The 6 P's

PRIOR PLANNING PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE

What does this mean exactly? I am finding out the hard way... I have been faced with many challenges this past week, such as a heavy workload or impromptu dinner parties or lack of motivation. It feels like my work/life balance is out of whack and its affecting just about everything right now. I'm working longer hours so therefore I haven't kept up with grocery shopping therefore I've had to buy meals which in turn makes it harder to say on track and makes me angry that I planned so poorly to start!!

I am trying to buckle down and prepare my own food to bring to work. I have been doing very well with breakfast and usually lunch, I have quick and healthy snacks down and have upped my water intake by carrying a water bottle around 24/7. I just need to nail down the routine... wake up earlier in the morning to be able to prepare for the day and maybe squeeze in some cardio and then make a lunch and pack some snacks for the day. It sounds so easy right??

So how come I'm falling behind? I'm going to blame it all on the lack of a consistently and properly stocked fridge to draw from. I have some really great recipes that I can't wait to try and I hope to draw motivation from that. In fact, I have tried two of JJ's recipes and they turned out very well :) I made Protein Muffins last week and Shredded Wheat Chicken Strips a couple of nights ago. Delish!!

The recipes can be found here: JJ CONFALONE iTrainer Personal Trainer: How To Make It Taste Good

Once I find some more great recipes I will post them on the new Recipes page.

RANT!!

I hate push ups!! I have never ever been able to do them! My whole life I've struggled through cheater push ups, as in on the knees...

Today JJ makes me do REAL PUSH UPS. WTF?! I collapsed and dropped to the floor for 5 whole REAL PUSH UPS and I swear he was laughing.

And then came round two. I made it to 10 that time but I don't feel any better... They still manage to get the best of me.

The moral of the story is: I HATE F*#%N' PUSH UPS >:(

Hard Times

This past weekend was crazy! BBQ's, best buds, beautiful weather and barn chores filled Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a test in willpower and Sunday challenged my endurance.

I went camping with some friends at a nearby campsite in Milton. Haven't been there in over a year so there was some serious catching up to do. It was a wonderful and long drawn out welcome home reunion for everyone there. Needless to say, it was hard to stay on track and I was so caught up in trying to stay with The Plan that I neglected to monitor my water intake as well...

I woke up to a wicked headache and damp everything in the back of my truck. Too bad I couldn't absorb water through osmosis, because I left my windows down as I slept and it poured all night :(

After dropping my dogs off at home I headed up to the barn to muck out. It was very humid with scattered showers and it wasn't helping my headache. It took me 3.5 hours to do all the chores and I must have hauled 8 wheelbarrows from the stalls. I guess I had forgotten how heavy hay bales and muck tubs are!! It was like weight lifting only dirty and dusty. I must have filled up my water bottle half a dozen times.

This weekend taught me two things: you can never be too prepared (bring meals along ANYTIME I'm traveling) and DON'T FORGET TO DRINK!!

bbq blues

Today was a hard day, my legs and butt are KILLING me from yesterday's workout. Having beach volleyball playoffs later that day didn't help, although I slept like a rock! Stupid DOMS has set in and I feel like the tin man. Its kind of funny though, because the pain serves to remind me what I need to do to stay on track.

I arrived at my buddies' bbq tonight, to a spread of chips, snacks, booze, and salads. There was no avoiding consumption of some of these items so my plan was moderation. I avoided the chips and dips completely, but accepted the cheeseburger and loaded up with lettuce and a spoon of potato salad. To avoid the alcohol I kept my glass of water full and cold.

This was no easy task, and I'm worried about the upcoming weekend. I'm heading up to a campground for an escape and a party. I hope the weather holds up so I can relax and read, and I can figure out how I can stick with The Plan.

**Book of choice for the pool this weekend: The China Study, T. Colin Campbell PhD
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

the 30 day challenge

So today JJ hits me with the 30 day challenge to stick to the meal plan 100%... I even had to pinkie swear!! I received the email with the nutrition info a few months ago, I made some changes to my diet but didn't really commit.

Today is Day 1 and right now I feel pretty good, I even think this is do-able! The meal plan I'm following can be found on the nutrition tab, and I will update daily.

I have also committed to 30 minutes of cardio PER DAY! Thankfully I play on a couple sports teams etc. that can count towards that. I want to avoid treadmills so I am on the hunt for fun activities... Suggestions welcome!!

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar