Day 1, Refresh

My goals for this 3-Day Refresh program are pretty specific. Sort of. I really want to pay more attention to what I eat and why. I really want to spend time focused on food as fuel. I would love to be a couple of pounds lighter on Day 4, but realize that quick-lost weight is not always permanently-lost weight. I want to jolt my body back into overall nutrition and health. I’d like to shake up my metabolism a little bit. I’d like to FEEL like I’m doing the right things for my body for 3 days straight.

That all sounds like the same thing, doesn’t it? But it’s truth.

I’m not doing this thinking I’ll lose 10 pounds and 10 inches and walk away from it a completely different person. Not at all. But I think when we realize that we are off track, spending a few days proving to yourself what you can do when you make up your mind to do it can change your overall direction.

Day One looked exactly like this:

-Get out of bed. Drink 8 oz. of water. Go about normal morning activities (including 2 dozen cupcakes), do PiYo Sweat (37 minutes of Pilates/Yoga, and trust me, it’s aptly named).
-Drink 8 oz. of water, brew cup of decaf., do rest of normal morning activities, Weigh in and do Day 1 Measurements (oy), awaken my three cherubs, shower, await arrival of small person (the toddler I babysit).
-Feed small person, drink decaf and 8 more oz. of water, eat 1/2 an apple, drink 1 serving vegan chocolate Shakeology, clean up kitchen (again), converse with cherubs, hand cupcakes to client, run upstairs to change for a bike ride, put the small person to bed, zoom to my dad’s house with bike in van, ready to hit the road.
-Bike 32 miles, drink 24 oz. of water en route.  *Realize stomach is grumbling*
-Zoom home to find the cherubs feeding the unhappy small person. Drink 1 serving Vanilla Fresh, 8 oz. water, other half of the morning’s apple, a peeled cucumber from the garden, and a teaspoon of coconut oil. Yep, just swallowed it down. And I was full. And tired. And so was the small person.
-Catch up on computer work, clean the kitchen (again), crash on the couch…drink 1 serving fiber sweep.
-Some more computer work, read a chapter of Go Pro, eat afternoon snack of 20 snap peas (fresh from the garden!) and a serving of almonds (instead of the recommended almond butter…because…32 mile bike ride)
-Prep dinner for family (THAT was hard.), eat dinner…1 serving vanilla fresh, 1 c. broccoli, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup summer squash boiled in a cup of water until tender crisp, tossed with 1 tbsp. olive oil and salt.
-Clean up from dinner, crash on the couch, converse with cherubs, decide bedtime will happen at 9:15…go to bed at 9:15.

General observations:

I was hungry when it was mealtime. And I think my hunger stemmed more from the fact that I was *thinking* about my next meal all day. Every moment. I think had I not been so conscious of this, I wouldn’t have felt nearly as hungry.

I drank more water on Day 1 than I think I’ve ever drunk in one day in my entire life. But I never felt waterlogged. I did, however, run to the restroom all day. I didn’t wake up in the night (this is interesting…as I always do).

I got a headache around 2pm. I blame lack of caffeine (I’m used to about 2 cups of espresso in the mornings…) and mild dehydration (from the ride, I’m guessing). It lasted into the evening, and definitely kept me from falling asleep…frankly, I should have gotten up for some ibuprofen, but was so dead that I lacked the motivation to move from the bed.

The hardest part of my whole day in Day 1 was preparing a meal for my family that smelled delicious…and I couldn’t eat.

Specific observations:

Shakeology made only with water is sweeter than Shakeology made with almond milk or full dairy (and less thick). Instead of 10 oz. of water, I go for 14. It cuts down on some of that sweet…and makes it last a little longer (I have to psych myself out sometimes). I’ll bet it would be thicker if I mixed it in my blender with ice cubes.

Vanilla fresh has 20 grams of protein. In my opinion this makes it completely different from the Ultimate Reset…I feel I get more actual nourishment using the Vanilla Fresh than I did at any point during the reset. Also, it tastes pretty darn good. It’s not a vanilla milkshake, people. It’s crazy nutrition.

The Fiber Sweep…well, it’s lemony. And if you drink it as described (8 oz. of water, drink immediately)…it would probably be…fine. I went with 4 oz. of ice water, mixed with a fork until just combined, and chugged. Gone in 5 seconds or less. It’s really not that big of a deal. But if you let it sit…oh, man. Don’t let it sit. It’s made with flax, chia and psyllium husks. If you put any of those into a glass of water, they swell up and get slimy. Don’t let that happen to you. Drink it fast. Down it. The aftertaste is lemon and stevia. And…a little bit of healthy.

No problem.

Bring on Day 2.

 

 

3 days.

That’s all my current challenge is going to take. Just three days. And they’re going to look something like this:

 (click the picture to check out the program)

I’m just coming to the end of my latest workout program (PiYo, by Beachbody and Chalene Johnson–hooray for week seven!!), and before I head into fall and begin Focus T25 (and as I end wedding/graduation/summer party season), I thought I’d give this a shot. The hardest part of true fitness and health for me is my actual, consistent nutrition. This is three days.

Three days.

Completely organized nutrition with exceptional supplements (in the form of shakeology, vanilla fresh, and a fiber sweep), a clearly detailed meal plan, and serious water intake. A shock to the system to remind me that food is fuel. Not just something to fill my mouth, then my gut.

Fuel.

Super nutrition with real food, revitalized energy with a 3-day wake up call to break a cycle of bad habits. It won’t tax my organs or crash my metabolism. Just a refresh.

My before pictures leave a lot to be desired. If I get brave at the end of this, I’ll post them.

Let’s go.

Follow Through

I’m pretty good at getting started. Like when I decide I’m going to start a hobby.

Let’s take crochet, for example. Yes, I crochet (no, I’m not 80 years old. But my grandma did teach me.). I’ve been doing it on and off for about…30 years.

Mostly off.

The beginning of the process really inspires me: searching for just the right pattern, thinking of the perfect person to whom I’ll give the project when it’s done (usually a new baby), finding exquisite yarn in a beautiful shade at the perfect weight. Learning the new stitches for the design is exhilarating in those first few rows, and I feel the most amazing sense of accomplishment as it starts to come together.

That’s about the time when I realize just how LONG it will take to crochet the WHOLE PROJECT.

Those first 10 rows come together in no time. But it hits me that the project is actually 150 rows long. And I remember that what was “no time” was actually 2 hours.

Did you just do the math? (because if you didn’t, that’s 30 hours, folks. And if you want to think in reality, if I crochet an hour a night, 5 nights a week, we’re looking at 6 weeks of crochet on the same project…if I never miss one appointment with that hook. And I can guarantee I’ll miss several.)

I don’t really want to tell you how many crochet projects I have started which sit partially done in my house. Suffice it to say…I have a tote in my basement devoted to them. With skeins of yarn, hooks, knitting needles, patterns, even an unfinished quilt that just needs binding. The problem isn’t the beginning. The problem is the follow-through.

I wish this only happened with crafty things. I could totally be ok with unfinished crafts if they were the only things left unfinished in my life. But, of course, it goes way beyond crafts. I start cleaning out my cupboards and make it about halfway around my kitchen before dinner prep begins. I start cleaning out the refrigerator, and the baby wakes up from his nap. I start an email to a friend and remember I need to start the cake for the weekend, so it sits in my drafts folder for a week. I start a new workout program…and I wake up with a head cold. I focus in on my nutrition and…we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Can you relate?

If you can, I’m glad you’re here. I said it yesterday, but I’ll say it again: Welcome. Welcome to my fresh start.

Two weeks ago, I started PiYo. (click link for more info in video form)

If you know me at all, you know I love to work out. I do it every day, mostly, and it is probably something that keeps me sane. I’ve done the gamut of programs, from P90X to Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme to T25 and so on. PiYo is completely different. It’s a low-impact, high-intensity workout program that uses Pilates- and yoga-inspired moves to sculpt long, lean muscles and burn fat. Trainer Chalene Johnson created the program to help her get an intensely defined, long and lean physique, and Beachbody put it on dvd.

I am never going to be long, but I would really, really like to be lean again.

I discovered about a year and a half ago that my thyroid was broken. I am working through the process of figuring out what my 40-year-old body needs now, and how to do things the way it needs me to do them…I am not the person I was ten years ago. I am slowly accepting that. PiYo is my next step in that process. I have started many fitness plans in the middle of this mess…and I have not fully completed a single one of them. Discouragement is a killer…but I will never know if one of those plans would have actually WORKED had I finished it. I’m pretty good at finishing fitness programs in general…but not seeing visible results in the past year has rocked. my. world. This changes now.

When I started PiYo, I also started drinking Shakeology every. single. day. for breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day, without a doubt. I plan to continue this indefinitely. I have felt a change in the way I physically feel, a difference in the way I think about what I eat the rest of the day, and it is a quick reminder first thing in the morning of what I’m aiming toward.

This is still my start.

My plan is to follow through.

This start comes at the same time as my start in the business of Beachbody. I choose this as more than a tool to earn a little extra income for my family (though, how could that ever be a bad thing??). I choose this because the health and happiness of the people I love and with whom I come into contact is incredibly important to me. I would love to have you join me as I work toward my fitness goals. I’d love to help you move toward achieving yours. I promise I won’t jump down your throat on facebook, or go on and on begging you to buy something or sign up or become a coach. I promise. But I may jump up and down a little bit when I hit my goals.

I’d love to jump up and down with you as you hit yours too.

Feel free to like my page on Facebook: SweetSpot – Mindy Hayes and follow me on Instagram @sweetspotwell …

 

 

Getting Started

I know this is true. The trick is always…starting. Today. Right now.

So.

Hi.

Two weeks ago, I renewed my commitment to End the Trend of Obesity, One Friend at a Time. Beachbody and the programs and nutrition plans I have followed and supported for the past four years make this commitment an opportunity for me…and for you…to change lives. To enrich lives…even the lives of my already-fit friends. If you’re here, welcome. Thanks for stopping by. I hope this blog will inspire you to do even more in your life. To get on board. To make a plan today.

Not tomorrow.

Have a friend who might want to jump on board with you? Feel free to share (and like it yourself) my Facebook page and this blog.

Happy Monday.

 

-mindy