Hi everyone! Happy Monday AND happy November!
Let’s cut right to it. I am going to get completely real with you this morning.
I feel like in every blog post recently, I’ve talked about how busy I’ve been. Ever since we got back from England at the end of August I haven’t felt like my healthy self. It’s almost as if I never got back on track after vacation…even though it’s over two months later. That is SO unlike me.
Don’t get me wrong, I still go to the gym regularly, but my workouts have been complete blah and I honestly attribute that to my not-so-great diet recently. The past two months have been filled with many work events, lots of visitors, celebrations, holidays, and more. In almost all of these situations I’ve let my diet slip (think: carbs on carbs and lots of wine). Even though I still manage to drag myself to the gym the morning after an indulgent night, my workouts are sluggish and they feel ineffective.
So that’s what led me to this blog post. I realized that I have to change a few things in order to start feeling like “myself” again. I told myself that in order to hold myself accountable, I should write down specific goals that I can look back on throughout the month. And what better way to hold myself accountable then to share these goals with you guys and the rest of the blogosphere!?
While I don’t see my crazy work schedule easing up any time soon, I know I need to make more time for myself in order to start feeling healthier and more energized.
Today I am sharing my five goals that will (ideally!) help me get back on a healthy track this November. Let’s do this!
1. No meals / snacks / anything (besides water!) after 8:00PM.
There have been way too many nights where I’ve given into late night snacking desires. I know this is not good to do right before bed and it’s flat out gotta stop. I often see Travis having a bowl of cereal after dinner, so I’ll do the same (even if I’m not hungry!). He has the metabolism of a race car, so I really shouldn’t be emulating his eating behaviors.
Of course, there will be nights where we’ll have dinner plans with friends or other “life” things after 8PM, but my goal is to stick to this rule whenever I can.
2. Get back on the early morning gym routine.
With my previous job, the only time I had to go to the gym was at 5AM before work, and I was seriously committed to that routine. I talk about my old morning routine and tips to help you work out in the morning in this blog post.
My current job allows me to begin my day a little later, but instead of using that extra time in the morning, I’ve been starting to just sleep in. My goal is to force myself out of bed by 6AM every morning and get my tushie right to the gym. That way I will still have time to do other things (blog, meal prep, etc.) before I leave for work. There have been far too many mornings when I pull myself out of bed around 7AM, have my coffee and breakfast, play around on my computer, and then before I know it, BAM, no time for the gym. Not good.
3. Be smarter about what I eat at work.
I work for a restaurant group and part of my job is taste-testing new menu items. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome perk and I love it. But, do I really need to lick a dessert plate clean at 2PM on a Tuesday afternoon? (Guilty as charged!)
What I should be doing is just trying one small bite of a dish (just like the judges on Chopped and MasterChef, you know?). I really have to stick to that.
4. Meal plan every weekend.
I used to be SO good about this, but have completely fallen off the bandwagon. I’ve mentioned that with the serious heat wave we’ve had, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven or stove, so we resorted to a lot of take out.
No can do anymore! More meal planning –> healthier eating.
5. Two drink maximum when I am out to dinner, at social events, etc.
Enough said. Alcohol leads to low energy and crappier/missed workouts.
Okay, now who is with me!? I need all the support I can get in order to stick to these new goals.
Justine
I’m in!! Xoxoxo Justine
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
YAY! Wish you were here so we could go to workout classes together!
Tricia Craig
Me! So down with all these goals Rach! Travel makes it hard but also so much more rewarding when sticking to goals despite it.
xoxo
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Oh my gosh, I’ll bet! You have such a crazy schedule and being forced to eat out all the time makes it so tough.
Megan K
Yes! I was recently thinking the same thing. I’ve been eating WAY too many carbs and not enough fruits and veggies. My skin is bearing the unfortunate consequences. Clean eating and more cardio here I come!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
YES! So glad you’re in. It’s also such a good idea to do this NOW right before the holidays kick in.
Dani @ Dani California Cooks
The drinking minimum thing is huge for me!! I find the BIGGEST cause/effect between overeating and indulging whenever I’ve had a glass of wine or two. So I try to keep drinking to a minimum!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
YESSS, same! After two glasses of wine, I’m like “bring on the cookies baby!”
Cailee August
Great Goals!! Way to be! You can do it!! …also, props to you on getting to the gym so early! I’m not a morning person so I literally can’t even fathom working out at 5am! Way to go!!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Haha, I have always been a morning person, so it’s not too bad for me. But I am also a grandma and go to bed super early!