It is February 1st. My goal for January 2012, to drink absolutely no alcohol, has officially been completed successfully! I am actually really proud of myself, as I had gotten into a little bit of an alcohol habit. I don’t know if I can really say that I feel better or healthier, but I am happy with myself that I did it, anyway.

This month has taught me that a beer or glass of wine or two per night (which is what I was doing), is not a requirement, and not something I really want. Even though I love a glass of red wine, and trying new microbrews, I’m going to reserve alcohol consumption for special occasions - this month, my birthday. :)

It is pointless to go out and have a drink or two, especially if I’m driving (that is just unnecessary risk). Still, when I’m drinking to get “drunk,” I don’t want to get totally crazy (like I used to - trust me, too many embarrassing moments). It is unnecessary calories and cost that I just don’t need right now. 

Bottom Line: I went completely teetotal in January, and though it was a pretty easy goal, it shows a “No Thank You” goes a long way. And I’m super proud of myself.

I’m so excited to do this challenge. :)

Here are my goals/rules:

• Get my sweat on for at least 30 minutes a day at least 4 days a week
  • Running, Elliptical
  • Every Sunday schedule in my workouts for the week
• Eat a clean meal every 2-3 hours (4-5 meals a day, 1200-1500 calories)
  • Eat pure protein with 2-3 of my meals
    • Meat, tofu, Greek yogurt, nuts, eggs
  • Eat pure carbohydrates with 1-2 of my meals
    • Oatmeal, Kashi, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat English muffins
  • Eat at least one type of fruit or veg with each meal
  • Cut out all added salt and sugar
  • Cut out all white flour
• Drink 4 liters of water per day
• Drink 1-5 cups of decaf green tea a day
• Limit Diet Coke consumption to 3 cans per week
• Limit alcohol indulgence to one evening per week
• Schedule in 0-2 cheat meals a week
  • If I plan on cheating also plan on what I will be having before the day
• Say“No thank you” to treats that are unplanned
• Ditch your excuses, it’s only 30 days - I’ll live

Most of these are taken directly from the suggestions, but I liked them, and think that I will be able to adhere to them.

However, I am taking a vacation from February 17-23, and while I believe I’ll still be able to eat well, it won’t be as strict. Furthermore, I know I will be consuming more alcohol than I should and probably will not get an opportunity to exercise. So, I’ll have to really hit the challenge hard before and after this vacation.

Like with exercise scheduling, I’m going to try my hand at meal planning on Sunday for the entire week. This is something I’ve been wanting to try, but haven’t, and now seems to be the perfect time. This will give me the chance to go to the store on Sundays and purchase what I need for the week.

Good luck, everyone! I’m exciting to be on this journey with you all! xx

thefameofhealthandfitness:

With this challenge I will provide some guidelines but please note, I’m not a trainer and I’m not a nutritionist, but I am person who is passionate about health and fitness and I have worked hard to get to where I am.

How you design this challenge is in your hands. I will provide you with some suggestions and examples to help guide you but ultimately you will be the person setting your goals for the next 30 days. You don’t have to prove anything to me or other readers, you just need to prove to yourself that you are capable of doing what you set out to do, because you are. Mistakes, missed meals or workouts, unplanned cheats or temptations might happen. And if it does, don’t focus on the bump in the road, focus on getting over that bump and right back on track. Each meal, workout, hour of sleep, and each day is a new opportunity to learn from your mistakes. It’s an opportunity to reflect on each situation and to devise a plan for success when you get your second chance. There’s always another opportunity for change and become a better version of yourself. Only you know the direction you want to go in and only you know where you’re currently standing.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS 30 DAY CHALLENGE:

1. Get your sweat on for 30-120 minutes a day for 4-6 days a week (you can use your own program or something you found in a magazine. But whatever you choose, it needs to be consistent for the next 4 weeks).
2. Every Sunday schedule in your workouts for the week
3. Eat a clean meal every 2-3 hours (5-7 meals a day) (check out Tosca Reno’s EAT CLEAN DIET book, Oxygen magazine, my recipes/meals’ pages, or the Clean Eating magazine for some guidelines)
4. Eat protein with 3-7 of your meals
5. Cut out all added salt
6. Cut out all added sugar
7. Cut out all white flour
8. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every day
9. Drink 1-2 glasses of water with each meal
10. Drink 1-5 cups of decaf green or white tea a day
11. Avoid drinking alcohol if possible
12. Drink coffee before your workout if you need an extra boost (avoid energy drinks)
13. Prepare all your meals the night before
14. Schedule in 0-2 cheat meals a week (FYI: cheat “meal” does not equal a day)
15. If you plan on cheating also plan on what you will be having before the day
16. Say “No thank you” to treats that are unplanned
17. Eat your last meal 1-3 hours before bed
18. Take your measurements in the AM (on Monday, January 30th or Tuesday, January 31st) and again when the challenge ends. Measurements can include: photos in a bikini, using a measuring tape to measure your body (e.g., thighs, chest etc.), the scale, body fat %, try on a tigher pair of jeans etc. This is up to you but I don’t recommend you just use the scale! It is not the best indicator of your hard work.
19. Try your best
20. Give it your all
21. Ditch your excuses, it’s only 30 days - you’ll live

RULES FOR THE CHALLENGE!!!

RULE #1: If you are joining this challenge you will need to make a post on your blog stating what your goals are for the next 30 days (feel free to “steal” the NO EXCUSES picture and repost it on your blog).

For example:

• I will cook all my meals and bring my lunch to work every day
• I will drink 500ml before I arrive at work every day
• I will not drink alcohol during the next 30 days
• I will workout 5 days a week for 60 minutes
• I will have one cheat meal on ____________ and it will be 2 pieces of pizza from ____________.
• I will go to bed by 9:00PM Sun-Thur

RULE #2: You will need to post at least once a week (if not several times a week) how your challenge is going.

RULE #3: You MUST be honest. Honesty is key to change. If you mess up, reflect on it, get back to it, and do better the next time.

RULE #4: You need to TAG your challenge posts with #noexcuseschallenge so myself or any reader can see how you’re doing. Remember, we are all here together on the same journey towards health. No judgement.

RULE #5: Measure yourself at the end of your 30 days (in the same fashion you measured yourself originally) and make a post about your results. This could include your measurements, how your clothes fit, how your body or mind feel, personal realizations, etc.

RULE #6: Have fun and enjoy your journey!

I love this! I’m going to think of some goals and post tomorrow…

The first half of this week wasn’t the greatest. I wasn’t keeping very good track of what I was eating, and I didn’t work out at all. But, by Friday I had definitely turned this week around. I’m proud to say that I had a lot of temptation this weekend food-wise, and did not cave. I kept my caloric intake around an appropriate amount and monitored my portions. I think I’m going to keep a running tally of “days of good eating” (as opposed to “days binge-free”, because of the negative connotations associated with binge) to keep me motivated.

And, I went for a run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Thank goodness tomorrow is my rest day!)

I’m feeling really motivated and positive, and having a training schedule for my half-marathon is getting me even more excited. Tomorrow I’ll be posting my starting stats mostly just to keep myself accountable and to be able to monitor my progress (because trust me, these are numbers that I am not proud of).

On this note, I weighed myself Thursday (or Friday?) morning and I’m hoping I dropped a little bit this weekend because I was so dedicated. We’ll see.

A look ahead…

Training Week of January 23 - 29
Mon.     Tues.     Wed.     Thurs.     Fri.     Sat.     Sun.     Total
off         2.5M      2.5M     2.5M       off      2.5M    2.75M   12.75M

Officially, 254 days until the half marathon!

My training will officially start Monday, January 23rd, and that will be 36 weeks until the event. The training will mostly just be to run regularly and slowly build up some mileage.

My official half-marathon training will begin on July 9th, 12 weeks before the event. I will be using this training plan from Cool Running. It’s based on distance, which is different than any training I have previously done.

Based on this site, my pre-training schedule should look like this (for at least 4-5 weeks):

                Mon.  Tue.  Wed.  Thu.  Fri.  Sat.  Sun.
Pre-Train   Off     3M     4M     4M     Off  3M    5M

Currently, I run about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes (wah-wah.) so I’ll be focusing on building up my mileage, especially to that 5 mile long-run. I’ll be making up a schedule and some goals over the weekend, so that I can keep focused.

By the way, if you’ve never used Cool Running before, I definitely recommend it. I did their Couch to 5K plan years ago, and though running and I have had our quarrels, Cool Running was the initial motivator!

My half-marathon has an official date!!!! September 30, 2012.

Now I can start an official countdown! —> 255 days!!!!

Will be registering as soon as I can spare $45… :)

It’s been an OK week.

Good
made a delish dinner (shepard’s pie) and had leftovers for 3 days
thought about what I was eating…

Bad
ran/exercised only twice this week
…but didn’t always make the right decisions.

Cravings are getting the better of me, and being in a horrible mood all week hasn’t helped. Hoping once I get more into a schedule with my life (class, work), I’ll be able to get my eating back on track.

Alright, so it’s the first week of 2012. I can’t beat myself up about what I didn’t/did do; I’m trying to run/lose weight the right, healthy way, and I can’t expect to get it perfect on the first try. Let’s reflect.

GOOD
thought more consciously about what I put in my gob.
didn’t binge in the morning or afternoon all week.
worked out/moved my ass each day Monday-Friday.
drank more tea/water.
didn’t drink any alcohol even though I really, really wanted to last night.

BAD
ate too much for 3 days of the last week.
“binged” in the evening for all 3 days (the hardest part of my day!).
didn’t eat enough when I was controlling my portions, which led to my evening binges.
pushed myself too hard on my workouts (yesterday my calves were so sore).

TO IMPROVE
find a balance for exercising and eating - more at breakfast & lunch = no evening binges.
exercise (run) a little easier - no injuries and can continue a good workout routine.
start counting my calories - between 1,200-1,500 calories/day and eat more regularly throughout the day.

It’s Friday. It’s 50 F. The sun is shining. I’ve downed some coffee. I’m about to strap on my running shoes, leash up my pup and hit the road for a 30 minutes jaunt.

Life’s not too bad, I guess.

Werk it!

This is purely for myself, some inspiration to keep on the exercise/healthy eating path.

• Trip to Portland (February; visiting a friend I won’t have seen for 8 months)
• Interview for Nursing school (April/May)
• Summertime (of course)
• First half marathon (ultimate goal of this year; October)

Not a lot of my high school/college friends still live around my hometown (which I do), so they come back every couple months for holidays and what not. This is some on-going inspiration, to look better each time I see them.

Also, I’m finally earning some money again, so when I get some debt paid off, I want to be able to go shopping for some nice, real, good, sexy clothes that I’m not ashamed to wear.

Day 4 of no alcohol, and I haven’t even wanted a beer or glass of red wine. It has been surprisingly easy so far, which I’m sure won’t be the case halfway through January or when I go out with friends (which I haven’t yet this year…heh. heh.).

I may or may not be crazy, but I already feel better because of it. This could also be because I’ve worked out for the past three days straight. Who knows!

Either way, I’m happy with this decision.

Something I struggle with everyday.

Between Halloween and New Year’s 2011, I have been literally drinking alcohol like a fish, without any regard to what it was doing to my mind, body and decisions. My belly has expanded, my face has broken out, and I made more than one stupid choice.

I decided to start Sexy 2012 by going teetotal in January. Instead of red wine in the evening, I’ll have a pot of green tea. Instead of beer at the bar, I’ll have club soda. It’s kind of like a detox, and I’m hoping to shed a few pounds just by doing this. I’m also hoping that this month will lead to long-term changes, and I will drink much less alcohol when I am “allowed” to.

So, yesterday was the first day of no alcohol and it went swimmingly. Only 30 more to go.

Also, I definitely like the idea of having one major goal/per month of this Sexy 2012. Any ideas for the remaining months?

To kick start Sexy 2012, I’m following a strict low(er) carb, low calorie diet for 10 days. The following is my meal plan…

Breakfast [one of the following]:
- 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch; 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon and splash of skim milk
- 1 soft boiled egg; 1 piece of rye bread [toasted] 1 tsp of peanut butter/butter/jam

Snack:
- 20 raw almonds

Lunch [one of the following]:
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese; 10 carrots
- 1 cup of soup; 1 side salad

Dinner [one of the following]:
- 1/2 chicken breast; 1 side salad or serving of veggie; 1/2 cup quinoa
- small piece of salmon; 1 side salad or serving of veggie; 1/2 cup quinoa