What an interesting day to be giving an update on my personal fitness challenge, after I ate total junk this weekend! Ugh.
But really, it’s been two months since I started my personal fitness challenge in an effort to feel a little more like myself. My goals for the challenge are to get a handle on portion size, find alternatives for carbs, do one physical activity each day and drink more water.
The Overall Report
Overall, I still think I am doing pretty well. But, I’ll admit this month had more slips than last month. The first month, I allowed myself really no cheats, whereas I had approximately three cheat days this time. Still good!
I definitely had a much busier schedule this month, which makes it more difficult to be prepared with healthy foods and snacks, but also, when I’m up working at 1 am, it’s hard to eat apple slices instead of a drink a Diet Coke.
However, I still have had NO alcohol! I even went to a concert and a birthday party and drank only water. Win!
So yes, I did have veggie pizza and candy this weekend, but it’s all in a balance… today I’ll be back to micro greens, tomatoes, and kombucha. I made a large pitcher of unsweetened watermelon mint tea yesterday so that will be a good afternoon treat.
Getting My Daily Activity
The daily activity is coming naturally now — and sometimes necessary. I have been going to at least four yoga classes a week, walking some, and even rearranging furniture – ha!
Monday nights are the most difficult for me to get to yoga, but I’ve told myself that if I get there on Monday, it makes the other days easier. Plus, there’s really great TV on Monday nights, so watching TV is sort of my reward for getting yoga in.
I’ve noticed myself getting stronger, my yoga poses getting better… but have you ever noticed that as you get stronger, sometimes the workouts seem more difficult because you’re actually doing the moves correctly? I’m definitely feeling that lately.
At the start of this fitness challenge, I was really focused on burning calories… and while that’s still important, I also have embraced the mental health side of this as well. On Fridays, I’ve been going to restorative yoga, which I count as my physical activity even though there’s very little movement.
But, I’ve come to realize that my mental health is just as important, if not more, than my physical health. Especially during times of stress, I need to take that hour to breathe and meditate so I can continue to make healthy choices for my mind and body.
So, the water?
I am still sucking at this. I am slowly getting better and I bought some flavored water over the weekend, so I’m hoping that will help. It has always been a struggle for me, but I’ve been trying to put water at my desk, even when I’m drinking my morning coffee to sip on, just to get something in when I can.
I think the main lesson this month has really been about preparation. I went through a few spats where I just felt SO hungry, and I learned quickly that I need to have plenty of healthy snack options on-hand. When you’re vegan and eating low-carb, there better be plenty of protein bars, apples, almond butter, hummus, or anything possible!
I have enjoyed going to Trader Joe’s and Central Market and just picking up healthy snack options that keep me excited about food, but in moderation of course. I am still measuring everything, and I only had noodles once this month (and they were soba noodles with kale and veggies) — rice and pasta still sounds delish, of course, but I am happy to have found great alternatives.
This month, I’m going to focus on water and hydration — it’s getting warm out side, so this will be key. And I’m also going to need to work on my sleep schedule, as my work load has been turning me into a late-night-early-morning person, which leads to junk food cravings.
Here’s to month three!
The Bitter Lemon 