Getting Beach Ready by July 2014..!
(Wait what!? We’re in 2018! Awwww man…! Another goal gone to the wayside! )
*Sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.* So much for my getting beach ready goal..!
I ‘was’ going to follow Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules for my nutrition and health improvement goals (this serves as a terrific reminder that we should be keeping track of our goals)!
The good news is that — from what I can tell — I’m still doing most of this already, however, there are some problem areas I know I will need to work on…
The main areas I have to work on to get beach ready are:
1) Drinking water before every meal.
Seems simple enough, so ok..!
3) Eating Protein at every meal.
Seems obvious, but I need to plan to have that protein available when I create my weekly menus..!
4) Slashing my intake of flours and grains.
I’m already doing #4, but I do need to ensure I do it consistently. I’ve actually kicked out my wheat-based pastas and have replaced them with pea, chickpea or lentil pastas (don’t tell my kids)..!!
5) Eat 30 to 50 grams of fiber every day.
6) Eat Apples and berries every day.
I don’t know that I’m doing 5 and 6… Every. Single. Day.
I mean, I have been in the habit of eating berries regularly, and I have recently switched my afternoon coffee break’s treat with an apple and almond butter, so I guess I’m squared… but I need to ensure I stick to these two rules..!
7) No carbs after lunch..!!
11) Get rid of those white potatoes..!
** Grown man sobs… **
Ok, ok…! Fine…!! I will do this…
16) Banish high-salt foods.
I will have to look into this. I’m under the impression that I don’t consume that many salty foods to begin with (the joys of making your own meals)! However, I don’t always check the labels to see just how much sodium some of those snacks have… So I will have to remain vigilant and report back on how I’m doing with this one…
19) Sleep right!
I read somewhere that you need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
However, I’ve also read that in order to wake-up fresh and roaring to go, that you have to time your wake-up call based on a three our window… so I’m changing my sleeping schedule to ensure that I can get at LEAST 9 hours of sleep every night.
Seeing as I have to be at work by 8am, that means I need to be up by 6:30am every week day, that means I will have to go to bed at least 9 hours before that… so… I’d need to be in bed by 9:30pm! Sad, but true..!
I know this is going to be a huge issue for me, seeing as I like staying up and unwinding when the children have gone to bed… another goal would be to squeeze in a morning exercise routine (eventually)! So, hopefully, getting this under control will cut a lot of the “I’m too exhausted” from my list of excuses..!
That should cover the nutrition and healthy habits, but it doesn’t incorporate how much exercise I need to get done to reach my goal…
Enter the book I bough a few years ago (that I haven’t really used like I had planned to — ahem!)…
Getting Beach Ready with “The Body Sculpting Bible – Swimsuit Workout” by James Villepigue
(The Women’s Edition is also available)!
I’m told that this is a good workout routine that emphasizes the importance of warming up, as well as stretching before and after lifting weights.
It’s apparently intense, but it also avoids burnout by insisting on only three workouts a week, which seems like a good goal from my perspective. However, according to one of the reviews on Amazon.com from “someone who has lifted weights for years” states that the book: “…also drops hints about aerobic exercise here and there, but gives woefully eclectic and incomplete advice on it.”
I guess I will need to get some cardio regimen going on those off days… so it’s a good thing that I’m looking into the local pool schedules..! Maybe I should also look into Bodyrock.TV or Zuzka Light for some inspiration and variety to keep things interesting.
At any rate, now that I have some firm targets in place, it’s time to get beach ready (again)..!
Stephen