It's been forever since I posted -- forever being a year and a half. So much has happened in that amount of time: I took a trip to Japan last year and have taken numerous little trips throughout the year (New York, Toronto, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Vegas, LA, ...the list goes on), I've moved into a management role at work (this is probably the biggest change), I've moved back home with mama (we haven't killed each other yet...)! There have been a lot of exciting changes and plenty to keep me busy. With my job being seasonal and so demanding of me to travel, it's difficult for me to stay in a routine with my workouts and nutrition. I try as hard as possible to keep consistent but sometimes life gets in the way and I've learned that THAT'S OK! I have to admit, it's easy for me to fall off the wagon during and after a trip, and I give myself the excuse that I don't have time to workout, and I don't have healthy options to choose from... so I eat what I like and somehow sitting on my ass becomes so much easier. I think this is fine and healthy every so often but I want to make sure I eventually get back into my routine and remember I want to stay healthy on the inside and out!
I think this past year I've become a lot better at really understanding what it is to have fitness and nutrition as a lifestyle. To be fair, as an athlete for as long as I can remember (literally, I can barely remember what I did with my spare time pre-softball), fitness and nutrition have probably been ingrained in me more than most people. But with my crazy travel schedule, it became really easy for me to say, "Forget the diet," for months at a time. My schedule might look something like: Boston --> New York --> SF --> Toronto --> New York --> SF --> Houston -->SF --> Atlanta, etc etc... within a two month period. After indulging on the road, I would come home and think it was pointless for me to workout or try to eat healthy when I would ruin my efforts as soon as I hit the road again.
Well, this past year is when I stopped making excuses. I found time to workout on the road and stopped telling myself I could indulge just because I was in another city with food I didn't have at home on the regular. Some of those foods weren't even worth it, if I'm being honest, and I definitely could have done without. Did I really WANT or NEED that enormous burger with bacon or was I just getting it because I thought traveling made me exempt from calorie consumption? Did I truly need that ice cream shake after my pizza?? I mean some of these things were definitely worth it, but I needed to keep in mind that I was eating because I was hungry and not stuffing myself just because. Let's be honest, that shake was no more delicious than one I could get at home but I never chose to get a shake at home. Why should this be any different?
I also started making a few little adjustments to my eating habits back home that honestly helped me so much. I felt like this healthy lifestyle at home was an investment and I didn't want to ruin it all on the road. You'd be surprised to see how small changes can make a big difference and they soon became my routine no matter where I was.
1) Eat a big breakfast.
There's a saying I like to follow -- "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." You want the majority of your calories to be consumer in the first half of the day when you'll be more active, not at night before you go to sleep.
2) Start the day with fruit and good fats.
My whole family knows I only eat fruit during the day and not the evening so that the nutrients have time to digest. You want fruit to be something you eat first so your body can absorb it first and it doesn't end up sitting on a bed of other foods in your stomach. Your body won't absorb the nutrients as much with a lot of other food being absorbed first. I also used to think I could eat whatever I wanted for breakfast -- I would literally have potatoes, bacon, eggs, and more every. single. day. This did not have a good outcome for me. Greek yogurt, fruit, granola, cinnamon, and 1-2 tbsps of PB have been my go-to breakfast lately. :) So good.
3) Don't eat after dinner.
I used to snack after diner like craaaaazy. It's almost like eating my dinner made me more hungry. And I always thought, well I have to have something sweet after a meal so let me basically have another meal of desserts. Yeah, that didn't work so well for my waistline.
4) Standing or walking after meals.
Try to not eat a huge meal and then immediately sit on and couch and watch TV until it's bed time a couple hours later. Watch TV while you stand or maybe take a 15 minute walk... This helps me digest and always makes me feel so much less bloated before bed.
5) Drink water!!!
Hydration is so so important. It keeps you full, it boosts your metabolism, it cleans out your system internally, helps your organs, clears your skin... the list goes on!
None of these are huge adjustments to my lifestyle but I've disciplined myself to stick to them and have noticed I've slimmed down and am less bloated.
I've ALSO switched up my workouts a bit so I'm doing more HIIT and less weight training but my workouts are still shorter! and I have to admit I'm still feeling strong but lean. This is what my current week looks like:
Monday: my own workout. Typically a jog mixed with sprint intervals ~1hr
Tuesday: 1 hr HIIT
Wednesday: 30-45 min HIIT
Thursday: 30 min weight training + HIIT
Friday: 45 min HIIT
Saturday: 15 min sprints/45 min Insanity or OFF
Sunday 15 min sprints/45 min Insanity or OFF
Sprints are usually hill sprints and I'll do as many as 7-12. I mix this is with some walking/jogging in my neighborhood and usually feel pretty good.
This was lengthy but hopefully helpful! I've been feeling lean and surprisingly without the lengthy gym workouts. 70% diet, 30% exercise.
