Hero's Failure and Getting Back Up

As much as my dearest friend Amy has been checking in on me, I have failed to keep up with the Hero's Journey. I realize now, that it was way too much, too fast. How was I to hit the ground at 60 mph, when really I should start with a light jog and then maybe some healthy eating? After all, I keep telling myself and all of you that it's ...

So, I'm making a change. 30 Days of it to be exact.

Because, not only does Darebee.com have the Hero's Journey, but they have over a half dozen more programs to help you, and most of them do not require weights of any kind!!

So, I looked through them, and am trying a new program. Starting tomorrow (Monday). 30 Days of Change.

30 Days of Change

BOOM.

It's not complicated, no points or storyline. Just simple, every day exercises. And easier ones at that. Because believe me when I say that doing "pushups til failure" means I only do 1. Because my upper arm strength is nonexistent.

Along with this new program, I'm going to focus back on my eating. (See 1st pic above). I need to realize at some point that eating shit and working out do not go together. I will not be following Darebee.com's Modern Hero Diet like I tried with the Hero's Journey, but I will be using it as a guide. John is cooking up like 10lbs of chicken breast today for the week, and I will portion out accompanying sides like brown rice, brussel sprouts, and so on, to go with my protein. I will also focus on making delicious breakfasts and limiting my snacking to veggies or fruit only. And, I'm back off soda, AGAIN.

It feels like a song and dance I do monthly, but I have printed several copies of this....

...and have put them in all of the important places, which I will rotate weekly, or else I will just ignore it. This week I have one in the office above my computer monitor, and one in the mirror on my sun visor, which I use almost every day.

So, here's to another chance, another change, and 30 days of success. 

Hero's Journey by Darebee: Day 1

Today wasn't the greatest day ever. By no stretch, was it the worst either. I was overworked and underFED at work today (no lunch in a 10-hour shift), plus I packed and hauled a total of 480-ish pounds in 28 varying size boxes up and down counters and my whole body ached when I got home.

I convinced the husband to take me out, and we went to a local salad bar where I did pretty good, considering I hadn't eaten since this morning. Then I came home and we cooked about 12 chicken breasts for lunches/meals for the week, as well as broke up a pork loin into 2 roasts (freezed) and about 10 chops (4 kept out) for my pork nights this week.

Then I came into the office and powered through the Hero's Journey Day 1 workout.

It sucked. I was miserable, and it wasn't even that hard.

Day 1 - Press "Start" To Play
Level I - 60 Reps

Side Leg Raises
Squats
Mountain Climbers
Toe Tap Hops

See... Not terrible. But it hurt. Especially those mountain climbers. Brutal on my already sore shoulders!

Anyway, here were my meals for the day:

Meals Planned:
-Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit + 1 banana
-Meal A: ham, tomato, lettuce sammich
-Meal B: roasted pork with brussel sprouts (as I do not have green beans)
-Snackie: cottage cheese

Meals Executed:
-Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit
-Snackie: cottage cheese

Everything else I ate was not on the meal plans. UGH!

I will get my before pictures up soon, so look for an update on that!

Interesting Article

So, I was grocery shopping today, and I got in the car after loading my groceries in the trunk of the car, and my brain had a really interesting question for me.

What happens to the shelf life of veggies if you cut them up?

Seems pretty harmless, but if you've ever cut up an avocado and then walked away for 10 minutes, you know that sometimes the air and knife can be mean to your food.

I was more interested in my snacking veggies, like carrots and celery and green peppers; durable nuggets of produce goodness that I can pack in my lunch and nibble on whenever. I just am not a fan of bringing whole pieces to work, and I get funny looks if I pack a paring knife with me.

So, I asked Google. "Hey Google, what happens when I cut my veggies up ahead of time?"

For once, the first result was not only helpful, but exactly what I was looking for!

"How does cutting, slicing, and chopping affect fresh vegetables?"

It's a semi-tough read, getting somewhat technical and biological about "harming" the veggies (bear with me, it gets better).

But basically, what I took away from the article, was that you should have the shortest amount of time possible from cutting the veggies to consumption for most, but that the sharper the blade, the less "stress" you cause the veggie, and the more fresh your veggie stays. For durable veggies like carrots and celery and the like, you have more time before expiration than you do with more sensitive veggies, like lettuce and mushrooms (although they are technically a fungus and not a veggie). You would also want to research and store like-veggies together in a proper container.

All in all, I know I can go ahead and chop up my carrots, celery, and green peppers and put them in tupperware for the week. I can also dice onions for any weeknight meals, so long as I use them in a few days. It will help make meal preps go faster, and portions stay controlled better.

Happy eating, y'all! :)