Spring Cleaning

January is a fading memory, as are many of our resolutions. The weather is warming and we can start wearing the summer clothes we packed away before the holidays and…maybe… before the unfortunate food choices. If you live in Arizona, now is also the time to take advantage of tolerable temperatures. Waking-up to run at 4:30 am in the summer is not for everyone, and even if you have the motivation, it may not fit into your work schedule. Using indoor treadmills are the WORST, and don’t count as an equally effective alternative, in my opinion. With all of that said, there’s no time like the present to double the effort for fitness before that vacation and weeks by the pool.

Keep in mind, losing weight is not always a side-effect of exercise. If you are thin, you may get bigger while lifting heavy weights. If you are heavy, you may just transfer the weight of fat into muscle and the scale won’t move. Judge any progress by how your clothes feel. Depending on the amount of weight you have to lose, there may be a need for exercise two times each day, like cardio in the morning and weights at night. High-intensity weight lifting WOD’s allow the body to burn calories for up to 14 hours. Combine that with constant, average-paced running/biking/rowing, and it won’t take long to see a positive effect. Our bodies can be stubborn when holding onto energy stores! We have to overwhelm the metabolism with consistent exercise in order to make the convincing argument that it should change those long existing patterns.

Beyond that, our food choices are crucial to any success in fitness. Not only do they directly relate to the excess fat stores, but proper food is fuel that allows us finish those work-outs successfully, with quick recovery. If you were to start exercising, but didn’t change any dietary habits, the body would feel sluggish and the muscles would be too sore to even consider exercising again for several days. After a day goes by, the body stops burning the excess calories from the previous work-out. To stay consistent on food intake, plan your weekly meals every Sunday. Don’t try to cook every day! It’s ok to have lunch meat and veggies one night. However, if you eat like that too often, boredom will set in, and you’re likely to stop by Dairy Queen for a Peanut Buster Parfait! Set a goal to research one new recipe a week, and buy ingredients that can be used to make it one more time. Incorporate those new, possibly Paleo, ingredients into future meals as substitutes in other recipes.  Start slowly to learn about new types of food for a manageable change. I know I’ve been making the same family recipes since I learned too cook at 12 years old! It’s tough, time consuming, and possibly unappetizing to try these healthy alternatives, but undoubtedly you WILL find something you love.

Here’s your spring motivation! Get those WOD’s in and record the results! Clean out the cabinets of any processed food and track what you eat! Look ahead to breezy days at the beach, knowing you have worked hard and earned it.