Day 5 and Thoughts on my Goals and Health

DAY 5 brought my first 7 am personal training session, yikes! Lol, I'm actually a morning person usually, so it wasn't too bad. I had my almond milk and protein shake, a little boost, but not too heavy. The session was great, the hardest part is always making myself get to the gym, but once there I feel pumped. It was obvious during the session that my core definitely needs more strengthening: after 15 sit-ups on the exercise ball I was done. It’ll be interesting to see how many I can get up to eventually and how long I can hold the plank position. Today’s plank was 40 seconds but I was also literally shaking by the end. Chris also had me do these leg lifts while balancing on my hands and one knee on the bench. I thought I was going to fall off and my glutes hurt like hell by the end but I got through it. By the end of the session I was as red as a tomato and could already tell that I’ll be sore later, but it feels so good.

Thinking about my core strengthening and how it will improve made me want to share some of my goals, not just to put them out there, but also to stay accountable:

1.       Short term weight loss: lose 20 lbs in first month, then aim for a 2 lbs/week loss
2.       Long term weight loss: lose 136 lbs, goal weight of 160 lbs
3.       Workout a minimum of 3 times/week for at least 30 mins
4.       Run a 10 k/ Do the Sun Run for the first time
5.       Integrate new healthy eating habits into a lifestyle change
6.       Inspire others to make and work on their own weight loss goals
7.       Wear a bikini for the first time in my life!!!

I’m really proud of myself this week, I know it’s only day 5, but on other diets that I’ve been on I’ve usually cheated by the end of the second day. With this meal plan, yes it is very different than what I was eating before and yes it is challenging, but I’m not feeling hungry or deprived all the time. I haven’t felt a huge desire to cheat. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had some cravings for cheese and movie theatre popcorn, but they didn’t overcome me. I look forward to trying out new spices and herbs at each meal, and different ways of cooking besides frying. I definitely have to thank my friends on Facebook for their suggestions on how to dress up hot oatmeal. I tried it yesterday with some cinnamon, ginger, clove and allspice and it was much better. If I closed my eyes and imagined really hard it was almost like pie. J

I’ve also already noticed some good things on this plan. I used to get heartburn and acid reflux fairly often, obviously from what I was eating. For the past week, it’s been gone completely. I also noticed that after the first two days in which I did have headaches and fatigue, I now have a bit more energy. I’m hoping the good side effects continue, cause while I don’t have a problem falling asleep at night, I don’t always get the best sleep and I know that I sometimes snore which drives my boyfriend crazy.

Last week, I had gone to get my blood work done as well, so it’ll be super interesting to see how that changes in a year. I had never gotten any blood work done before and generally avoided doctors. It’s not that I’m afraid of needles or anything, I was  just so afraid that they would give me bad news, tell me I had diabetes or heart problems or something due to my weight. This process has definitely helped me confront some of those fears. As it turns out, my blood work was fairly normal, my blood sugar a bit high and my good cholesterol a bit low, but nothing off the chart. I’m really glad I did this though, because while everything was okay, it’s probably just because I’m young still. If I had waited another 5-10 years, this might be another story all together. All I can say is, I’m on the right track now and feeling good about it.