Pasta and crackers and waffles, oh my! Since my first show, I have taken a break from my super strict diet to let my body recover and to spoil myself with some deliciousness. A month has gone by and I have some photoshoots and my wedding coming up so it's time to get back on track. I intend to jump back into my eating and workout plan with vigor. This will be a true testament to my mental power as this will be the most stressful time of my life thus far. With a huge busy season at work, photoshoots and wedding events coming up, this is the time when the "old me" would reach for a box of triscuits and do work. However, this time, I intend to approach life's challenges with a new frame of mind and a new discipline. Exercise!
Since my show, I have been extremely committed into taking my body to the next level. Waking up at 5AM to get on the stairmaster and lifting weights during my lunch break have been my routine for the past few weeks. It has been exhausting but I have seen a change in my personality and stress level that I believe is directly related to my exercise regimen. As a side effect of this dedication, my fiancee has been motivated to get in the gym and is seeing results as well... this is a win-win people!
The exercise regimen has been more demanding than I was previously used to (this is a good thing!) but the real challenge for me is the diet. I have always been a "foodie" and intimately attached to my inner fat girl. My fiancee has been kind enough to point out that I hum like a happy little bird when I'm eating something delicious. However, I am the type of person who loves a challenge. I am easily bored with activities that don't require a good load of brain power. For me, saying "no" to a dinner roll smeared with cinnamon butter is the ultimate challenge.... damn, that makes me hungry. Back to the point I'm trying to make, this next week is the beginning of my clean eating regimen in preparation for the events coming up in my life. My hope is that by making this declaration publicly, I will be held accountable for my progress (sometimes, it's great to have a little fear of God in your mind when staring at the chocolate pudding in the fridge).
I plan to eat nothing but lean protein (fish, turkey, egg whites), plenty of veggies (my favorites are squash, spinach, zucchini, broccoli), carefully measured complex carbs (oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes) and water water water! Five or six small meals a day, a few hours apart, will keep my metabolism roaring and keep my blood sugar level. I know that these meals don't sound too terribly delicious but I'll share a few things that help these choices still taste delicious for me. My secrets to having delicious, exciting meals are as follows:
1. Cinnamon! Cinnamon on everything! I put it in my oatmeal, on my eggs and even in my coffee!
2. Onions and peppers, they add flavor to your meals with hardly any caloric content.
3. Tabasco! This has been my lifesaver while switching from regular eggs to egg whites.
The most important thing in my quest for eating healthy has been the planning. I now have a cooler that I cart from home to work and back daily filled with my prepared food for the day. This ensures that I never eat out of the vending machine in desperation. If I am absolutely starving for a snack, I am prepared! I like to cook in bulk for the week. I'll make a few filets of tilapia, a pound or two of ground turkey, a pot of brown rice or quinoa and I'm set. I include lots of fresh vegetables in my cooler that are easy to slice and put on a plate. Lean and mean, baby!
Every day is a new opportunity to test yourself. Do something that isn't in your daily routine and see how it affects your life. Make this new change something that challenges you, whether physically or mentally. As soon as something is easy, it's not as effective so step it up! Start some healthy habits. They will be inconvenient and challenging at first but they'll become part of your routine after time passes. I hope my words or the struggles I share may do something to inspire a fire in you.
Habits are safer than rules; you don't have to watch them. And you don't have to keep them, either. They keep you. ~Frank Crane
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