A month is a long time for someone who is eager to look sexy and not see the results. I know that I sound utterly ridiculous, but I just need to tell you the truth because if you are on a similar journey you probably have the same expectations. Well forget about it kid. You're still chub, but don't worry because in a few months shit is gonna get real tight. How do I know.... because it has begun.
My first 30 days:
Diet & Weight
On March 16th I began a ketogenic diet. If you don't know what it is, google it. Summed up it's similar to the Atkins diet; it is slow carb, with high (healthy) fat, and of course proteins. I retrained my body to burn fat for fuel instead of relying on the ever present (very unhealthy) carbs I was inhaling. The first 2 days I had massive withdrawals, also known as the keto-flu. My body was basically addicted to carbs and was searching for a new source of energy. The result is having all the shitty flu symptoms: headache, extreme soreness, lethargy, etc. I went to work and I even worked out one day. Was it worth it? Yes! I lost 7 lbs in the first week. That was mostly water weight. Regardless of what type of weight was lost, when I feel lighter I am more physically active and that was my goal. I intentionally started keto to motivate myself right out of the gate. It worked. I weighed 159 lbs when I began, and got down to 152 lbs. After 2 weeks I began incorporating more carbs back into my diet. Initially I was taking in less than 50 grams of carbs a day and I increased it by eating good stuff like sweet potatoes and other veggies.
I did have "junk" from time to time, but it was in moderation. I ate sushi several times and a few small doses of sugary snacks. I regretted every moment though. Sugar gives me headaches.
I had a piece of bread at some point and a severe headache immediately followed. For 2 days I wondered if my body would ever have another normal bowel movement. Ya, I said it. I had such extreme gas and bloating it was not only uncomfortable, it was painful at times. I am happy to report that I have cut out breads and wheat entirely. My energy is much cleaner. I can hardly believe I fed myself that stuff on the regular. My body clearly hates it.
Mood/Motivation
It was almost impossible to not be motivated to go to the gym. I did several things that work for me to stay in a state of eagerness to get to the gym.
1) Consistently talk about the gym
I talk to my younger brother daily about diet and exercise. I mention him first because I don't know anyone more dedicated to their goals than he is. We both do crazy shit and go to extremes. It is really nice to have someone to relate to on that level. We talk about how we're feeling, whether we are feeling sore, barfy, or badass. We discuss what we're doing now and what we plan to do in the near future to reach our goals. We get excited together, we share the ups and the downs. Each conversation is organic, we never said "hey, lets keep each other accountable" we just found that we enjoyed talking about everything muscle related.
I talk to my boyfriend about my goals. I am an out loud dreamer so he hears things like, "What if I had bigger shoulders than you?" "Babe, what if I land on the cover of a fitness magazine in two years?!" "Do you think I can get rid of my cellulite by summer?" He loves the conversations we have, and he's stoked that I am finally enthusiastic about the same thing he is.
I text my girl friends my progress pictures. It feels good to have the ego stroked with their praises and responses. I only do this with my friends who are in full support of my journey and are on their own path to physical fitness. It keeps me motivated and I hope it pushes them to keep going too. I like having a few sisters in the newb trenches with me.
2) Listen to workout music before going to workout
If I'm at home and already nestled in on the couch with my laptop and my body is warmed up by the food I just devoured, all I need to hear is a few bar lines of Eminem and you better be ready if you're coming with me.
3) Change the internal dialogue
I relate to myself like a beast. My internal dialogue is pure acknowledgments of my own power, my capability, and my ability to push myself further than most people do. I can either be my worst critic or my best friend. My thoughts are all made up anyway, so I might as well make it something good.
4) Get inspired
I probably watched over a hundred workout/posing/fitness videos of other women. I looked at countless images of female fitness models, and researched a dozen new exercises. I knew it was important to stay in the conversation, meaning keep the idea of muscles on the mind. Habits are all about changing one's neurological makeup. To do so I needed to feed my brain on the topic of fitness as much as possible. In the beginning, it's all about bulking mentally. I know some women can't look at other women's fit physiques and be inspired by them. I am glad that's not the case for me. By looking at other physiques I am inspired to see what my own genetics are capable of. What can I carve from the inside out?
I will let you in on a personal secret I have kept to myself for two years. When I get demotivated, down, or lazy I say only two words to myself that alter the trajectory of the next 3 hours of my life, impress myself. It's Game On after that. I become unstoppable.
5) Think long-term
My plan isn't to get skinnier or fitter for summer. No siree! This is all for the desire to be hot for the rest of my life. I had to remind myself that even though the first 30+ days would be tough, it is for the sole purpose of creating new habits. Habits of eating healthy, establishing self control to avoid horrible foods, getting to the gym consistently, and creating new routines that would get me to where I wanted.
6) Never lose site of the short term
This is probably my #1 most important habit that I have created for myself these last 30 days. I have only recently become a goal oriented person, but instead of "goals" it is more so feelings that I chase. When I want to feel a certain way I am more likely to take actions to get me to a feeling. My number one motivator for each day was to get to that feeling of buttery-exhaustion. You know, the feeling of playing so hard that you walk to your bed, pull back the sheets, slip your legs under the covers, and immediately fall into the abyss of deep slumber? I chase that feeling daily. I want to achieve mind-numbing exhaustion from the pursuit of pushing against physical resistance of the weights. I no longer want to be tired due to mental exhaustion of a long day at work. I am over that feeling. I hated that my full time job had that level of power over me. So to have physical exhaustion be in a race to the finish line with mental exhaustion, I stepped up my gym game. It worked. I sleep like a baby rock.
Measurements
Overall I lost 3.4" in 30 days. I feel better than I did last month. There is still yet a long way to go, and it is a bit daunting at times. I might be saying that right now because I'm simply beat. It feels good though. I don't have any guilt sitting here and relaxing, because here is the overall progress of the last month. |
Chest
Over the years my chest muscle strength has diminished. In high school I could easily crush 50 regular push-ups daily. Now it's a struggle to do more than 15 girl push-ups. I have a fear of losing breast size, but from past experience I don't expect it to decrease to anything less than a full B-cup. Let's be real though... I don't really care. On chest days I really focus on control and quality of my movements. My current max bench is 70 lbs.
Arms
As seen in the images below, I put on a noticeable amount of size in my arms with an increase of almost an inch. I love large arms and shoulders so every arm day I made sure to push it hard. On arm days I turn into Savage-Sarah, I get hungry for more weight.
Hips
Happy to say I can feel a significant decrease in my hips. The sides have slimmed down and my butt is starting to perk up and get firm. I don't feel that weird fat-bounce feeling on the sides any longer. The image below is me halfway through a leg-day workout at about day 23. At this point I had just finished 2 set of lunges, then 2 sets of double lunges (lunging twice per foot), and 3 sets of dead-lifts with a 20lb bar. Overall I lost 1/2" in my hips.
Waist
I did not focus on abs more than twice this last month. Why? Because if I am doing exercises with correct form I can engage my abs during those exercises. Squats: engaged my abs. Bicep curls: engaged my abs. Lunges: engaged my abs. Leg extensions: engaged my abs. Do you see a pattern? As my boyfriend would yell at me, "Squeeze, squeeze, SQUEEZE!" You can get the full benefit of an ab workout if you concentrate on engaging as many muscles in your body during one exercise, especially your core. It's where all your stabilizers are so you should be engaging them anyway.
With diet and exercise I had a 2" decrease in my waist. As my brother would say, Bangarang Rufio!
Thighs
This is where my thunder lies dormant waiting for the storm. Just kidding, but it feels that way. I am really looking forward to having these babies the size of small countries. After a month I feel a significant increase in firmness. When I walk I can feel the full engagement of my hamstrings and quads. My walk feels less sloppy. Only someone working out would know that feeling. Try it if you haven't. The image below shows a picture of my spray tan, that helped me feel skinnier in the beginning. I can tell that my legs are smoothing out and the fat is burning off. See it?
The 30 Day difference overall is noticeable, slightly embarrassing, but noticeable.
I cringe looking at
If you've been thinking about establishing a fitness routine then start. If you need or want support, holla at me and we'll find what would motivate you the most.
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Xox,
Sarah
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