Last week, I outlined my ‘get healthy’ plan. The three basic steps were exercise often, cut caffeine and eat healthy. In the past 7 days, I’ve done pretty well at some points and pretty awful at others.
On a scale of 1 to 10 – with 1 being awful and 10 being perfect – I’d say my working out was around a 6, my caffeine intake was about a 4 and my eating healthy was about a 3. This may not sound exactly like something to be proud of, but I literally started at a zero in all 3 categories. I hadn’t worked out in months, I drank sweet tea and Mountain Dew like it was water and I never watched what I ate.
Any other time I’ve ever tried to get healthy or lose weight, I start by going to the gym every single day and cutting out everything I love. Every time I’ve tried that approach, I’ve gotten burned out within 2 weeks and given it up completely. This time I’m trying to ease into my new habits so they’ll become long-term instead of quick fixes.
So, let’s start with the good and end with the bad. The best of the 3 for me this week was exercising, probably because working out is the only part of losing weight I actually enjoy. I was in the gym 3 days during the week and worked out at home once.
At the gym, I did cardio and strength. For cardio, I walked on the treadmill and on the elliptical. I tried to run, but my shins weren’t having it. It looks like I’m going to have to wait until I’m a little more in shape to run again. For strength, I just did basic weight lifting and leg machines.
The most fun cardio I did, however, was at my friend’s house. Both of us are in the middle of the “Operation Hangout” workout plan, which is basically our name for our plan to look awesome on the beach for the Hangout Festival in May. She has the Zumba fitness game for Wii, and I’m pretty sure I spent almost 2 hours playing. Surprisingly, it’s really a great workout for your entire body. You’re moving constantly, incorporating arms and legs for long periods of time. Plus, you’re laughing so hard at yourself that you get a great ab workout. I may have been sorer after my Zumba fest than I was any day after the gym.
Throughout the week, I could tell a huge difference in my endurance on the days I had a lower caffeine intake. Which is great and all, but have any of you ever tried to get yourself off caffeine? Just talking about the headache gives me another headache. I did significantly lower my intake of it though. On some days, I was even down to 2 caffeinated beverages total. And if I’m being honest, that’s like 3 or 4 less than what used to be a good day for me. My goal for the next week is to get it down to 1 a day, and then after, be done completely. That way I avoid the mind-bending migraine that comes with caffeine withdrawal.
And now for a little honesty: I didn’t do so well with the eating healthy this week. I’ve been dreading writing this because one of the main reasons I’m writing all of this is to keep myself accountable. That accountability is why I’m not lying and saying I did great this week; it’s also why I feel guilty.
I will say I ate better than normal. I picked a lot more Subway on campus than I did Chik-fil-A. I picked salads at Buffalo Phils. I even ate breakfast to speed up my metabolism. The problem isn’t always what I eat though; it’s how much I eat. I can pig out for days. My dad says food can sometimes feel like an addiction because when it tastes great, it’s hard to stop eating. My dad and I have that in common – I just love great food! To solve that problem, I went grocery shopping and only bought healthy foods that also taste great. To make sure I’m not pigging out, I’m hoping to eat about 5 small meals a day so I’m never hungry enough to truly pig out.
Next week, I’m hoping to say I’m above a 6 in every category and then I can continue going up each week after.