Working out has never been an issue for me. I love it and get grumpy when I have to take rest days. Most of my days off, still involve some sort of activity like soccer or skiing.
The issue for me is maintaining a clean diet and eating well 7 days a week. I eat healthy for 3-4 days but then always end up slipping up and completing erasing everything I did the days prior. I also work best when I have a plan and schedule so in order to shape up I decided to follow the LiveFit Trainer designed by Jamie Eason. I just completed Phase 1 of the program and this week I start Phase 2.
Phase 1 Recap
Phase 1 emphasized healthy eating, building muscle and adjusting to a workout program. I followed the workouts diligently and completed every single one. If I were to grade my performance I would give my workouts an A and my eating a C. I never planned on following the LiveFit diet plan exactly but I planned to follow the guideless as much as possible. This meant, eating within an hour of waking up, taking a multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement, and eating a protein, starch and veggie 5-6 times a day. I ate more consciously during this phase; I was aware of the nutrition in each meal however, I still cheated at least once a day. I just can not resist ice cream! Grr.. During the week, it was much easier for me to stick to the plan. But, come Friday night, it all went down the drain. I am trying to not dwell on the fact that I can’t stick to a eating plan and I am just going to keep trucking along and focusing day by day.
I get to do cardio!!! The workouts increase to to 6 days a week, with four 30 min. cardio stints as well.
“Forgoing the cardio in the first phase allowed your body to use all of the “clean” calories it consumed for everyday activities and building muscle. By introducing medium-intensity cardio in Phase Two, we’ll begin to facilitate fat burning, while minimizing the risk of losing any hard-earned muscle.” [source]
Throughout the strength exercises, it’s important to lift 85% of maximum effort so the last rep in each set is a struggle but still doable and never sacrifice form. Supersets are also incorporated into the program. This means performing an exercise set immediately after a different exercise set with no rest taken between exercises — only enough to position yourself for the second exercise. [source]
Monday’s Workout
30 Minute Elliptical
Back – Click the link to see the full workout
Question: How to do you eat well and maintain your healthy lifestyle? Anyone have any tips?