consists of three parts:

Cue
Something that triggers the habit.  It could be a time, a previous action, a person, location, or event (the cues are endless).

Action
The thing you do that in order to obtain the reward, and is probably the thing you become aware of when looking at your habits.  For example, biting nails, pressing snooze on the alarm, eating a snack/meal, watching a specific program, going to the gym (or not) et cetera.

Reward
What you get out from the habit.  This could be emotional, physical, psychological et cetera.

The first step in changing an action is to become aware of it.  We are surrounded by our habits and by their very nature don't realize we're doing them.  For example, I know in my morning routine I get up, go to the washroom (whether I need to or not), put in my contact lenses, brush my hair, get dress, pack lunch/snacks, have breakfast, brush my teeth, fix my hair, and leave for work.  The only change to this routine (aka "habit") is some mornings I go to the gym first.  What makes these actions habits?  I do them every morning without really thinking about it, and I rarely miss a step.

Now, if one of those habits was something I wanted to change, according to Duhigg I'd have to:

1. Identify the action (become aware of the habit)
2. Explore the cues (by process of elimination figure out what happens prior to the action that acts as the trigger)
3. Understand the reward I'm experiencing from the action
4. Determine a different action that will give me the same reward (this is assuming you want to change the habit of course)

What's my number one habit that I want to change?  Pressing the snooze button for 30 or 40 minutes.  I'm pretty sure I know the reward - more sleep!  But I haven't figured out the cue yet, and not sure what the replacement action will be (but something tells me it might be "go to sleep earlier" or "move the alarm clock across the room, so I have to get up to turn it off")

Do you have habits you'd like to change?

Getting Back on Track

A little fall colour in my garden.  A calendula plant that I'm hoping will re-seed itself in my garden and not all over my lawn!

I unofficially took the month of September off from intense workouts.  It wasn't really planned, but since I think I may have averaged one and a half trips to the gym a week, I'm saying it was a break.  (And I definitely haven't been running).  The break appears to have been good for me, and I'm really hoping that the muscle pull in my inner thigh is better because of it.  (Doesn't hurt to walk/run, but definitely notice it when doing weights/yoga).

October is definitely a good month to get back in to the routine of working out.
Here's the plan for this week:

• Today - 5K run on the roads around my parent's place (done, although it was a bit frosty, and there was a guy out hunting!)
• Tuesday - BodyPump
• Wednesday - RPM
• Thursday - BodyPump
• Friday - RPM
• Saturday - RPM
• Sunday - Rest and plan my own weight workouts for next week.

Usually I skip the BodyPump classes and do my own thing, but I think to get myself back in to the "wake up early, in the dark" routine I need to have something that starts at a specific time.  Next week I'm hoping that I can sub out one of the weight classes to do my own thing, but we'll see how the mornings are going.  I'm going to try building in a better cue, other than the alarm going off, as it doesn't really get me out of bed that fast.  I'm going to make sure the last thing I do before climbing in to bed to read at night is get out my workout gear.
I know in the past, this "cue" has worked for me, and of course I'll stick to my reward of amazing endorphins and feeling great for the rest of the day.  (Can you tell I'm reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg?  I'm only half way through, but I highly recommend it!)