I realized something yesterday: my 30th birthday is approaching fast. 33 days away to be exact. I’ve decided that all I want for my birthday is to be pampered and to celebrate a month of hard work – the hard work of course being eating right and working out consistently from now until then. I’ve decided to make a few changes to my routine and nutrition however.
The first change I am making is my routine – sometimes I just go crazy, as you could see from my dire need for a rest day. What I think I really need to do is to be more consistent (consistency is the key to success) rather than hitting it crazy hard for a few days and running out of steam. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I want to only do one workout a day, but that not every single one of them needs to be a balls-to-the-wall workout.
That being said, I still began my morning with my DailyHIIT routine. I just love these routines because they are fast and intense but I am not going to kill myself for the rest of the day with it. I was planning to do some light cardio during lunch break. Probably just a walk on the treadmill at a moderate incline or a 30 min elliptical session, but I wasn’t able to make it to the gym today. Instead I am sitting here writing this, so I think it works out. Tonight I am going to hit another Jillian Michael’s routine. Even though I haven’t been good about following her plan like I did the first time around – I still love the workouts and go back to them all the time. Today should technically be my JM rest day, however I didn’t workout Monday so I am pushed back a day.
The second big change I am making is in my nutrition. Previously I had a plan where my macros were 50% protein, 30% fat and 20% carbs. While this works to help take off the weight fairly quickly, I don’t feel that this is something that would be healthy for me to continue over the long-term. It was also creating a “carbs are bad” complex in my head and that is most definitely not true. I’ve decided to change my macros now to 30% protein, 30% fat and, and 40% carbs. This is all based on a goal of 1200 calories/day so it comes to 90g protein, 40g fat and 120g carbs. I’m in the trial phase of this macro count but I’m looking forward to it. I am now going to be able to incorporate healthy carbs in my diet like fruits, sweet potatoes, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread, oats, legumes and such. Don’t ever let anyone tell you carbs are bad and if they do, just smack them right across the face! Carbs are what our bodies use for energy – you just have to be smart about what types of carbs you are eating and when. I still don’t plan to have many carbs with dinner, but that is a personal preference and you will have to make that decision for yourself.
I think initially it is going to be hard to start taking in more carbs, but I found something that is really going to help me out. Overnight oats! Ever heard of them??? They are a glorious little concoction I see on blogs all over the place. They’re super simple to make, a great healthy food, and perfect for a girl on the go such as myself. You start with a nice little base of milk, yogurt and oats. That’s it! No seriously, THAT IS IT! Easy peasy, right? Below is my first ONO breakfast and I was very happy with the outcome.
Ingredients:
1/3 C Oats
1/3 C Greek Yogurt (I used plain but feel free to add any flavor you’d like)
1/2 C Milk (any type will work fine)
Sweetener to taste – I used 1 packet of Truvia but it seems a lot of people use Agave, honey or stevia. Your choice.
Any toppings you like – in this batch I added 1/2 banana, 3 strawberries diced and chia seeds
Nutritional Facts: 232 Calories, 5g Fat, 42g Carbs, 13g Protein
This is the finished product:
Ok, I know, not really the best or most appetizing photo. I wasn’t sure how big the batch would be so I ended up using a large soup container from a chinese restaurant. Note to self, large container is too large! The meal itself though was just the perfect size to fill you up and keep you full until snack time.
I’ve got some apples and cinnamon at home and thinking I might make myself another little batch tonight using those ingredients…maybe even try it warmed up tomorrow. I don’t know, but I’ll keep you posted.
Tags: birthday, BodyRock.tv, breakfast, challenge, chia seeds, countdown, DailyHIIT, diet, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, greek yogurt, guidance, healthy habits, Jillian Michaels, overnight oats, protein, recipe, recipes, snacks, trying new things
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