My weight has always been a struggle for me. I know what to do and how to do it, but I get to the point where I want cake, cookies and other fattening things on top of that my workout routine gets interrupted and it is hard for me to get back on track. Since I have gone through being at my goal weight to being not at my goal weight several times over, I thought I would share what I have discovered over these years.
I must start off by saying…It does not matter what you do to lose weight (keto, Adkin’s, intermittent fasting, low-carb, etc.) safely, just be consistent. What does being consistent mean? Get a routine and stick to it the best you can. In my workout history I have worked out as little as 3 times a week to as much as 6 days a week. Do what you can do, but do something. (At this time, I’m preaching to myself with that one lol)
When I lose weight and people ask me what I did to get the pounds off I say “Exercise and eat right.” Because literally that has been what I do each time. I may have different exercise routines or diet, but it all involved the same thing, movement and fresh, whole foods.
When it comes to eating right I always had to break up with food (lol), limit my sweets (candy, cakes, pies, cookies, etc.), and limit and/or omit processed foods (chips, white pasta, junk, etc.). I always had to add more water, fruits and vegetables. Depending on if I was eating meat I would eat lean meats and seafood. I have had effective results with and without eating meat. (Eating plant-based has many health benefits, but that is a discussion for a later time).
My exercise journey has always started with my mind set. Basically my WHY.
I had different whys at different points in my life. When I was having a birthday party for myself in 2017, I wanted to look a certain way so I was hyper focused on my eating and exercise. Others times my why is simply, my clothes getting too tight and I am not about to go buy a bigger size because of it. At this time in my life I am needing to focus on my health for me and my family.
So what it comes down to is I make a decision about what I want to do, WHY, and where it will fit in my schedule in order for me to realistically get it done, consistently. Basically, I am not a 5:00 a.m. riser and the times that I tried to get up early to workout, I have not been successful, when it comes to consistency. Five a.m. ish may be the best time for you. I would recommend for you to look at what works for you and plan accordingly. I have seen people walking during their lunch. Figure out what works for you and work it. That’s what I have discovered after trial and error over all these years. I prefer to exercise after work before I set foot in my home. At one point in my career that involved me having to find a gym that had a daycare because I had to pick my boys up right after work. For that phase of my life I had a routine that worked for me that consisted of, when I got off of work, I picked my boys up from my mom’s, drove straight to the gym, dropped them off in the gym daycare, changed into my workout wear, took a class if I got there on time, after the class, lift weights or not, then sat in the sauna for at least ten minutes, picked my kids up and headed home to make dinner all before 6:00 p.m. At that time, that was the routine that worked for me.
During quarantine this year, things were a little different. When my summer vacation started, as soon as I woke up, my kids and I went out for a walk. I was laser focused. At that time I was on a mission to lose the baby weight (my WHY/mindset) so it didn’t matter what time we finally made it out of the house that morning or how hot it was, we got up and took a walk. No thought needed. The boys were on their bikes, and my daughter was in her stroller with her Cheerios, banana and water.
Now, once I went back to work, we were no longer able to maintain that routine and I have yet to establish another one, but I’ll figure something out soon, because my pants are getting too tight, lol!!!
Well, that’s all I have for now, I hope this helped. Look out for another post on the eating programs I have tried like Whole 30, Vegan B4 6:00 by Mark Bittman, and The Ten Day Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith. They were all effective. I just like to try things mainly, out of curiosity, to see if it will help me achieve the body I want and they all have.
Just to get you started, here are a few youtubers I like for exercise and health. There are so many people with FREE health and fitness information out there, but these are just a few of the ones I really like. Let me know if you check any of them out and/or your favorite health and wellness influencers! Feel free to check out my boards on Pinterest, I have a few dedicated to health and fitness!
Check these out, if your heart so desires! Love you, TheRLSLife.com
Billy Blanks Tae Bo Fitness
Superherofitnesstv
TiffanyRotheWorkouts
Dayna Bolden on Instagram has a fitness challenge beginning 1/11/2021 Define Bold
Comments