Summer 5% Challenge Start (long)

I’m super excited that the Summer 5% Challenge started on Saturday, because I need to refocus in a big way. I haven’t exactly been gaining a lot of weight recently, but I have set aside many of the good habits I was trying to develop, which will lead to more gain over time.

I’m a little behind in getting my challenge plan together (it’s day 5 already!) but better late than never. Over the weekend, I helped to clean our old four bedroom house with our old roommate. Let me tell you, the difference between cleaning a two bedroom apartment and a house is HUGE!! We spent literally 20 hours cleaning in two days. So I did not have time for Spark. But I did make sure to drink plenty of water (it’s the Living the Good Life Challenge this week!) and got in lots of moving while cleaning.

Challenge Assignments

#1 Get things ready, make a workout plan and a food plan, challenge commitment on page {I made sure to keep all of my workout clothes and items handy while packing and so far, I have everything I need to be successful in the challenge for exercise. Also, the kitchen is completely unpacked at the new house (it’s the only room!) so I should be good to create healthy meals at home. My workout plan is to attend morning boot camps three days a week and follow my marathon training running plan four days a week. If I’m feeling up for it/have time, I would like to throw in some biking but that’s all extra credit. I will meal plan at the beginning of the week and have at least four dinners home cooked. I will make good decisions when I go out to eat and only have one real cheat meal out. The main problem will be alcohol as I really enjoy a drink at the end of a hard day and the weekends usually involve multiple drinks. I would really like to work on getting more vegetables and whole foods into my diet during this challenge. I already am really good at breakfast and lunch, just need to limit my donut stops to once a month.}

#2 Update Spark Page {Done, will add new pictures after I unpack my computer}

#3 Reasons you want to lose weight: {I want to lose weight to stay healthy and look good. I want to have the energy to keep up an active lifestyle (running, biking, hiking, etc) and I want to enjoy those activities and the feeling of being in control of my body, my muscles. I love when I can literally feel my body respond to a request to move. I also really want to be happy with how I look. I want to wear clothes that accentuate my body, not hide it. One of my new hobbies is fire dancing and I want to look sexy while doing it.}

#4 Trigger foods: {My trouble foods/areas are drinking, donuts and eating dinner out. When we drink, I try to have a glass of water handy as well so I can alternate my sips and I try to avoid super sugary drinks. Donuts are simply going to require more self control. I drive past my FAVORITE donut shop every day on my way to work and sometimes stop in once a week! And I usually can’t decide so I get two donuts instead of one. My plan for the challenge is to limit my stopping to once a month. I will drive a different route to work twice a week and will only drive by the donut shop on days that I go to boot camp (less temptation if I just worked out for an hour lol). I usually agree to dinner out when I’m not in the mood to cook and on weekends. I will combat this by being honest with myself and having some fast meal backups in the freezer. I’m usually pretty good about putting together a meal list on Sunday and grocery shopping.}

#5 Calorie cutting tips and tricks {I try to always have gum with me for when I’m bored but not hungry. I eat lunch in everyday at work and try to limit my dressings and cheese.}
#6 Reasons/excuses why it hasn't worked in the past, new strategy {Life always gets in the way. The best way I can think to minimize this is to treat each day like a day. If I messed up yesterday, I can do better today.

#7 Body measurements {My measuring tape is packed, but I have measurements from my boot camp (will post after I get the email) and I know my starting weight: 150.6 lbs. This means I need to lose about 7.5 pounds in 8 weeks.}

#8 Motivational quote: No matter what time it is, it’s too early to quit. See more of my favorites at: http://pinterest.com/kelseyl/f
itness/