Lose the Freshman 15: I've got a plan (sort of)

So despite the lack of tweets with advice — thanks Julia, and only Julia — I’ve come up with a plan to combat the obstacles I’ve faced in the past (see previous post).

Find a better reason to stay committed. This one is pretty simple — at least for now. I am definitely committed to at least 70 days of being healthy because I told SELF Magazine and Her Campus that I would do it.  For whatever reason, it’s much easier for me to keep a promise to someone else than it is to myself.  Plus I’d be way too scared to tell Jillian Michaels that I quit a plan she designed — have you ever seen ‘The Biggest Loser’? Horrifying. Anyway, what happens when the 70 days are up? I guess I have about 68 more days to figure that one out.

Pull yourself together, Samantha. There isn’t too much I can do about living so close to so many of my favorite restaurants other than practicing self-control. While I love to eat and often spoil myself with takeout, I’m simply going to have to learn how to say no. Ultimately it will save me a lot of calories and a lot of money, and that is going to have to be a good enough reason to make it home without a bag full of over-priced, high-calorie food.

Make your health a priority. I know it sounds silly, but it’s true! While we’re “taking care of ourselves” as college students, many of us don’t actually make taking care of ourselves a priority. We sacrifice sleep for extra study time. We grab a quick dinner at Antonio’s so that we can make it to a pre-game. We skip a work out to put extra time toward an RSO event. Everything in life is a trade-off, a big balancing act. By making my health as high of a priority as school or work, I will definitely be able to stick with it.

So on a day like today, when I have class from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., then work from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and then a seemingly endless amount of e-mails to answer, internships to apply for and pages to read, I have to make time for working out.

Fortunately, Jillian Michaels made a cardio work-out that doesn’t require me to hit the gym. It’s called the 30-minute cardio sizzler and I’m about to give it a try immediately after posting this blog.

Here’s a breakdown:

Jump rope — 3 min.

Butt kicks — 3 min.

Jumping jacks — 3 min.

Jog in place — 3 min.

Mountain climbers — 3 min.

Repeat

It only takes 30 minutes and I can do it without even leaving my bedroom! Which is convenient since it’s 9 p.m., it’s raining and I’m car-less.

Sincerely hoping I don’t hurt myself while ‘sizzling,’

Samantha