Patience Young Grasshopper...

First off, let me apologize for not writing as consistently as I would like to. Work has been pretty crazy and will be until the end of the month, so I've had little time to myself. I am really looking forward to having my routine back on track.

The last week or so has been scattered in terms of my training and eating. I came out with guns a-blazing and had been sticking with my workouts and meal plans, but I allowed stress and fatigue to catch up with me. The last few days has been a string of eating out at restaurants and taking time off from the gym. If anyone doesn't believe that exercise can make you feel amazing, start doing it and then stop cold turkey. I have been feeling so disgusting today that I can't wait to workout tomorrow and drink 100 gallons of water!

I won't lie. Eating out is fun. Going to restaurants and being social and not worrying about calories is wayyy more enjoyable than having to be a responsible adult and choose your food wisely. In a typical gym session at the gym, I usually burn 500-700 calories. I can eat that much and then some within a few bites at a restaurant. Personally, when I'm in that 'fun mode', I really don't think about being healthy and instead convince myself that I've been good all week and deserve a break. In truth, that's just the old me trying to sneak back in. And I have to remember to beat that bitch back down with a carrot stick.

But despite this hiccup, my progress has been pretty good! I'm down 5 lbs for the week (a lot of this is a result of drinking more water) and my sleep pattern has been getting much better. I'm usually in bed by 10 which is a big improvement for me. What I love about what I'm doing this time around is that I'm much more accepting and patient with myself.  Now I just feel like I'm learning more about myself and how to make this life change permanent without making it unenjoyable.

Tomorrow is the start of a new week and a new chance to get it right. I feel that every day I do this, I'm getting a little bit better than I was the day before. For anyone else who is also working towards becoming healthier, I think it's really important to be patient. This is not to say that we should take it easy on ourselves---keep pushing beyond your limits. But ultimately, you are your own teammate in your fitness journey and treat yourself like you would someone you want to inspire to do their best.

New week. New meal plan. New workout schedule. Bring it.

Thanks for reading everyone. Happy training ;)

I. Am. So. Tired.

I can't lie. I'm exhausted. I've been working 6 days a week at my job and in my free time, burning the candle at both ends. This has been a huge wake up call for me. I had this vision that I would pick a date to start my plan and then everything would be flowers and unicorns from there on out. Of course it would be challenging in the gym and staying on my diet but for the most part, things would run smoothly. As it turns out, this is going to require a much bigger lifestyle change than I had anticipated.

I'm a night hawk and it's totally normal for me to stay up until at least 11 p.m. every night...Oh ya, and I'm not a morning person! This is a terrible combo when your involved in an undertaking that requires a lot of preparation and focus. I was so excited to get everything started this week and I've been shocked at just how difficult it's been. I feel like I've been walking a tightrope the last few days---constantly off balance. So that's what I'm going to work on. Balance!

This might be the part where in the past that I would determine that this was just 'too hard' or 'not a good point to start something like this'. In essence, I would quit. But not this time. I recognize that there some problems with my lifestyle that are not condusive to achieving my goals. Bottom line, I want this more than anything in my life right now. Aside, of course, from my friends and my family, this is what is the most important thing to me. I have to find a way to make this work.

So I am going to try something I've never done before. Sunday-Thursday I'm going to aim to be in bed by 9 p.m. and get to bed as early as possible on Friday and Saturday. This might not seem like a big deal to some people but this is going to be a huge challenge for me. I honestly can't remember the last time I went to bed that early...maybe when I was sick? haha

I said when I started this that I would be honest. And honestly, I feel a little overwhemed yet oddly excited. I'm not usually someone who likes change but in this case, I think I need it. Not having a lot of free time and being on a tight schedule is going to be a constant in my life but I don't need to let that control my life or goals. I will have to make some sacrifices to get to the finish line!

I will let you guys know how this goes. I don't know how I feel about becoming a boring old lady, but if that's what it'll take to get a killer body, then so be it! I said I would post some pics of fitness/wellness products I like and I will do that, but I'm going to need a buy a new camera cord. I will for sure have them posted this weekend....they're soooo awesome! I think you'll like em. ;)

Once again, thanks for reading. Not only do I want to make myself proud, but I want to make everyone following this journey proud too! It's on!