Week One of Working Out & Healthy Eating

It's January 3rd, and I am three for three with workouts for the year.

While I was a bit over-served on New Year's Eve, I still managed to make it to the gym to mooch off their ESPN to watch Iowa get clobbered in the Rose Bowl to run on January 1st; I ran a mile, walked half a mile, and then ran another half a mile. It was a slow pace and an easy workout, and it felt good to sweat out the toxins from my NYE celebration.

You can almost smell the Coors Light and champagne wafting from my pores.

Yesterday, Sunni (my MN BFF) and I headed to the gym together, and while she went upstairs for some cardio, I made leg day happen: squats, pause squats, and lunges. I am feeling it today, friends. (I think I'm still feeling some residual soreness from our NYE dance party, too: shakin' my groove thang to a 90s hip-hop cover band is a killer leg workout, let me tell you.)

Today, I headed back to the gym for arm day and a two-mile run.

While I've done a good job of focusing on powerlifting moves (i.e. squat, bench, and deadlift), I have neglected other areas of my body, namely arms and upper back. I decided that if I want to look smokin' in a tank top this summer, I needed to change that.

The arm workout was totally outside of my comfort zone. I get a lot of anxiety about trying new things at the gym, worrying that I'm not using the weight/machine correctly, that my form sucks, that everyone is judging me, etc. But today, I put on my big girl panties, did some research prior to hitting the gym, and convinced Sunni to do the workout with me. We figured everything out and got a kick-ass arm workout. (Seriously, how we're supposed to write on the board tomorrow at school is beyond me.)

After the arm workout, you guys, I killed my run. I ran two miles in less than 20 minutes. That is fast for this girl. I was so stoked. I then cooled down by walking for another three-quarters of a mile.

This morning, my sister-in-law and I also decided on a couple of other goals for the next 30 days: we are going to meet our 10,000 step goal each day (along with my mom and sister), and we are going to complete Alexa Jean's Sore to the Core Ab Program. Because I now have approximately 25,000,000 goals going on right now workout-wise, I decided to create a little calendar for myself:

This looks like a lot, I know. But it's really not.

See, I am already doing most of this. Like I mentioned previously, since I joined the gym, I have gone nearly every day that I have been in town and have either lifted, run, or done a combination of the two. This calendar is simply adding in an ab routine and two additional days of lifting. If I find that the arm and back exercises are too much or are not effective, I will simply modify (Sunni and I already found a couple of things we want to change about the arm workout for next week) or remove them completely from the plan. It's a trial and error right now.

In addition, I will be getting those 10,000 steps every day. So while I may not be running on Tuesday, I'll likely do a bit of easy walking on the treadmill to ensure I hit that target.

As I also mentioned previously, a group of friends and I are going to be starting a Whole30 on January 10th. (Again, please let me know if you'd like to participate, and I'll add you to our secret Facebook group.) While I am not officially starting earlier, I am going to be doing a sort of "warm-up" for the next week. I mean, I'm kicking ass in the gym, and it kind of defeats the purpose to come home and eat Kraft Mac and Cheese for lunch.

So here's that plan:

As you can see, I left off today as well as next Saturday. Today, I had sugary cereal for breakfast and Trader Joe's sushi for a post-workout meal, and I am going to make the sausage and potato soup for dinner. I will also spend the evening making the quiche that I'll have for breakfast every day. Next Friday night and Saturday, I want to allow myself the option to go out to eat, to have a couple cocktails, etc. since I'll be officially starting the Whole30 next Sunday.

I would say that 2016 is off to a good start. I'm pretty proud of myself and am super excited to see the gains I make. My motivation right now is off the charts.

Finally, I want to wrap up with a picture I saw on one of my friend's Facebook pages. She said that she did not make any resolutions this year but that this sentiment will be in the back of her mind. I love it.

Have a great rest of your day and an even better week, friends!