Although I am new at blogging about my health and fitness I am no stranger to sports and nutrition. I am a former Army military policeman, I have competed as a Clydesdale class sprint triathlete, and have been dieting most of my adult life to compensate for my terrible habit of bad eating choices.
In my past I spent a decade in the restaurant industry. You would think that I would have a better grasp on food and nutrition. In the last two years I have been mounting the courage to stop being a victim of my environment. I will be 43 this year and I really want to live a longer, better, healthy life.
In the last 60 days I have become almost religious about the stuff I eat. I am reading everything I can lay my hands on about diet, exercise, and nutrition. I have lost almost 20 pounds just changing what I eat. Here is what I did to get to this point.
1. Make a record of EVERYTHING you eat. Get over to fitday.com and register for a FREE account. Here you can start journaling EVERYTHING you eat. It is just like a budget for your money you cannot fix your cash flow problems without knowing what you spend or how much. Some of you will be horrified to know just how much you put in your body. In one day I discovered I crammed in 4000 calories in one day. Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps eat like that, but they are fueling a machine that produces lots of work. Me, I was sitting at my desk all day. Even my sedentary state burns calories, but not that many.
2. STOP eating food that comes out of a drive thru window or is delivered in a cardboard carton to your house! I love pizza, Chinese food, burgers, wings, and fried food. As a matter of fact I had a conversation recently with a friend who said he would even eat deep fried Twinkie, sounds a bit much, but maybe a bite? Fast food and delivery food is full of fats and most of those are the kinds you don’t want to eat. Consider whole foods. I know you think I am talking about bean sprouts, tofu, and wheat germ. I am in a way, but think about the foods you don’t eat and should. Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, and poultry. Some folks like to vilify dairy, but the nutrition in it cannot be ignored. Whole grains and drink plenty of water. Simple food not all covered with fancy sauces. Now I get the that stuff is expensive. Well let me challenge you on this…back to the budget, figure out what you spend on eating out and drive thru and delivery food. There is your windfall to eat the foods you need. My wife and I found out that in a month we spent almost $300.00 in fast food and restaurant. I now shop knowing I can buy the “good stuff” because I don’t waste my money in food that I just rent anyway.
3. PLAN your meals. Most folks spend a year getting ready to go on a vacation. Searching out the best deal on a room, the best airfare, and rental car. We take considerably less time planning for our health and well being. Sit yourself down and go over the ads, make a list, construct a menu. Remember the old rule in home-ec? Don’t shop hungry. I like to shop after lunch on Saturday or evening right after dinner. I am still full enough that anything else to eat is unappealing. I also like to prep up my snacks ahead of time. If I have to ask “What’s for dinner?” I am already in trouble.
Bonus tip: MOVE around! One thing I did that was a real motivator was buy a new pair of comfortable shoes. I don’t mean a $200.00 pair of the best running shoes, but a comfortable pair of shoes I could walk in. I have made it a habit to get in at least three 10 minute walks a day. I work in a manufacturing firm. I am the network administrator so I sat most of the day.
I have restarted my regular workouts and opted to return to Turbulence Training to get me back into a lean frame. I am not fooled, it will take time and effort. Get some help and support. My wife and I are in this together and my eldest daughter has started conditioning for varsity soccer and my youngest for tennis. This is the summer we are looking to be in our best shape and leave that winter weight in the totes with the cold weather clothes.
Today is your last day to get a free 3-month TT membership…
…and you can get it when you take the Turbulence Training trial
offer.
A $59.85 value for only $4.95…
Click here to get started:
www.turbulencetraining.com
Helping you transform your body this summer,
Michael
PS – This offer expires on Thursday at midnight.
Click here so you don’t miss out:
www.turbulencetraining.com
No comments:
Post a Comment