Week 1 is officially under my belt…&& it’s not as bad as you’d think, ya’ll!

In case you missed it, I started a 24 day challenge with a group of girls on April 1! After sticking with it for the past week or so, I can already feel a difference. My body has gotten stronger, I can run longer and my energy lasts until the evening. Working out first thing in the morning has been such a great way to start my day!

Before getting to work, I know that I have done something positive for myself and can focus on everyone else for the remainder of the day. It also helps set the tone for my eating habits. Why waste a hard workout by eating something unhealthy for my body?

Days 1-9:

To kick off the challenge, Cheyenne and I hit up Costco where we gathered healthy food to arm ourselves with over the next couple of weeks. My favorite picks were the 12 pack of chicken breasts, 3 packs of ground turkey, 2 dozen eggs, frozen tortilla crusted tilapia, organic whole grain bread, value size raspberries and blackberries and chicken apple sausage stuffed with Gouda.

Each week. I meal prep my breakfasts and lunches and put together a meal plan so I don’t have any room for cheating. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Last week, I went to several restaurants over lunch or dinner: Taco Diner, Mesero’s, Farina’s and Perry’s Steakhouse and did not cheat once..besides on Day 9. (More below) 🙁 I reluctantly denied the bread, most of the chips, and the hardest temptation – wine. I won’t lie, it was hard. But after the first couple of rounds, it started to get easier!

My workouts consist of cardio, weight training and group classes. I can’t say enough how much I LOVE the group fitness classes at Lifetime. They are a lifesaver for me. Sometimes I have a hard time being creative with my gym routine. Typically I like to do one workout per week where I do my own thing at the gym. The rest of the time, I enjoy the classes or running outdoors.

Here’s a breakdown of which workouts I did during the past 9 days:

  1. Saturday: Barbell Strength class @ Lifetime
  2. Sunday: Vinyasa Yoga @ Lifetime
  3. Monday: Arms/Abs at Home via Nike app + Tone It Up YouTube videos
  4. Tuesday: Rest
  5. Wednesday: TCX @ Lifetime
  6. Thursday: Run 4 miles at the Katy Trail
  7. Friday: Rest
  8. Saturday: 2 mile run at White Rock Lake, 1 hour weight training @ Lifetime, 10 min stairstepper
  9. Sunday: 3 mile walk at the Katy Trail

Needless to say, the workouts are what keep me grounded and on track. Luckily, eating healthy hasn’t been a huge struggle for me aside from not eating too many sweets or snacks. I’m habitually a BIG snacker. I think to myself, “oh a little pinch of this or a handful of that” won’t hurt me! But the calories really do add up quickly. I think eating less calories a day + the workouts + the supplements are going to make a difference for me.

 

Confessing My Struggles

Despite sticking with it and feeling amazing progress, I have to be candid about day 4 and day 9.

On Day 4, I had a breakdown around lunch time. I walked to my car and just felt empty. I probably was hungry and my body was getting used to being deprived of my beloved wine and sweets.

I truly want to complete this challenge perfectly, doing everything as planned and more. But sometimes life isn’t meant to be lived perfect all the time.

After working out three days in a row, I felt sore, weak and unmotivated. I called my mom and just started to cry. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was so upset about, but it was a breaking moment for me.

I had plans to work out that morning but didn’t sleep well the night before, so I skipped my AM class. I realized I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect during this challenge. Then I realized how much pressure I put on myself to be perfect all the time.

This challenge brought out these emotions in me where I am facing the idea that it is okay to not be perfect every single day. Some days I will drop the ball, I will miss the mark, I won’t make everyone happy. But I’m learning that this is okay. I’m human.

Confessing My Cheats

Yesterday I woke up a little disappointed in myself because I indulged in a FULL day of cheats. I had gone 8 days of sticking close to the plan… but…things happened.

First of all, the ladies and I planned a little brunch sesh at Saint Ann’s followed by sangria at Katy Ice House. This quickly turned into a big brunch sesh. A full lunch and brunch drinks later…I was in the car with my boyfriend headed to Fort Worth.

This year I was blessed to receive two tickets to the Big Taste of Fort Worth (more below) which was Ahhh-mazing! There was a VIP wine tasting before the main event, followed by sampling delicious foods from Fort Worth’s most popular restaurants. #YUM

At this event, there were no limits for me. The no alcohol/counting calories part of this challenge was temporarily on hold. I took the Carb-Ease supplement meant to be used only on cheat days before brunch in hopes to ease the overload. I’m not too sure if I felt a difference. But I’m hoping it helped in the long run!

The Big Taste was so much fun. We sampled several wines, champagne and even whiskey before the main food event. We enjoyed hor’dourves and made new friends while listening to a jazz band warm us up for what was coming next.

The main room had 19 incredibly restaurants from around Fort Worth. Each booth had a sampling of their most popular dishes. It was any food lovers dream! I am sad I was so into the food that I barely took any good photos. But next time I do plan to be more focused on getting some good snaps!

I’m jumping back on the challenge with zero plans to cheat besides on Easter. Sunday I will have a few small cheats at lunch but otherwise, I’ll be sticking with the plan.

At the end of the 24 days, I plan to only have 2 real “cheat” days. I know this is not ideal to occur in any challenge, but life happens and I can’t be perfect! As much as I wish I could be.

Goals for Week 2

I have planned out my meals and workouts this week. I have two events after work this week so my workouts will remain before I get to the office. 5:30AM alarms are set!

I have 6 workouts planned for Tuesday-Sunday. We hope to go to the 6:30AM Easter service on Sunday so we will have time to workout between church and Easter lunch. There’s a Vinyasa yoga class I love at 9AM so it will be perfect!

My goal is to not drink (except on Sunday at lunch), attend every single workout Tuesday-Sunday and stick to my recommended BMR calories per day.

*Please note that I am not a nutritionist and some professionals recommend against counting calories. The main reason I am doing this is so that I select better, more filling and healthier foods. I’m sticking to meats, veggies, fruits and whole grains throughout this process. I can typically get 300+ calories in per meal with the goal to eat 4 solid meals a day. It’s perfect for me because it keeps me from being starving at any point.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the challenge 🙂 I’d love to hear from you!