WOD
5 Rounds
On a 2:30 Clock:
500/400 Meter Row,
Then 10 Rounds
On a 1:00 Clock:
150/100 Meter Row.
Tuesday Night Musings with Coach Julia.
Hanging in when things get stale.
Good Evening All:
I am writing as we are now 2 weeks into our Healthy Lifestyle Challenge at Helo, and I find myself drumming my fingers, a bit restless, and now not quite as excited to eat those eggs and spinach, bison hamburger or tuna, or the salad, even with the bit of extra fat added through the olives or avocado… Yep, we are 2 weeks in and it’s set in – the routine, that bit of boredom when things get tough, and I find myself itching for an excuse to retreat to my old habits of some chocolate here, a glass of wine there, just cutting those little tiny corners that all add up, not at first but slowly, over time. Because I now know the drill, I have learned what is expected, and yep, it’s getting harder – because the everyday non-exciting routine is always soo much tougher than the newness of something. To just be consistent and predictable, to appreciate the responsible or methodical, is much more difficult than it looks. Especially with the greyness of the weather and the fact that that ten pounds has not just leaped off one’s body, or the PRs have been in 2.5 pounds increases versus 25 pounds. It does not matter that it has only been 12 days, the expectation is instant gratification with a visual reward.
So, with that confession, that I am restless and having to bear down to continue to make the good decisions when no one is looking, I want to touch base with you because we have 3 more weeks to go and this is where each of you will be able to make such big progress if you can just hang in (myself included), and so, with that in mind, I’m going to mention some tips to help continue with the progress being made.
To start, try to remember that we should be focusing on eating our fruits and veggies first, with our water. That should come before your protein numbers because we all tend to come much closer to our protein but sometimes we will only get 400 or 500 g of the fv. We need to put a priority on hitting that number of fv first – it will fill you up so you don’t need (or simply don’t have room) for other foods. Also, try some unusual items – the beets, the sweet potatoes, or yams, the cauliflower mash, sometimes one heavier item goes a long way instead of a huge mixing bowl of leafy greens:). That said, if you don’t typically eat leafy greens – those are critical! Next, if you are struggling with your protein, egg whites from a carton can be a life saver, as can protein powder. At night I will take a scoop of casein (or lately my veggie protein) powder mixed with a bit of cold water, which makes a pudding, and I put it with a couple raspberries or strawberries if I’m low, and a cup of peppermint tea so it’s a lovely pre-bedtime snack.
The other thing to consider, is remember for protein, that we are focusing on our protein sources coming from lean meats at the 90/10 percentage, or you can add in protein powder mixed with water. Your protein should not be coming from a lot of mixed items, or things that come out of a box or are pre-packaged, as the goal is to eat real food. You may not get a minus point for eating something that is off plan, but remember it’s not optimal.
Finally, we have encouraged three meals at a minimum (to help those of you that don’t eat all day and then eat everything at night), but if you need to add in some small extra meals so you don’t feel like a balloon all day so be it, we want things to work for your lifestyle. Also, if you want to write down how you are feeling just to see if you start to feel better, or anything else, do so. Logging is supposed to have you be accountable but it can also be an outlet if you need it, or way to chart if you had a good month being mindful or not.
To conclude, I know sometimes when things become routine it can not be that exciting, and in fact, we start looking around and the grass seems greener everywhere, but at the end of the day, it actually is a good thing because that means you are not dealing with something that is potentially devastating – like a sick loved one or life threatening, like cancer, and/or that you are at a reasonable point that you can focus on yourself and try to improve your habits, so try to remember to be grateful. Also, be kind on yourself and recognize that you are worth it, putting that extra time into you at the box is a valuable investment – your health and wellness is key. So enjoy the fact that you are just going to keep your head down and work through it, even if it’s boring or stale, whether its in the box, or in life, and if you stay the course, in a few weeks, I bet you will be so grateful you stuck it out when KP comes in on that Monday night and takes some photos and you will realize how far you have come! Also, appreciate your family dealing with you at home or your friends at the box, as you are all in this together. In fact, even for those of you not doing the Challenge but who are in the box, kicking booty and just doing the work, I think each of you will also look back on it and be happy with your efforts as it all pays off in the end. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just consistent, and it’s the journey not the destination!
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Coach Julia
