Day 1 - Plan To Succeed

12 Week Commitment to Health

Rules:

1. Eat well (more on that below)

2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water everyday

3. Workout 5 days a week

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day

5. Believe in yourself

First things first, I just wanted to put out there that isn't just a commitment I'm making for the time being. For instance, once the 12 weeks are up, I'm not just going to suddenly start eating horribly and stop being active. This is simply a way for me to keep myself accountable and build new habits towards staying healthy. With the exception of rotten luck and accidents, life is actually pretty long and I want to enjoy it- JLO style, looking fly and feeling fly!

More info on all of the nitty gritty details:

1. Eat well. What does that mean? Well, calorie-wise, I'm going to attempt to stay under 1,350 calories. Pertaining to macro-nutrients I'm aiming to have my calories equal 35% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 25% fat. (I track all of these things on the My Fitness Pal App. I highly recommend it! It's free!)

There is a method to the madness. I love fruit and because they're high in carbs, I consume the majority of them during the day so I can burn them off completely with exercise (which is why I'm allowing myself to consume the high number of 40% of carbs in calories). It's a different story entirely if I just load up on them all throughout the day. My nutrition teacher told me that he doesn't believe in low carb diets but "controlled" carb diets. It's totally fine to eat them, just be conscious of when you do so. Because without physical activity to burn them off, they turn into sugar and that sugar turns into fat. So, eat them early and use them for energy!

2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water. How? Especially when you're not a water drinker? I bought a very cool water bottle at Grocery Outlet and make fruit infused water everyday. It doesn't taste super amazing, but because the colors are so vibrant, it makes me want to reach for the bottle. It's a super awesome trick to play on your mind to get you drinking!

3. Workout 5 times a week. This is where you have to find your own niche. I've been super in love with swimming as of late. It's so calming and because I'm covered by water, I don't have to fret about sweating or putting extra strain on my joints. I also love it because it's a cardiovascular exercise but I'm also working out a ton of muscles in my body at the same time. It's just a super win win win for me. Do what you actually enjoy doing; it will keep you motivated.

4. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Most smart phones have pedometers built into them so I always use it to my advantage! Tracking how much I walk doesn't only let me know how active I've been, but it's also a small pat on the back on days where I didn't have time to work out. It keeps you accountable and tells you to keep moving. It's also a win-win.

5. Believe in yourself. The first thing I told myself is that this is going to take time. For the first time in 10 years, I've been able to maintain my weight for an entire year. I celebrate that and cannot be more proud. This next step is going to be harder, but even more rewarding because the battle for discipline is going to be inside of my head. It won't be easy, but I know it will be worth it.