I’ve got one good week under my belt since Extreme Fitness General Manager and Trainer Stephanie Joanne kicked my workout and diet into high gear. If you’ve been following my blog you’ll know that I’ve been on a mission to drop-kick the dead weight I gained while carrying baby #2.
You will also know if you’ve been following my blog that I really like food.
Usually the bad kind.
The kind there are no pictures of on Canada’s Food Guide.
So I was a teensy bit TERRIFIED when Stef showed me what I would be eating for the next month. It seemed to be heavy in the area of quinoa, chicken and greens and light on wraps, yogurt (none actually) and chocolate (although I was given the reluctant go ahead to munch on an ounce of dark chocolate in cases of severe craving emergencies…and I might add I haven’t even gone there yet).
But as much as I’d like to complain (and I do if you happen to be stuck beside me for more than 10 minutes) I am not starving. As a matter of fact, aside from two or three moments of weakness I’ve been pretty much in control of my crazy eating habits this past week.
Wanna know why?
Firstly, I’m eating constantly.
I had always been a three meal, two snack a day kinda girl but Stef has changed the timing of my meals so that I basically have two breakfasts and two lunches (jealous?). The timing has made all the difference because now I eat before and after my morning workout. I also eat twice in my most vulnerable time slot of day. Between 1 and 4pm I have visions of Snickers bars and chocolate-covered almonds dancing in my head. And we all know when you’re hungry you are way more likely to cave in to cravings. But I eat after I’m done taping CityLine (about 12 or 12:30pm) and eat again between 3:30 and 4:30pm.
This timing shift has done wonders for my psyche! I guess it’s been good for my body too because I feel leaner than I’ve felt in a long time.
Secondly, I’m eating more calories than I was before.
The foods I’m eating now though are in their purest form and my workouts are pretty intense so I can use the extra calories. I’m also eating a lot of clean protein which I think is filling me up quite effectively.
When I had read in magazines that protein makes you feel full longer I always thought they were lying. But I guess it’s the quality of protein that makes the difference.
Fitness-wise things have been great.
I feel like I’m gaining strength. Even though I always work out in the morning I have a little trick that motivates me to work my core in the afternoon. When I come home from work and I’m done taking off my everything (eyelashes, clothes, make-up) I put workout clothes on. Then even though I may be flipping through my PVR to catch up on Oprah I’m still motivated to do some core work. I’ll get into plank position during commercial breaks instead of speeding past the ads or I’ll sit in a V until my stomach gets all shaky and see how long I can last. Or my own personal favourite (NOT!) writing the alphabet with my forearms on a stability ball in plank position. Ouch. Somehow Oprah makes all of this more bearable.
Three weeks to go and I’m psyched!
Of course I was also really excited for this week’s reward…a weekend out to celebrate my husband’s birthday! I felt no guilt ordering whatever I wanted on the menu because I knew I had earned it.
If you want to see how Stef has affected the lives of us Citytv / Omni employees you can catch it this Tuesday on CityNews. That’s Citytv at 6pm on Tuesday, April 12th.
And yes I’m wearing a little makeup. I don’t usually do that while I’m working out…but cameras were there and quite frankly I’m vain.
Now it’s Stef’s turn:
Its April 9th….9 days down…and I couldn’t have better things to report. Bad habits are being broken and we are laying some serious groundwork for a lifestyle change.
As a trainer, this is what it’s all about. I have my clients for 2-3 hours a week (if I’m lucky) but what they do the other 165 hours a week is up to them. With this in mind I try to coach them toward a lifestyle that works for them and not against them. I always ask this question: how much better will you FEEL those other 165 hours when your body is full of energy and life? When you are not thinking about what you wish you did or didn’t do? When you just feel good! That’s how you are supposed to feel…GOOD!
In order to do this with Tracy, I had to start from the very beginning. I planned out her entire day from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed and everything in between. This way we can plan ahead to make sure we guarantee results. Just like anything in life, if you leave it to chance, you don’t have control of the results (and I NEED to have control of the result). The first time I showed her what her day looked like after I had it all mapped out she nearly fell over…BUT now it’s finally sinking in. There is a reason why you feel the way you feel and crave what you crave. It’s just about being mindful and allowing yourself the time to plan your days and weeks ahead so fitness is just as important as everything else!
If there is one thing for you to take away from this it’s this:
Instead of keeping a journal about what you HAVE eaten, write down what you PLAN to eat. I find this a much more effective way to make sure you stick to your plan. Remember you don’t plan to fail…you fail to plan.
This week we managed to schedule in a Hot Yoga Dance Party class at Extreme Fitness. Next week we are going to Zumba! Luckily Extreme Fitness has the most amazing classes to help everyone along their journey. Who knows what we’d do without them. Happy to report….we are addicted to a great thing! Now that the weather is getting nicer we’re going to take some workouts outside! Awesome!
I have posted Tracy’s results and many other great tips and tricks of our journey on my blog at www.stephaniejoanne.com/blog-2
To check out Extreme Fitness please visit www.extremefitness.ca
Yours in health,
Stephanie Joanne
@sjsupplements
You can email me too at: contacttracy@cityline.ca
Tracy