So, we tell ourselves a million times a year – including around New Year’s, before Memorial Day weekend and before we return back to school – that we are going to start eliminating junk food and hitting the gym, but how many times do we actually stick to what we say we’re going to do? Almost never. Life gets in the way and it’s hard to carve out time to do a total cleanse and detox of your body and your whole life. I had found myself in a good routine of eating healthy foods and spending time at the gym when I first moved to Boston for my co-op, but getting used to working eight hours a day took a toll on my body and I craved junk food and wanted to sit on my butt all the time. Therefore, I decided that I was going to quit it and treat my body right. I logged my sleep, beverages, meals and exercise to keep myself in check. I went a full week of eating clean and going to the gym and here’s what happened.
Monday
Image Courtesy of Silver Sneakers
Sleep
- Went to bed on Sunday 5/13 at 12:30 am and woke up on Monday 5/14 at 7:05 am
Drinks
- Water
- Green Tea with Lemon
Breakfast
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
- Trader Joe’s Wheat Bread
- EarthBalance Butter
Snack
- Strawberries
Lunch
- Trader Joe’s Wheat Bread
- Trader Joe’s Smoked Turkey Breast
- Trader Joe’s Parmesan Cheese
- Carrots
- Broccoli & Shredded Carrots Sauteed in Light Mayo
Snack
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
Dinner
- Salad from Energize
- Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Onions
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Lemon Dressing
Dessert
- Pirouline
Exercise
- 10 mins on elliptical
- 10 mins on bike
- 5 mins on treadmill
- Legs & arms on weight machines
- Abs, squats, stretches
- Total = 1 hour and 15 mins
It was so hard to start off with a clean, fresh slate when all I wanted to eat was junk food and sit on my butt instead of going to the gym. However, I knew in the end that this challenge would be worth it.
Tuesday
Sleep
- Went to sleep on Monday 5/14 at 11:30 pm and woke up on Tuesday 5/15 at 7:10 am
Drinks
- Water
- Coffee with Almond Milk and Cane Sugar
- Green Tea with Lemon
Breakfast
- Trader Joe’s Wheat Bread
- EarthBalance Vegan Butter
- Egg White & Cheese on Wheat Sandwich
- Fruit
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Pineapple
- Cantaloupe
- Green Melon
Lunch
- Pasta Saute
- Wheat Penne Pasta
- Green Beans
- Squash
- Broccoli
- Chicken
- Alfredo Sauce
- Little piece of garlic bread
Snack
- A little bit of homemade strawberry ice cream
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
Dinner
- Organic Chicken Breast Sauteed with Garlic & Herb Seasoning, Pink Himalayan Salt & Black Pepper
- Sprouted Grains (Quinoa, Millet and Brown Rice) with Olive Oil, Pink Himalayan Salt, Black Pepper & Garlic & Herb Seasoning
Dessert
- Pirouline
Exercise
- No exercise because there was a thunderstorm
I felt a little horrible this day because I caved and had pasta, my favorite food. I also had a bit of ice cream and skipped the gym, so I personally got mad at myself for my behaviors.
Wednesday
Image Courtesy of Pinterest
Sleep
- Went to bed at 1:00 am and woke up at 7:10 am
Drinks
- Water
- Medium Smoothie
- Almond Milk
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Kale
- Banana
Breakfast
- Omelette
- Egg White
- Mushrooms
- Turkey Sausage
- Onions
- Feta Cheese
- Spinach
- Banana
Lunch
- Organic Chicken Breast Sauteed with Garlic & Herb Seasoning, Pink Himalayan Salt & Black Pepper
- Sprouted Grains (Quinoa, Millet and Brown Rice) with Olive Oil, Pink Himalayan Salt, Black Pepper & Garlic & Herb Seasoning
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
Snack
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
Dinner
- Protein Power Acai Bowl from Energize
Exercise
- 15 minutes on treadmill
- 5 minutes on elliptical
- 5 minutes on bike
- Legs and arms on weight machines, more of a focus on legs
- Ab exercises, stretches, squats
- Total = 1 hour
All of my meals were super healthy this day and I went ham at the gym, so I felt like I was getting into a routine and was proud of myself!
Thursday
Sleep
- Went to sleep at 1:00 am and woke up at 7:10 am
Drinks
- Water
- Medium French Vanilla Iced Coffee with Almond Milk and 1 Sugar from Dunkin Donuts
- Green Tea with Lemon
Breakfast
- Pirouline
- Omelette
- Egg White
- Mushrooms
- Turkey Sausage
- Onions
- Feta Cheese
- Spinach
- Banana
Lunch
- Wrap
- Wheat Wrap
- Hummus
- Cucumbers
- Red Onions
- Leafy Greens
- Mushrooms
- A little bit of Parmesan Cheese
- Homemade Chips
Snack
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
Dinner
- Plant Power Salad from Energize
- Wheat Bread w/Earth Balance Vegan Butter
Dessert
- 2 Piroulines
Exercise
- 7.5 minutes on treadmill
- 7.5 minutes on elliptical
- 7.5 minutes on bike
- Legs and arms on weight machines, more of a focus on legs
- Ab exercises, stretches, squats
- Total = 45 – 50 mins
I allowed myself to have some unhealthy foods today, such as, chips and a Dunkin Donuts coffee, but I knew that I had to crush it at the gym. I started to understand balance a bit more.
Friday
Sleep
- Went to bed at 12:30 am and woke up at 7:15 am
Drinks
- Water
- Bai Sao Paulo Strawberry Lemonade
- Green Tea with Lemon
Breakfast
- Egg White & Cheese Sandwich
- Blueberry Yogurt w/Blueberries and Strawberries
Lunch
- Baja Fish Tacos from Joe’s American Bar & Grille
- A little bit of bread and butter
Snack
- JavaMeUp! Caramel Macchiato Coffee Bar
- A little bit of truffle-flavored popcorn
Dinner
- Leftover Plant Power Salad from Energize
- Wheat Toast w/Earth Balance Vegan Butter
Dessert
- Peach Chobani Greek Yogurt
Exercise
- Walked around Brighton for 1 full hour
This day, my manager treated our team to a lunch and the biggest challenge for me was deciding to indulge or stick to being healthy. In the end, I found deliciousness in some healthy fish tacos!
Saturday
Image Courtesy of PinkyCloud
Sleep
- Went to bed at 11:30 pm and woke up at 5:25 am, slept from 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Drinks
- Water
- Orange Juice w/Prosecco
Breakfast
- Sesame Bagel w/Earth Balance Vegan Butter
- Assorted Fruit
- Pirouline
- Blueberry Chobani Greek Yogurt
Lunch
- Lunch Platter from Bamboo Thai
- Grilled Salmon Sauteed in Teriyaki Sauce
- Jasmine White Rice
- Salad w/Thai Dressing
- 2 Crispy Spring Rolls
- 2 Thai Wings
- ***All small portions***
Dinner
- Small Chicken & Rice Soup from Whole Foods
- 1 Long Carrot w/Hummus
Dessert
- Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Granola w/Flax
- Honey
Exercise
- Rest day
This day was the day of the royal wedding and I decided to treat myself, have some yummy foods and relax!
Sunday
Sleep
- Went to bed at 1:00 am and woke up at 9:30 am
Drinks
- Water
- Polar Mango Limeade Seltzer
- Green Tea w/Lemon
Breakfast
- Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Granola w/Flax
- Honey
- 2 cinnamon rolls
Lunch
- Panera Pick 2
- Tuna Salad Sandwich
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Plain Kettle Cooked Chips
- Half of a chocolate chip cookie
Snack
- Carrot w/Hummus
- Pirouline
Dinner
- Tilapia Seasoned with Garlic & Herb Seasoning, Pink Himalayan Salt & Ground Black Pepper
- Kale
Dessert
- Homemade Smoothie
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Almond Milk
- Banana
- Honey
I also treated myself a bit more this day – to some new workout clothes, as well as some goodies!
Doing this challenge for a week was a good way to get myself into a routine again. The two biggest takeaways for me was learning discipline and not sabotaging myself like I’ve done so many times. Logging everything that I do also held myself accountable for anything that I did wrong and reminded me how bad I felt when I saw that I maybe ate too much junk food. I recommend that you try this for a week as well if you are struggling with keeping a consistent routine – this will definitely keep you in check!