Today marks the 8th day of my 90 day challenge. Day 1 started great, as I spent the preceding weekend eating all the food that I knew I wasn’t going to eat for the next 90 days, and I was excited about the path that was ahead. As the excitement of starting something new subsided, however, the challenges began to rise. These were challenges that were easily avoidable, where I felt I was slapping my forehead every day for not planning better. The first two weeks are always the hardest when making substantial changes in your life. This is especially true when you change your eating regimen, as it takes some food two weeks to exit your system (such as wheat). This is probably true with working out, as well, but I’ve always been a ‘gym’ guy, so these 90 days are not a huge change for me in the way I lift weights
This week has also been filled with face palms. By that, I don’t mean failure at what I’m trying to do. I did not have any pizza that my family enjoyed yesterday for dinner. I just wasn’t well prepared for the challenges and situations I should have expected. To help you, I’ve listed some things you should look out for when starting this sort of regimen. Even though the bullets below seem like this sort of regimen isn’t worth it, note the first two weeks are about adjusting and finding your new ‘normal’. I write these below not as a show of defeat, but to show that these types of things should not stop you from continuing.
Speaking of exercise, someone asked me about what I’m doing for my exercise and weightlifting routine. While my original goal was to receive a focused, goal-oriented set of routines from a fitness trainer, that option had been delayed due to the snow (In other words, I had to cancel my appointment). I spent last week performing a full body workout 3 days of the week, while running 3 days. Last Sunday was spent as a ‘light’ day, where I jogged and did 60 chin-ups.
I spent 2013 focusing on improving my strength, and had great success following the teachings of Mark Rippetoe. For these 90 days, I’m going to see if I can focus on increasing muscle-mass while reducing body fat. Therefore, after experimenting with a full-body workout in week 1, I decided to move to lifting weights 4 days per week, keeping my runs at 3 days. I don’t really plan to share a specific routine on the blog, but I’m sure I’ll share parts as I move through the 90 days.
Photo: hobvias sudoneighm
This week has also been filled with face palms. By that, I don’t mean failure at what I’m trying to do. I did not have any pizza that my family enjoyed yesterday for dinner. I just wasn’t well prepared for the challenges and situations I should have expected. To help you, I’ve listed some things you should look out for when starting this sort of regimen. Even though the bullets below seem like this sort of regimen isn’t worth it, note the first two weeks are about adjusting and finding your new ‘normal’. I write these below not as a show of defeat, but to show that these types of things should not stop you from continuing.
- Prepare to be hungry. I felt the hunger urge multiple times throughout the day, although I admit the frequency of my hunger may not have been any higher than normal. I’ve always been the type of person who liked to eat every few hours. However, in the first few days, the time between feelings of hunger felt very short. Again, this could be more mental, in that before, I may have just threw a handful of Cheez-its in my mouth and went on with my day. Now, I’m really trying to understand what is going in my body, and avoid things I do not want to eat. Once you get used to your new eating schedule, the hunger feelings return to normal.
- Schedule your exercise time carefully or face the potential of weakness or a reduced result during your workout. I tend to go on a longer run on Saturdays (7-10 miles). Last Saturday, I planned to run about an hour after my lunch. However, I wasn’t able to get out until 4 hours after my lunch. I scrambled together a snack, hoping that would help, but when I hit mile 3, I was pretty weak. While I made it 8.5 miles, it wasn’t one of my better runs.
- Stock your pantry with the right foods. My pantry is filled with snacks that I can’t eat right now. From cheez-its to Trader Joe’s puffs, cinnamon rolls to bagel bites, I made a crucial error in having few items that I could snack-on during the day. I didn’t even have any eggs at the beginning of the week, which was a very large mistake. This forced me to eat more beef and chicken during the day, which I try to limit, as you should not be allowed unlimited meat on any particular day.
Speaking of exercise, someone asked me about what I’m doing for my exercise and weightlifting routine. While my original goal was to receive a focused, goal-oriented set of routines from a fitness trainer, that option had been delayed due to the snow (In other words, I had to cancel my appointment). I spent last week performing a full body workout 3 days of the week, while running 3 days. Last Sunday was spent as a ‘light’ day, where I jogged and did 60 chin-ups.
I spent 2013 focusing on improving my strength, and had great success following the teachings of Mark Rippetoe. For these 90 days, I’m going to see if I can focus on increasing muscle-mass while reducing body fat. Therefore, after experimenting with a full-body workout in week 1, I decided to move to lifting weights 4 days per week, keeping my runs at 3 days. I don’t really plan to share a specific routine on the blog, but I’m sure I’ll share parts as I move through the 90 days.
Photo: hobvias sudoneighm
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