So much to catch up on...and what I've learned

Wow! Where did the weekend go? How quickly time flies when you're a busy little bee, huh? I made a bunch of food yesterday. This was all brought on by the fact that I weighed and measured myself on Saturday and really wasn't happy with what I saw. That being said I have many lessons I have learned about this post-comp and therefore, very regular, everyday lifestyle and living it right. I just keep learning. I will be posting a new recipe or possibly two and photos from my Cooking Mania later today!

In the meantime here are things I've learned about living the healthy lifestyle:

1) BE READY - Yes, this is key. If you're starting off Monday morning and thinking to yourself you're not prepared then guess what? You aren't. You're not mentally, physically or emotionally ready for your week. And in my case, you're certainly not prepared to make the correct decisions about your food. So each and every Sunday (or whatever day it is before YOUR week starts) get prepared. Lay out a plan and have your food ready. Know what your workouts are and when your refuels will happen. This way you still have flexibility but it's flexibility within a plan.

2) A LITTLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT DOES ADD UP - For example, in a week you can't eat the All Hail Kale Salad for 2 meals, eat a slice of pound cake, have a couple of chocolates, eat a handful of chocolate chips & dried cranberries, have the remainder of the Lundberg Brown Rice Chips and NOT see that in your body! Nope, you can't do that.

3) EATING LESS THAN YOU SHOULD IS NOT GOOD - Being lazy and not making all your meals and prepping your food and just winging it is not great. Make sure you're eating enough and in a fairly good macronutrient ratio (not overloading or skimping on carbs, fat, protein). Eat as much as you should or your body will hold onto the food you're giving it like there's no tomorrow.

4) EATING MORE THAN YOU SHOULD IS ALSO NOT GOOD - It's okay to eat a little more at one or two meals. But just eating willy-nilly and not really paying attention will most likely have you overeating or undereating. And there will be repercussions for both.

5) I'M OLDER - Right, wrong or indifferent, I'm older. What my body would do before does not quite work now and particularly the fact that I'm a female. Hormonally a few things are happening that didn't happen when I was younger. I know you can keep your metabolism up and fired but it takes a considerably larger effort as you're older. Believe me, this is not an excuse but it is a fact of life.

6) POST-COMP BODY IMAGE IS VERY TRICKY - Okay, this is one that I'm really having a difficulty with. Before my competition and contest prep I had a perfectly normal body image and expectation of myself and my body. Now here I am six months post-comp and it boggles my mind how confused I am with where my body is supposed to be. So even though I didn't like being as lean as I was during my contest prep your mind definitely gets used to that look. I am up about 15 pounds or so since my competition. I don't look like it to most but to me I definitely do and I feel flabby. Bottom line is I feel better right about 5 -7 pounds lighter than where I am right now. So regardless of how I look, that is a comfortable weight for me and the correct leanness for my body.

6) MOVE YOUR BODY - Since I was still rehabbing my hamstring last week, I was working out less. I've also decreased my cardio and the reality is that I can't do that. OR if I do I need to decrease my calories...NOT increase them. But mostly I need to MOVE more. That is key. Before competing I was a cardio queen. I was quite active. Now I'm not as much. Lucky for me Daylight Saving Time is here so that is great because now I can do something outside after work. That will be very helpful for me. It doesn't have to be extreme but just more extreme than sitting on the couch!!! LOL! Move your body every day and some days move it much more and more vigorously than other days.

I think that about sums up what I've learned over the last month or so. It's life and with your body you're always learning because it's always changing. That's why what has always worked for you stops working at some point. Your body doesn't stay the same. It's dynamic and you have to be willing to accept those changes and find the best way to work with them.

With all that being said, I am back on a pretty strict plan for myself this week and next and we'll see what changes happen over the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted and post my meals daily. I need the accountability. I just do better. So here we go! On with the week! Check back later or tomorrow for a couple of recipes that I'm pretty sure you'll like! Have a FANTASTIC day!

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson