One thing I have learned about weight loss and fitness is that you cannot expect it to just magically happen. As much as I would like to expelliarmus my way out of this excess weight, I can't. It requires hard work and planning. Planning of meals, workouts, rest, and your life. Now you can't plan absolutely everything, but being prepared for what you know is coming, like a three-day weekend in San Diego!
Rob and I are going to visit some of my favorite people on the planet, Natasha and Chris. They live in the gorgeous city of San Diego, and I will say that I love southern Cali. Unfortunately I love eating through southern Cali as well. So this brings me to the whole planning and preparing concept. Here is my plan of attack for making it through the weekend in a healthier state.
1) I am bringing some food with me because I am going to be that girl. Now don't panic, it's not a ton of food that I am bringing, but I am packing snacks. First, protein shakes. They travel well with no mess. Second, lean proteins that have been cooked and frozen. That way they might thaw a little throughout the drive, but then when I get to their house, I can stuff them all in the fridge. Out of consideration for Chris, who has a life threatening nut allergy, I am leaving the almond laden stuff at home.
2) We are eating out a time or two while we are there. I have done research on the restaurants and I am planning my meals and choices now. I find that (and feel free to laugh at me for this, because it sounds a little ridiculous) if I make a decision now and practice making that healthier food choice mentally, it becomes a lot easier to actually make that choice when the time comes. I might start researching our October Chicago trip now that I think of it....
3) Working out is a must! I know that this is a lot easier to plan than it is to do, but I am going to throw down with a Friday and Saturday workout. We usually do a lot of walking on vacation, and especially given the sunny beach that awaits us. But I am going to get in some solid sweat time first thing so that I don't put it off for later. Even if it's a Tabata, four minutes of torture is something I can do without sacrificing too much of my time with my friends. Who knows, maybe I lure them all into a game of Marco Polo in the pool. I have mad Marco Polo skillz.
Nutrition
Breakfast: Coffee, three eggs cooked in olive oil.
Snack: Protein shake, vanilla from Premium Nutrition
Lunch: 4 cups organic Spring Salad Mix, 6oz boneless & skinless turkey breast, light ranch dressing, and 2 slices of Jarlsberg light Swiss cheese slices.
Snack: 2 String cheese sticks.
Dinner: 1 boneless& skinless chicken breast, steamed broccoli.
WOD
I was going to try to go swimming, but I might do a pilates video while dinner cooks instead. My legs are fried after yesterday. I realized 8 rounds of 15 airsquats is 120 squats. I am definitely walking funny today.
Lastly, I think the thing to remember while on vacation is that you deserve some grace and fun, but it's not a free pass to eat everything in sight. I just got done doing that and it wasn't as rewarding and tasty as I had remembered. I have renewed my commitment and I don't want to stifle that, I want to see it grow!
Any ideas on healthy and grain free foods that travel well? What healthy food options do you choose when you travel? Leave me your suggestions in the comments!
xo,
Kendra
Showing posts with label weight-loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight-loss. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Will Power and Diamonds
When I was a little girl, I was a nail biter. I've always been a high energy person, and as someone with ADHD, there is a fair bit of low grade anxiety most of the time. So I used to bite my nails. Not only was it a sort of gross habit, it was also incredibly unbecoming. (Note: I am not picking on any nail biters out there. I promise there will be a point to all of this.) I was about 9 years old when my mom struck a deal with me. If I didn't bite my nails for two months, she would buy me a diamond ring. If I needed them trimmed or if I broke one, I was to tell her and she would trim them for me. So there stood this major challenge before me. If I did it, I would get the one thing I have loved since I could see shiny things--jewelry. No joke, since I was a very little child I have loved the sparkly. Non-vampire form of sparkly. I digress. Prior to this deal I struck with my mom, she had tried everything to get me to stop biting them. She had used this bitter nail polish type stuff to make my nails taste bad, she had begged and pleaded, she had spanked and grounded me and nothing seemed to work. But this time, she had dangled the ultimate carrot in front of my face. I wanted the diamond ring so bad, I was willing to do anything. So I stopped biting my nails. I stopped cold turkey.
Sixty days is not a terribly long period of time, but for a nine-year-old it may as well be a year. Sixty days of not biting my nails was an awful length of time. It dragged on and on. But after a while, the desire to bite my nails was gone. I knew that I was going to get my ring instead. I remember every time we would get an ad from the store, I would go tearing through it to make sure that they still had the ring that I wanted. Finally the weekend after the sixty days was completed, my mom took me to collect my prize. I still remember walking into that jewelry store. It had super thick red carpet that muffled your steps. I could be a ninja on that carpet. I picked out my ring, it said "Love" with a heart for the "o" and a tiny diamond chip in the middle of it. It may have cost about $20-$30 total, but I could have cared less. It seemed to me to have cost thousands, and in my young life I had not owned anything so beautiful. It was all mine, and I had earned it.
I was telling my girlfriends this story at lunch on Friday as we sat in a restaurant and they ate the food they ordered, I ate the lunch I had packed. ( I clearly have no sense of shame, but it was the only way for me to have an accurate calorie count.) My friend Stephanie looks at me and remarks at the story, "Wow! You have so much will power!" I just looked at her dumbfounded. I have never in my life associated my character with having any amount of self-control. Impulse control issues was what I associated with me, not will power. But what she said so resonated with me that I had to write it down. What I realized about my success and breaking this bad habit: 1) It was a specific goal. 2) There was a specific time frame involved. 3) There was a prize at stake. 4) I wanted to do it. Even though it was my mom's idea, I wanted it. I want this success, even though it's going to take more than 60 days. I want this more than anything, and I have time specific goals as well as numbers that I want to achieve. Perhaps I may need to add a prize to my current goals. Something shiny seems appropriate. Or several prizes...I like that idea too.
WOD
Rest day. My knees are still hurting a lot and after Friday's WOD I have limped all weekend long. I am beginning to wonder if I need to see a specialist about getting those shots in them. I may also need to revamp my workouts in general. More rowing, less box jumps.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 3 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage links, 3 eggs, coffee with h&h and Splenda/Truvia. I am trying to make the switch to Truvia, but it's a process, I am using a little bit of Splenda still but I am not replacing it once I run out.
Snack: 2 string cheese sticks.
Lunch: spinach salad with turkey breast, half an avocado, and spicy low-fat ranch. 1 serving Baked Ruffles. Rrrrruffles have rrrrrridges. Bonus points if you remember that commercial.
Snack: I have a protein shake or almonds if I get hungry for a second snack, but I'm not committed to eating it just yet.
Dinner: chicken breast, with garlic and lemon, salt and pepper. 2 cups steamed broccoli. Broccoli makes me happy, and fills me up. May put some butter on it. We'll see what my calorie count is at at this point.
I like this new perspective I have on myself, and my character. I've always considered myself tenacious, and a strong willed, but having will power is new to me. It's growing on me too. And in case you're wondering, that ring still sits in my jewelry box, 26 years later. Special thanks to my friend Stephanie, who sees things in me that I don't, and to my mom who is still teaching me about myself at the age of 35.
xo,
Kendra
Sixty days is not a terribly long period of time, but for a nine-year-old it may as well be a year. Sixty days of not biting my nails was an awful length of time. It dragged on and on. But after a while, the desire to bite my nails was gone. I knew that I was going to get my ring instead. I remember every time we would get an ad from the store, I would go tearing through it to make sure that they still had the ring that I wanted. Finally the weekend after the sixty days was completed, my mom took me to collect my prize. I still remember walking into that jewelry store. It had super thick red carpet that muffled your steps. I could be a ninja on that carpet. I picked out my ring, it said "Love" with a heart for the "o" and a tiny diamond chip in the middle of it. It may have cost about $20-$30 total, but I could have cared less. It seemed to me to have cost thousands, and in my young life I had not owned anything so beautiful. It was all mine, and I had earned it.
I was telling my girlfriends this story at lunch on Friday as we sat in a restaurant and they ate the food they ordered, I ate the lunch I had packed. ( I clearly have no sense of shame, but it was the only way for me to have an accurate calorie count.) My friend Stephanie looks at me and remarks at the story, "Wow! You have so much will power!" I just looked at her dumbfounded. I have never in my life associated my character with having any amount of self-control. Impulse control issues was what I associated with me, not will power. But what she said so resonated with me that I had to write it down. What I realized about my success and breaking this bad habit: 1) It was a specific goal. 2) There was a specific time frame involved. 3) There was a prize at stake. 4) I wanted to do it. Even though it was my mom's idea, I wanted it. I want this success, even though it's going to take more than 60 days. I want this more than anything, and I have time specific goals as well as numbers that I want to achieve. Perhaps I may need to add a prize to my current goals. Something shiny seems appropriate. Or several prizes...I like that idea too.
WOD
Rest day. My knees are still hurting a lot and after Friday's WOD I have limped all weekend long. I am beginning to wonder if I need to see a specialist about getting those shots in them. I may also need to revamp my workouts in general. More rowing, less box jumps.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 3 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage links, 3 eggs, coffee with h&h and Splenda/Truvia. I am trying to make the switch to Truvia, but it's a process, I am using a little bit of Splenda still but I am not replacing it once I run out.
Snack: 2 string cheese sticks.
Lunch: spinach salad with turkey breast, half an avocado, and spicy low-fat ranch. 1 serving Baked Ruffles. Rrrrruffles have rrrrrridges. Bonus points if you remember that commercial.
Snack: I have a protein shake or almonds if I get hungry for a second snack, but I'm not committed to eating it just yet.
Dinner: chicken breast, with garlic and lemon, salt and pepper. 2 cups steamed broccoli. Broccoli makes me happy, and fills me up. May put some butter on it. We'll see what my calorie count is at at this point.
I like this new perspective I have on myself, and my character. I've always considered myself tenacious, and a strong willed, but having will power is new to me. It's growing on me too. And in case you're wondering, that ring still sits in my jewelry box, 26 years later. Special thanks to my friend Stephanie, who sees things in me that I don't, and to my mom who is still teaching me about myself at the age of 35.
xo,
Kendra
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