Mini-Goals for Week 2

Here are three goals I want to focus on in the coming week:


1. Figure out an optimal pre-workout snack and mealtime. Two days last week my stomach felt heavy during bootcamp because I ate too close to class time (even though it had been over two hours...I'm pretty sensitive). But I do need enough energy to last me until around 9:30 or 10:00, when I get home. I drink my shake after class so I'm going to do some research and tinkering around to find a good solution.


2. Focus on my form during class. While I'm still new to some of the exercises, I know how to do most of them but don't do them perfect 100% of the time. Sometimes I also forget to hold my core and then remember when Maia tells us. I'm going to keep thinking, "Form...core...form...core" during class so I gain the maximum benefit out of the workouts.


3. I'm going to do yoga at least two times this week. I went to Maia's morning yoga class for the first time two weeks ago and I loved it. I was sore EVERYWHERE but it felt so good. I'm going to try to make it to Maia's morning classes Tuesday and Thursday, but if something comes up (I usually have a fluid, last-minute sort of schedule) I will borrow my friend's P90X and follow along to the power yoga.

Making these three changes will help me not only this week but also in the weeks to come. I think I may write them down and tape them to my door so I'm reminded of them every day!

Week 1 Reflections

This week has been one of the best weeks I’ve had in a long time, I think mostly because of my change in attitude. While week 1 of the challenge was definitely tough, I felt better and better as I progressed. The endorphin high kept me excited every night, looking forward to the next workout despite the pain.

I hadn’t done such high impact exercise in months and it showed; my body complained every day. I was sore in different areas throughout the week, especially my back and my calves. Wednesday I had to walk sideways down the stairs, crab-like, as it hurt so much.

But even in four days, I’ve noticed a marked difference. I could go a little lower on my pushups on Day 4 than I could on Day 1. I could take fewer breaks. When I looked down at my heart monitor, my beats per minute were usually in the 160s, now they’re in the 170s on level 3.

But the biggest change I’ve noticed is a mental one. I had a very tough time the first day, even with the warm-up and the fit test. At one point I fleetingly questioned, Is this even worth it? Wouldn’t it be easier to stop exercising and just eat whatever I want? But my stronger self chimed in and said, No! It’s WORTH IT. You can do it! Now that weak little voice is gone, and I concentrate on my goals and positive thoughts during the hardest parts. Or I hear Maia and think, Only 30 more seconds! You can make it through this round!

Nutrition-wise, eating regularly has improved my mood and my stress significantly. On Wednesday I was in a long meeting and accidentally skipped lunch, and within an hour I got a headache. I’ve learned that I need to come prepared with food or at least snacks when I’m out!

Case in point: my shakeology arrived on Saturday just in time. I went prepared to a friend’s house that afternoon, with my powder and my bottle. While everyone was drinking beers and eating cookies and chips, I sipped some water and then made my shake when a birthday cake was brought out. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the treats.

Overall, I think I’ve been pretty successful in sticking to my goals this week. I’ve been eating the foods from the Get Fit list at the times Dell and Maia recommended (except for that one time Wednesday). I ate a lamb burger as a cheat meal, but got it wrapped in lettuce and asked for fruit instead of fries on the side. I’ve been to bootcamp early (no easy feat for a chronically late Latina!) and incorporated other exercises in my routine. And I even wore some shorts this weekend that felt too tight two weeks ago! :)

There’s still a lot of improvements to be made, however, which brings me to my next entry: my mini-goals for the coming week. 

Goals for the Next 60 Days and Beyond

I’m trying to take it one step at a time, but I do have a lot of goals I want to accomplish in the next two months. The three that I originally handed in to Maia were:

1. Fitness: To lose inches overall, but especially in my problem areas of tummy and thighs.

2. Nutrition: To eat healthy meals at regular times. I tend to skip meals and eat at random hours, which is not ideal for my metabolism.

3. Personal: To find a job in which I can practice my passion for writing! I studied journalism and love writing, photography and media, but in my previous job I did none of this. So I quit and now am doing some freelance work while I look for a job in my field.

So those are the main ones I’m focusing on, but I do have other areas I want to work on:

-I want to build my upper body strength so I can do real push-ups. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do even a single, complete push-up in my life. I want to be able to do them on my feet, not on my knees and I want to be able to go all the way down!

-I want to build my endurance so I can dance at Kazaxé without stopping. I love dancing, but I don’t like how I do have to slow down when I get too tired...and then I start doing “lazy steps” for a while. I want to do all the steps correctly all the way through!

-I want to work out my booty more. My friends have always made fun of me for my small booty, and after living in Brazil I realized you don’t have to be stuck with what you’re born with—Brazilian women actually spend a lot of time working out that particular area (although most already have a genetic advantage!).

-And finally, even though this is going to take much longer than 60 days, I want to be able to work out in a bra top like Azuka, Maia and Mimi. I’m not sure if I actually will, but I would like to feel comfortable doing that in case I do ever feel like it. :)

Photo by the talented Virak Chhang

So, briefly, this is part of my action plan to accomplish my goals:

1. Fitness: Go to bootcamp every day, of course. Do Brazil Butt Lift three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and incorporate some other exercise on the weekends, like Kazaxé, my Brazilian dance class, or yoga.

2. Nutrition: Eat breakfast! Keep my metabolism up by not skipping meals and eating every 2-3 hours. Drink my shakeology at night after bootcamp.

3. Personal: Be in bed by 11:30PM at the latest and lights off by midnight. Apply to AT LEAST one new job every weekday, even if I’m busy with my other projects. Research and keep up with the news published by the organizations I hope to work for or that I interview with.

After writing it all out, while it does seem like a lot it’s also surprising how DOABLE it all is.  It’s not rocket science; it’s little steps and little changes that will make a big difference if I stick to my action plan and keep my goals in mind. I can do it!