A Day by Day Process

I started a new workout plan yesterday that I found on Pinterest.  Its a 10 week plan with about 20 minutes of cardio each day (that gets more and more intense each week) and then about 30 minutes of jumping jacks, situps, pushups, etc. that differs by day.  I generally hate to run, but I decided to give this a try.  

Yesterday, I did 2 minutes of power-walking (4 mph) for every 1 minute of running / jogging (6 mph).  Here and there, I would falter a bit and have to lower the power-walking to 3.5 mph and the jogging to 5.5 mph. This went on for a total of 23 minutes. By the end of it, I had reached 1.72 miles.  Stepping off of the treadmill, I felt invigorated.  Since there was so much variation, I didn't get bored and I was really able to push myself.  I knew then and there that I had to make this a habit.  Every day, I have to push myself a little more.  Afterwords, I did 100 jumping jacks, some sit-ups, lunges, squats, etc.  

Today, I did about the same workout except I forced myself to stay at 4 mph for power-walking and 6 mph for running / jogging.  I felt pushed to the max, but it was worth it.  I followed it up with another series of jumping jacks, sit-ups, butt-kicks, etc.  The jack-knife sit-ups completely kicked my ass, and it is my new goal to be able to do 20 of them consecutively by the end of the month.

As for food, I've been very conscious of my habits.  Instead of eating 3 large meals, I've began to split it up to 4-5 smaller meals each day.  Here's what I ate today.

Breakfast
A small portion of my green enchilada casserole. ~250 calories

Post-Workout
2 egg omelette (yes, I kept my yolks!) with as many veggies as I could stuff in it (about 2 cups of spinach, some zucchini, mushrooms, and sprouts).  On the side, I had half of an avocado and some sour cream.  I heard that spicy foods boost your metabolism (and I love spicy!), so I added a bunch of cayenne pepper and tabasco sauce. Yummy!

Afternoon Snack
1 Orange and a smoothie with plain greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, pineapple, half a banana, and some orange juice.

Dinner
I brought a mason jar with me to work full of salad (Yes, I got the idea from Pinterest!).  It had romaine, tomato, cucumber, spicy sprouts, and goat cheese and was topped with Bolthouse's Tropical Mango Vinaigrette.  I also had an apple.

To end the night, I'd like to say that no one is perfect. I'm at work as I type this, but I plan to go home and have a couple glasses of wine and watch some TV with my boyfriend.  Hey, its a Friday night and I'm 21! Just because I vow to live a healthier lifestyle, doesn't mean I have to eat flax seed every day and forgo all things that are 'bad for you.' I don't ever see myself giving up alcohol, sour cream, goat cheese, etc... I will forever love these things, and my life would be less rich without them.  Instead, I plan to live my life moderately and happily :)