Okay.. so its Sunday.. two days since I decided to move forward with this Fat burning , muscle building journey of sorts… Time now to make the plan.. or at least a plan for the moment.
Heres the deal.. Since I was about 18 years old I have been very aware of the benefits of exercise and good nutrition ( diet). Its always been a passion for me in one way or another .. actually more like a puzzle .
One decade… 20’s all I did was run, row and lift weights.. EVERY day… and my ‘diet’ consisted of lots of meat , salad and what I thought were good processed foods.. Bottom line.. I worked out too much and ate not so great foods.. but I was 20 something after all.. the workouts kept things moving.. but I saw absolutely NO real results over the decade… just maintained .
30’s.. I was living in Miami.. found bikram yoga and ocean swimming.. Im pretty sure for an entire decade I did bikram daily.. (okay I may have missed a few sundays) and most likely did 50 or so – 60 day challenges .. if you know anything about bikram.. its what we do.. lol after 90 minutes of daily bikram.. I hit the beach for a run and a swim.. I even participated in a few tri’s this decade .. I have no idea where I got the energy.. ? my food was better.. again..eating tons of meat (lean pork actually) salad and oatmeal.. My friends that knew me then know that I ate the same thing daily over this decade of life.. seriously.. daily… my issue was I was surely an exercise bulimic.. I counted every calorie I ate ( which is why I ate the same thing daily ).. and if I didnt work it off at the end of the day.. I was miserable.. and no doubt fat.. LOL Basically I sabotaged my own efforts.. TOO much . yes, even yogi’s need rest.. I never saw real gains in muscle.. I looked good (thin) had ab’s.. ( doing 500 situps a day after 90 minutes of bikram in 110 degrees does that) but I was killing myself.. physically..lets not forget socially.. and OH.. did I mention I also owned my own business and worked full time at one point.. so in between workouts I worked 16 hour days.. LOL
40’s.. Im not sure which switch was flipped.. but with much research (health/nutrition/self empowerment) I realized that I was over doing EVERYTHING.. I had NO balance in my life. So .with a fantastic job, a great life partner ( my bf) and a really good sense of self (I think) I went with a new approach of pure nutrition and less is more when it came to exercise.. Eating whole clean foods, even going raw till dinner for a year ( lots of green juice) .. and taking on the Bill Phillips approach to my work outs.. efficient whole body workouts and HIIT ( with some bikram yoga thrown in) .. This approach gave me the time I needed to have a LIFE.. even go back to school ( Im now an nutrition counselor ).. but what it didnt do was KEEP.. I found myself slacking off with my workouts.. and the reason being…. I ate really really well. My good nutrition was working and afterall .. my weight was good ( Im thin), my cholesterol is great and over all Im in really GOOD health… heck I didnt need to waste my time working out.. So for the last two years.. I didnt.. well, I did ..but only when I felt like it .. a bikram challenge, a vinyasa class or two, a stint with a trainer .. and a few beach body programs thrown in too for when I wanted to do something at home ( which usually meant watching a video.. sad but true).. NONE of this was sustainable.. for me anyway.. I spent my 40’s looking for ‘challenges’ to keep me going.. as opposed to a lifestyle.
Which brings me to today.. ( sorry for the long intro) .. Im 48.8 years old.. and Ive been thinking about the next decade..my 50’s .. the changes my body will endure and is going through ( yes its all starting .. you know what I mean) and looking at my personal health goals.. basically.. Ive decided to become my OWN nutrition and health counselor.. for real.
Heres what I’am choosing…
A healthy sustainable lifestyle of working out and nutrition that enhances my LIFE… not takes it over…. no obsessing over making it to a bikram class, or if I worked off my calories with a run and deff not allowing a meal to make me feel bad because I ate it…
The Plan :
For nutrition.. I will actually eat more then I do now.. more often at least.. to keep the fire burning and metabolism UP to burn fat.. I will eat as I do now.. Clean foods , nothing processed, good lean protein (some vegan , some not ) little to no dairy, lots of plants (juiced and NON) less sweet fruits ( mostly local) with minimal alcohol intake .. I do like a martini or glass of red wine or two ( not the end of my world) ..
For workouts.. I will be LIFTING..( lifting plan to come ) I want to gain muscle to support me in the next decade.. keep me from injury when I age and of course osteoporosis…. when done right, weight lifting too can be very cardiovascular.. so my lifting will be done with little rest between sets and as heavy as I can.. each day no doubt will be different.. With LOTS of REST between workouts .. on which days I will do HIIT.. 30 – 45 mins of Hight Intensity Interval Training, and maybe some bikram yoga .. Remembering…that REST is just as important as the workout.. in order to see ‘gains’ for muscle building there must be a recovery time.. we cant forget that.. thats where the nutrition comes to play.. to sustain the ‘gains’ on our ‘off’ days.. Oh.. and ONE day a week.. I will REST completely…. if I feel like it.
Yep, Im not doing any ONE TYPE of workout or any specific challenge ( for days) .. my challenge will be to sustain working out.. with a healthy mentality ! and of course good nutrition, which I will not be too difficult… other then the eating more often thing.. Im not use to eating so much / often.
Did I make any sense here ?? NOT sure.. but I will say it was cathartic writing this out..and if you read it.. I hope it gave you some insight to my journey.. and thanks too for forgiving my grammar .. I write like I think.. fast and furious. Forgive me.
Fo now.. Im OFF to the gym… its legs day.. LOL I have NOT done legs in years.. G-d help me.
Create a great day !
vanity, sanity and health 
GREAT approach Lisa!!! One that I attempted to put into place last year and overall, has helped me maintain a pretty consistent rate of weekly exercise and healthy eating, without going over board at the same time (putting unrealistic goals on myself, neglecting family friends or other life duties, etc). Could I stand to do a little better in both areas- exercise & eating healthy? Absolutely!! I am actually ready to ramp it up a notch, but will do so slowly. IN my opinion, I think some of the plateaus you have experienced in the past, stem from the fact that you are an “all or nothing, give it 110%, full throttle” person. Which is great…when you need to reach a short term or even medium length goal. However, it is hard to run on all gears for very long periods of time. Sounds like you are in a wonderful place in life and are planning to make changes to keep you at that level for years to come! Kudos my friend! 🙂
SWEET words.. and yes.. coming from someone that knows me too, VERY much appreciated. The journey of the balance… I can do this. Im thankful for my health / nutrition inspiration over the past two almost three decades , even when I went overboard.. its kept considerably healthy.. and always the key for me. LIFE.. if we dont learn from day to day.. whats the use.. Im happy and proud to be your friend 🙂 Kudos to YOU !