I did that thing again where I disappear for a few weeks, huh? I’ve been taking the last week to recharge after 4th of July weekend. Having an extra day off and a weekend full of festivities sure did feel like a momentum stopper. The Monday after the holiday weekend, I started a 4 week challenge in a secret Facebook group. It’s been really fun and honestly I’ve been seeing some really great progress. Since we have to post in the group 2 pictures of food we’ve eaten during the day, 1 picture of us being sweaty (I don’t post very many of those! #notphotogenic), and 1 picture of our protein shake.
The group has helped me in a few ways:
1. It forces me to be accountable. I would die of boredom if I was one of those bloggers who posted every day about every single thing they ate. Snooze town, right? The FB group setting has kind of a revolving door feeling where people just stop by and photo dump, then move on. It’s a great place to get ideas, encourage others, and also BE encouraged by others in a way that feels like real-time. It’s like a little positivity bubble! I think that’s what has made me excited to reach my goals for each day, which are simply: eat clean, hydrate, and be active.
2. I’ve upped my water intake to a gallon of water a day. Yeah. The struggle is real. The first week, I’m certain that I wasn’t getting my full water goal in. I’m not denying that I was hydrated because HOOBOY was I hydrated, but why half ass it? Based on a suggestion from one of the group members, I replicated her “Water Bomb.”
3. I’ve been drinking protein-powder fruit smoothies every morning. I’d never been all that consistent with protein powder. If I remembered to drink a recovery shake after a workout, I remembered. Usually not. Since this challenge started, I’ve been drinking a fruit smoothie with protein powder every morning. Having a full banana, a handful of strawberries, and at least 1 large handful of spinach (usually more!) has had DRAMATIC results for me. I’m getting 2 full services of fruit and a serving of vegetables in 1 drink, not to mention all of the nutrients, calcium, and added protein. My appetite is much more easy to manage during the day and I have had so much more energy. Plus, I’m constantly wanting to try different variations based on the group member’s suggestions (tofu & avocado wouldn’t have occurred to me).
I lost 2 pounds the first week! I can honestly say that I’m really glad I tried this – who knew that posting my pictures to some random strangers/ex-classmates would be what I needed to get through my weight loss plateau?! It never hurts to try something new! Don’t worry, I haven’t given up on my Monday Training Overview posts and I hope to be back on the bandwagon this week. 🙂
In other news, I dyed the underneath of my head peacock colors:
I’m kind of obsessed with it.
