I just got home a few weeks ago, which would explain the
lack of posts lately. So sorry! But for the people that read this blog (the
very few of you, you all should tell your friends about this site and help
spread the word), I have not abandoned you! I was distracted by all the shiny
things on this side of the looking glass for a moment, like making the journey
home, kissing my boyfriend, and taking a ballin’ trip to Paris :) However, as
it turns out, I wasn’t only slackin’ on blogs. I was also slackin’ on my
fitness. With all of these distractions my fitness level AND motivation went
straight to the floor like a pound of bricks. So this post is about my personal
experience redefining my motivation, my drive, my fitness routine, my diet and
my challenges. This may come in handy for those about to go home, or when you do
get to make the trip back; you can look back on this… Please feel free to
comment with your own add-ins.
My motivation. I no longer had tons of empty time to try and fill up by spending hours at the gym or sleeping, or whatever else I could come up to pass the loooonnngggg hours.
Since I went right into R&R, I no longer had a schedule to follow with
work. I didn’t have work to show up anywhere at a certain time so why not just
sleep in? Like … every day… :| Also, being in Germany is both a blessing and
a curse. Paris is only a four hour drive, so we went for a few days. I brought workout
clothes, but who was I kidding, THAT didn’t happen. The streets of Paris and
French wine were calling my name!!
My Drive. I had to redefine what my drive was. What drove me
to the gym, or the DVD player to hit play on Insanity or P90X. I had just
finished my Insanity Challenge so I didn’t have someone telling me what workout
to do every day. Which is okay, just something I needed to get used to again.
My Fitness Routine. I decided to take a break from DVD
routines and start prepping for my PT test in a month. So I kept it classic!
Timed run, push-ups and sit-ups for one minute, and then weights for a bit. I
want to do better on this PT test than the last, always improving :) I got 94
last time, we’ll see….
My Diet. So many temptations! Vacation food! Wine! Deserts!
Everywhere! Luckily my boyfriend is a great cook, and does so with in the
healthiest way. Otherwise I would be totally screwed. However, all the readily
available alcohol was a big temptation as well so I made deal with myself. I
can only drink my wine on days I get a good workout in. I’m not sure if this is
a good idea or a bad one, but it’s working so far, lol
Some advice? Make a plan ahead of time for what and how you
will keep up the fitness when you get home. I didn’t and I wish I would have.
This way you have a DAILY plan. Even if you plan on giving yourself a three day
break for example. If you plan it out, it won’t suddenly be a week later and
you haven’t worked out at all. Write it down! Tell someone. You’ll be more
likely to stick with it. Same with your diet. A great site to use for diet
tracking is myfitnesspal.com. You can track everything you eat when you get
back to make sure aren’t going too far overboard.
It’s okay to live life and take breaks, but don’t overdo it!
Make sure you are still taking care of yourself. Remind yourself why you are
motivated to be fit in the first place.
