It's not rocket science...

but it sure feels like it sometimes. Especially when you're standing at the fridge at 8:00 at night staring at leftover birthday cake.

You can arm yourself with all the things you're suppose to remind yourself, but when it comes down to standing there and deciding if you will eat the cake or not...let's just say it feels like rocket science.

It's like training for a race...it's mainly mental. We have to talk ourselves into getting out there and running, again. We have to talk ourselves into getting off our butts to go workout. We have to talk ourselves into NOT eating that leftover birthday cake. This exercise and healthy eating lifestyle is a mental thing most of the time.

I don't have the mental energy to talk myself out of eating that leftover birthday cake. Do you know what the answer is? Throw it away. Do you know what I did instead? I ate it!!!! Oh well, I'll work it off in the morning :)

The good news is that I find that my mental strength is increasing. Does that mean that I would temp myself with a Coke and chocolate...NO! But I do find that I want to eat healthier more often and I want to get out of bed at 4:45am to workout more often.

So hang in there...maybe the mental part gets easier. Workout hard!

The little things do add up

My healthy eating habits started to diminish around Thanksgiving and where pretty much none existent by Christmas. So I decided to get back to those healthy eating habits. Not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I knew how much more enjoyable my life can be when I eat healthy.

At the beginning of the year I started over. I gave up Coca Cola...not Diet Coke...straight, fully loaded Coke. I was up to one can a day, more when I ate out, so this was a big deal for me to give up (check out my Admitting you have a problem post).

I also went back to eating lots of salads. For lunch I eat a huge salad and at dinner I have a salad followed by a smaller portion of the meal. Sometimes I just have a salad. I don't get bored because I keep different healthy dressing choices on hand. I also throw on different veggies, fish and nuts on top.

I also switched from my 10 oz glass of OJ every morning to a little bit of OJ before my morning class and an orange when I come home. Less calories in an orange and more fiber.

I drink a lot of water. I keep a 32 oz water bottle beside the fridge and I try very hard to make sure I drink two of them a day. I also drink 32 oz of water before, during and after my workout, which doesn't count toward my daily 64 oz of water. I am juicing vegetables again and drinking about 16 oz of carrot juice a day. All of that water keeps us hydrated and helps our body flush out the toxins.

All of these little things add up. Since implementing these changes I have so much energy and I don't crave sugar as much. I have also lost 5 pounds...this wasn't my goal, but a nice added benefit :) Most of all I like knowing that I'm eating good foods and being a good example for my children.

This will only hurt for a little while.

This time of year many people are starting new exercise programs. For many of them, this will be the first time in a long time that they have pushed their bodies to places that their bodies haven't gone before. We have a new group of clients coming through our 10 week program. For them, this week promises to be full of pain.

They are going to hurt in places that they didn't even know that they had. They will feel muscle aches that will make them want to curl up with a hot pad and a bottle of Ibuprofen.

I remember when I did our 10 week program. It was a Monday in April and I crawled out of bed at 4:30 am to go to class. The instructor kicked my butt (thanks T). The pain didn't start till later that afternoon. Then Tuesday evening I went to class in so much pain that I could barely walk. Now, I'm not a cussing girl but that night when the instructor said we were going to do more squats...a bit of profanity came out of my mouth and I really didn't like that instructor at that moment (sorry D).

My point is that it will only hurt for a little while. It's called DOMS...Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. After a few days the pain will start to subside and you will feel stronger and better able to sustain yourself during exercise sessions.

We just have to work through the pain, unless it's a sudden pain then stop immediately. The pain will go away and you will feel much better for having worked hard. Don't let the pain keep you from working out. Do you know what helps the pain? Working out! The pain will go away during your next workout, especially with proper stretching out and warming up. Now, that doesn't mean that the pain won't start again later, but it will eventually go away. Just keep in mind what you are working for...a healthier and stronger you. It will all be worth in the end.

Hang in there and workout hard!