I know y’all are sick of hearing it, but we are less than 90 days away from my wedding!! Before I explain my new little fitness plan, let’s take a look at dinner.
Tonight I made a baked sweet potato with black beans, spinach and shredded Swiss cheese. It was delicious and truly hit the spot!!
Ok, so as y’all know, this winter I have increased my focus on weight training rather than cardio. I love weight training, it makes feel really strong and I know I am getting more bang for my workout. The problem is in my mind weight training = I can eat more. So unfortunately weight training has also caused me to be a little less careful with what I put in my mouth and didn’t prevent the normal winter pudge. It was worth a try!
As you know, and as I believe many brides hope, I want to looking BANGIN' on my wedding day. This means I want rock solid arms with definition and I want to PR in at least one of the two more races planned for this spring. Therefore, starting this past Sunday, I have a new fitness plan.
Before I completely jump in to the plan, I have to say since I am on day 3 I feel soo much cleaner! It’s amazing how cleaning up your diet a little can really make you feel great!
Anyway, I am revamping my workout schedule and want to put in 110% in every workout. Lately I have been a little lazy at class. I get up and go, but I don't put in the effort I need to get rock solid arms and abs.
Increase my weight by 2.5 lbs in every muscle group (except chest - we had issues getting me into my MOH dress for Val's wedding because of my ribs and chest, oops!).
Start doing push-ups on my toes at least 50% of the time. I actually did this in class Monday :)!!
Go on a run or walk after work on weight training days. I have found that an extra afternoon snack has snuck its way into my routine. The best way to combat this is by simply getting outside more often. I figure a short 30 minute run or walk will quickly squelch the "need" for the snack and carry me right to dinner time. Plus the extra daylight doesn't hurt ;) I walked to return the 3 pairs of trainers to DSW yesterday and it worked out perfectly (I didn't know which one I wanted!!).
Re-incorporate Yoga into my schedule. I have miss stretching!!
Crunch it out. My core is by far my weakest muscle group. The core is also the muscle group that needs the most consistent work. I think 30 crunches an evening should do the trick.
As for food... as my grandmother once said "I watch what goes in my mouth, I just don't restrict it". I talked about this a few weeks ago, but I still eat like I run marathons. That needs to stop now that I have finished the Rock 'n' Roll Half. In order to control what reaches my mouth, I have a few guidelines.
I am a self confessed chocoholic (admitting is the first step ;) ). I know I can't cut sweets out of my life, but I can change the way I consume them.
First off, I put all my girl scout cookies in the back of the freezer covered by frozen vegetables. If I don't know they are there I won't want them. I do have one box at work. I have to say I surprised myself with the control I have had with my work box. I have had about one cookie a day. As long as I keep that up, they can stay, until their gone that is.
Second, I can have sweets if coupled with something healthy. For example, I can have chocolate in my oatmeal, yogurt, milk etc. in moderation. I have found this is the best way for me to satisfy my sweet tooth, potentially eating something somewhat nutritious and does not hurt my waist line.
Skip the peanut butter. I finished a jar of peanut butter at work recently and have decided NOT to replace it. Peanut butter (like chocolate) is often the first thing I grab when bored. It won't kill me to eat my fruit plain or maybe buy fruit that isn't so tempting to smoother peanut butter all over.
Pack lost of healthy snacks. I sometimes get a little bored at work (but I swear its very rare ;)). I am very guilty of being a bored at my desk eater. When I went to the store this week I stocked up on healthier snack alternatives including baby carrots, clementines and plums (almost all of which do not taste good with peanut butter). Now I can snack away without feeling guilty :)
Participate in WIAW. I think What I ate Wednesday is a great weekly reminder to watch what we eat because we document it. One of my biggest diet faults is I am awful about documentation. Now, I don't want to be a slave to a notebook, but Instagram makes it a lot easier to document WIAW.
When it comes to eatin' time I know I am guilty of chowin' down instead of enjoying. In the next 90 days I am going to try really hard to savor every bite. This means putting my fork down between each bite or maybe taking a sip of water.
Sleep more. I am setting a strict 9:30 bedtime for weeknights. With my current workout schedule, this will allow me to easily get 8 hours of sleep a night. In my opinion, the more sleep the better.
Well there you have it, Sarah's get hot for her wedding/ my better beach body guidelines. Hopefully this will help me burn off those few extra winter pounds and tone up.
PS: Just because this is my little health plan for the next 3 months doesn't mean it needs to be yours. Please check with a doctor before altering your own diet/fitness plan.
