And Here's What Happened...
I decided it was time to take on my own 21-Day Challenge. After having a baby my body needed some help getting back to where it was pre-baby. So, I decided to really live my own challenge for 21-days, making some small changes to my diet, reigning in a few things that had snuck in during my ravenous few weeks post baby, and ramping up my workouts once again. Although the changes were small, they had a huge impact on my body, my feelings about my body, and my ability to be in control of my diet and my workouts.
Here’s How My 21-Days Went:
A Glimpse at What I Ate
Breakfast: Homemade breakfast muffins and eggs. I made my life easier by making big batches of these breakfast muffins with oats, bran, banana, applesauce, walnuts and raisins. They were delicious and so convenient in the mornings.
Lunch: Usually some roasted turkey breast, tons of veggies, and hummus, a smoothie with greens, fruit, and protein, or whatever veggies and protein were in my mom and dad’s fridge :)
Dinner: Protein and roasted vegetables, big salads with protein, and red lentil pasta with chicken sausage and arugula is a particular favorite in our house (it’s so easy and so good).
Snacks: Rx Bars, fruit and nuts, trailmix, veggies and hummus.
Basically, I ate real food and eliminated the added sugars that had snuck in here and there.
What I Didn’t Eat
I stayed away from added sugar
Avoided anything processed and all of our meals were homemade
Didn’t eat anything with artificial ingredients
My Workouts
Here’s where I made the most changes. Even though I worked out throughout my pregnancy, and tried to keep my workouts tough the whole time, the definition of tough changed as I got more and more pregnant. So, I wanted to jump back into my pre-pregnancy routine as soon as possible. I gave myself a few weeks to heal and get ready to go.
I started back on a routine of cardio and strength training about 5 days a week (that is, if my newborn would let me do an actual workout). I feel like this was where I saw the most results and started to feel like myself again.
The Results
- I am now in much better control of my diet, focused on eating protein, vegetables, healthy fats, fruits, and limited whole grains throughout the day. I am prepping and planning to make sure I stay on track.
- At my 6-week post-baby check-up I was 2lbs from my pre-baby weight. I’ll take it!
- The way my body looks and feels, and how my clothes are fitting has changed significantly from start to finish.
- It was totally worth it, but I still have some work to do.
My Thoughts
Convenience doesn’t have to mean unhealthy. With a newborn and a 2-year-old, things that make life just a smidge easier are always welcomed. That means prepping some meals and snacks when I had the time to make life easier later on.
Sometimes my workouts just didn’t work out, and that’s ok. I would have a plan in mind, but with a newborn that plan was always subject to change (good thing he’s so stinkin cute). So, being flexible and creative with workouts is key.
Cravings are no joke, but they don’t make the rules. One of my clients recently said, “I’ve realized that I have to like myself more than I like that piece of cake”, and she couldn't be more right. We have to want the results more than we want the instant gratification of indulging in a craving. We have to value our health and our bodies to make them a priority and treat them with the respect they deserve.
I’m certainly not perfect (but I totally knew that already). I had moments of weakness, indulged where I shouldn’t have, and made excuses for my behavior at times, but hey, I’m human. I learned from it, and used what I learned to help me make a better choice the next time.
21-Days go by very quickly. This challenge was over just as soon as it began. It was such good motivation having a goal of 21-days, knowing that people would be reading about how I did, and knowing that I would feel so much better when the 21 days were complete.
I just needed to hit the reset button. I needed a clean slate to get back on track and start to feel like myself again. Now, it’s all about continuing that progress, truly living my healthiest life, and seeing continued results as I stick to the plan. It’s something I still have to think about and work on every day, but now I’m back in a much better mindset to want to make the healthiest choices possible.