Healthy Eats Challenge

I always thought (or maybe took for granted lol) that living an active lifestyle and keeping in shape go hand in hand. It does, to a point. Throw in a diet laden with processed foods, too much added sugar, and the occasional junk food binge every now and then and your not getting healthier, you're just staying active to (hopefully) burn off all that junk. Recently I've started keeping a closer look at my own diet, and I was shocked at what I saw. We tend to justify and compartmentalize things, for example, "I ran 4 miles today, I can have two cookies if I want to", or "I'm way too tired to do anything and I do so much already. A little Taco Bell today won't hurt." I find myself constantly making these justifications, and in the end I'm setting back all my progress and training, and it's frustrating.

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SO, I did a little research to see what else was going on in the healthy eating sector of the world. 😊 I got out a couple books centering around healthy eating for runners and athletes, and I also looked online for ideas.

One book I started re-reading is Racing Weight. I'm not too far into it yet but so far it's a good read.

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One You Tube video I watched focused on the subject of the video training like a Victoria's Secret model for 5 weeks. She followed a strict, very healthy diet and worked out two hours a day (1 hour weights and 1 hour cardio). By the end she had dropped three inches everywhere and had abs. ABS! While I'm not looking to start a career strutting down the runway (and she wasn't either), I saw how her dedication and hard work truly paid off. Not only was she more fit, but happier and healthier as well.

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Armed with this new inspiration and a bit more knowledge I have decided to clean up my diet. By this I mean NO processed foods and NO extra sugars. Whole wheat pasta only, three meals a day and no snacking in between. I also realize that while I may fall off the wagon a few times, that's okay and I'm going to get right back on! So far I'm on day 2 and I feel pretty good. I'm curious to see how much the effort of healthy eating, combined with training, will benefit me both fit-wise and performance-wise by the end of August.

At the end of August I'll compare with my before stats, so to hold myself accountable here they are below. Also, just a disclaimer, I am doing this for myself, no one else. I refuse to compare body types with anyone. Everybody's different, and everyone is beautiful. Okay, so now,

STATS on 7/24/18!

Weight: 124.5 lbs.

Arms: 11.5 in.

Waist: 29 in.

Hips: 38.5 in.

Legs: 23 in.