I'm halfway through Week 2 of my 6-Week eating and training program with Aimee Marshall of Berkshire Fitness and Wellness Center and first things first — I'm five pounds down after Week 1!
*Doing my happy dance*
I'm really excited and I'm feeling fantastic. I have more energy, better digestion, and I am beginning to tone up again.
But let me be honest ... this takes A LOT of time and effort. I was not prepared for how much time this would take, and I've fallen behind in about every other area of my life— laundry, housework, Macaroni Kid. I knew getting to the workout classes and training sessions would be time-consuming, but what I didn't plan for was the amount of time meal prep and grocery shopping (I hate shopping) would take.
Because I work from home, it's a little easier for me, although my house is a mess and I'm up until 10 p.m. working to catch up with all I have to do. But for those of you who don't have this luxury, and still would like to try this 6-week plan with Aimee Marshall at Berkshire Fitness and Wellness Center, here are a few tips:
- Get your calendars out. Whether you use your smartphone's calendar, a Google calendar, wall calendar, desk calendar, planner, whatever, get one and MAP YOUR WEEK. Seriously get into the habit of time blocking so you know exactly what you are doing when, and you can make sure you have time for it all. This is my Week 3 goal. Don't know about time blocking? HERE'S a great video by Amy Landino that walks you through this process.
- Plan a day to meal prep. I should have realized this ahead of time when looking through the recipes that there would be a lot of prep time on this whole-foods, dairy and carb light, eating plan, but it wasn't until 45-minutes into chopping vegetables for the most delectable turkey chili I've ever made, that I realized, a lot of this chopping should have been done at the beginning of the week to make my life easier and dinner prep a whole lot quicker. Because, let's face it, by the end of the day not many of us want to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen. At least I don't.
- Prepare for days out. This week was a little more difficult for me, part of this was because I haven't created a routine that incorporates #1 and #2 above, the other is because I'm just a last-minute person and I am running out the door for an appointment when I realize, shoot I'm not home for lunch, and I have nothing packed. This can derail you if you let it. I'll admit. Tuesday was tough. Not because I didn't eat the kind of meals I was supposed to, but I didn't eat as many of them as I was supposed, which made for a hangry Kelly by the end of the day, and the urge to snack skyrockets. So note to all, be prepared for days when you are on the run and don't have access to good food choices outside of your home or office.
- Give yourself a break. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, and jumping right into it the way I did was a total shock to my system (in a good way), but I was prepared for this. I knew from past experience that the best way for me to succeed was to jump right into a routine and meal plan as soon as possible, but I also knew to allow myself the opportunity to do things at my own pace. I don't feel like I have to be the best Zumba student out there, and when I need to slow down the pace from Aimee, I slow down my pace. If something is hurting (I am 46 and yes, things do hurt sometimes, like my knees and elbows), I ask Aimee for a modification or another exercise that works the same area in a different way. You don't have to work at maximum intensity to be a Rock Star at this, you just have to be consistent and do the work in any form that that takes for you.
Want to learn more about Aimee Marshall and Berkshire Fitness and Wellness? Visit her website at bfwstudio.com.
Missed Week 1 of my "Six Weeks Back to Me" Series? Find it HERE.
