I have 48 days until we leave for the 2017 Success Club Rewards Trip to Punta Cana and I have been a little more relaxed in my nutrition over the past 3 weeks and I am ready to tighten it back up. My body responds best to low carb, high fat and protein nutrition so I basically am creating my own game plan. I decided to do the Hammer and Chisel Max 30 Hybrid Meal Plan and workouts that I actually created myself. I love the lifting in Hammer and Chisel and the cardio of Max30 so I’m putting that together as my workouts and pairing it with a paleo/21 day fix extreme portioned out meal plan. WHOOSH I know that sounds confusing but I can say with all honesty that I have tweaked, experimented and challenged myself with different nutrition plans and I think I have the right combination for me. The 1 piece of advice is this: You have to give a plan time to work! I have always given a program at least 3-4 weeks before making changes. Anytime you start something new your body has to adjust and you don’t always see progress in the first few weeks. For example when I started Hammer and Chisel I gained 2 lbs the first week because I was working muscles that I hadn’t worked in forever which was causing muscle soreness, swelling and it left me a little me exhausted at the end of the week. I didn’t give up, I didn’t let it bother me because I know that starting a new program is always like that. The second week you are not as sore, your body is adjusted to the new program and you can start crushing it more. You have to be patient in the process and realize that making a lifestyle change is not about a magic pill or secret sauce. It is about showing up and doing the work for longer than a week. It is having faith in the program and not getting impatient and changing the plan or nutrition before you give it time to work. I swear that our instant gratification society is really biting us in the butt when it comes to getting results. We have to learn to do to the work to make this a lifestyle change.
Even as I live the lifestyle know I find that I can get off track for a few weeks but then I always pull myself back together because I lack energy, I don’t feel mentally clear when I am eating too much processed sugars or breads and when I do not drink enough water I can feel it as well.
I traveled for work last weekend and that throws me off my routine. Every month I make my goals, I commit to my plan and I work on executing the plan by planning out my workouts and adding them to my calendar as if they are a meeting with my boss that I cannot miss. I write out my food plan and make a list of what I need to pick up at the grocery store for the next week. Lastly, I have a food journal with my tracking sheets so that I can write down everything I am eating, how I feel and review it at the end of each day. I know that if I want to make progress towards my goals I have to keep an accurate log of what I eat, when I eat and how I feel.
This weeks workouts:
Monday: Chisel Balance & 15 Minute Glute chisel
Tuesday: Max30 Cardio Challenge
Wednesday: Iso Speed Hammer
Thursday: Max30 Cardio Intervals
Friday: Total Body Hammer
Saturday: Max30 Cardio Challenge
Sunday: Rest Day
I workout at 5:30 am each morning so that I can have my workout out of the way before the kids wake up. I like to be showered and ready for breakfast with the kids before school. I get asked all the time how I have the energy to get my workout done in the morning. I drink the Beachbody Performance Energize right before my workout (15 minutes) and that gives me an extra boost I need to get my workout done.
For Breakfast: I typically have Shakeology with 6 oz of water, 4 oz of unsweetened coconut milk, 1 handful of spinach, 1 spoon of almond butter blended with the Chocolate Shakeology and topped with a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut. **To read more about what Shakeology is and how it can help you reach your goals check this article out that I wrote last week. Shakeology 101
2 1/2 hours later I will have a mid morning snack that is usually an apple with a spoon of almond butter or some vegetables cut up with a pre portioned blue container of hummus.
For lunch I typically have a salad with lots of veggies, grilled chicken and then the garlic vinaigrette dressing that is in the 21 Day Fix Manual. It is easy to make dressing at the beginning of the week and store in the fridge so you don’t have to make a new batch every time you need it for a salad.
Mid Afternoon is always the hardest and when I want to much the most. Green tea helps a lot to stave off hunger and I will have some veggies or a piece of fruit and some cashews as an afternoon snack.
Dinner is simple. I try not to overcomplicate the plan. I choose lean protein like ground turkey, fish, chicken, and flank steak and pair with the marinades from the workout programs nutrition guide. If you pair your protein with a side of steamed veggies and a baked sweet potato you are well rounded.
I try to make my last meal dinner and it is one of those things that I have to be very mindful to not munch and to drink my green tea and chug my water.
I do use the Beachbody Performance line Recharge at night because it drastically reduces my muscle soreness and helps me to continue to crush my workouts.
Here is my meal plan for the upcoming week. I’m all about keeping it basic and truthfully my kids basically eat the same dinners but I vary their lunch, breakfast and snacks to meet their needs.
Here is my hybrid meal plan which is very paleo-like but I still am getting in all the right containers through the week as well.
So follow me on social to see how my plan is going and I will be going live, giving tips and updates all week long.
If you would like support & accountability in your fitness journey you can join one of my monthly support groups.
Complete the application here to check them out: [gravityform id=”4″ title=”true” description=”true”]