excuses, excuses

Pre-season of 12wbt has begun this week and the program seems to have stepped up a notch. Our first "assignment" is to examine the excuses we make time and time again that justifies our inaction.

The major excuse that I use is that I am so tired. I have a long commute each day and often I head off before the sun rises, and get home long after the sun has set. So yes, I am tired. To overcome this I will need to think back to better times, when I was fit, and remember that exercise gives me an energy boost. Rather than the traditional Sunday off, I will exercise throughout the weekend and take a break from exercise on one of these long days.

Did you know that I am also busy? Ha! Isn't everyone?! But really, when I think about it, I am more disorganised than busy. I have enough time each day, and each week, to get everything done. But I choose to leave things to the last minute. For instance, last week I was aiming to complete 30km of running/walking/cycling. By Saturday evening I had completed 20km and had grand plans to get the 30km finished on Sunday. I also had an important assignment that I hadn't yet finished due Monday morning. The assignment won over, and I didn't go for a run. But when I reflect on the week, I know that if I had planned for everything, I could have fit in both study and exercise. I feel disappointed in myself for letting this slip. Is diarising the answer, or is that over-engineering the issue? Maybe I just need to get on with it.

Here are some more excuses I use not to exercise:
It is raining. It is too hot. It is too dark outside. My gym clothes are in the wash. I can't be bothered. I am comfortable on the couch and I don't want to get up. My favourite TV show is about to start. I need to go to bed soon and I want to wind down. I haven't seen my fiancé all day and I want to chat with him.

I am thinking of my excuses in the context of not only exercise, but also having the motivation and time to prepare healthy, nutritious meals. When it comes to healthy eating, often I take the easy option, or alternatively, I take the food that is in front of me, regardless of its nutritional status.

Some more excuses regarding healthy food:
I need some comfort food because I feel like crap. I don't have all the ingredients. I am hungry now. We are having guests over and they will be expecting something nicer. I am craving something sweet. I don't want to offend my host by not eating everything on my plate. Healthy meals means more dishes to wash up. I deserve a treat.

Pretty lame, right?

doubts

My most recent post might have been overly optimistic... this is going to be so, so hard. Who am I kidding? Last night, mere hours after I had signed up for 12wbt I was feeling hungry on my way home from uni, so I bought a potato cake. A greasy, fatty potato cake. And this is not a rarity. Often at uni, or waiting around for my train, I buy things like this. Because I am hungry, and fried food is cheap, easy and comforting.

So, in light of this, I have decided to dedicate my 12wbt Week One warm-up challenge to preparing a nutritious lunchbox to take out for the day in order to avoid the pitfalls of the fast food shops. For Monday lunch I will prepare a delish sandwich on wholemeal bread, fruit pieces, healthy snacks (not quite sure what they will be yet...) and water. The challenge we have been set is to make one small change. I think that this might be one small change that delivers big results.

Week Two warm-up challenge is to halve my intake of fluids other than water. But truth be told, I don't drink much fluid other than water and cups of tea. I am considering swapping my tea for green tea, as I've heard that green tea has substantial health benefits, but I want to research this first. In the meantime, I've decided to double my intake of water. I estimate that I currently drink one litre of water per day. Having a water bottle will help so much with this challenge so I plan to buy a water bottle this weekend. And while I am at it, I had better buy a lunch box.

I am old enough (29) to be a little set in my ways and doubtful of my ability to change my habits. But also old enough to know that if I do commit to change that I will benefit in so many ways. So my emotions are a little mixed. I will throw myself into this challenge but I anticipate there will be set backs. So I am doubtful, yes, but also hopeful. I would love to go into this challenge, all guns blazing, but I must be honest with myself. Wish me luck.

committed

Yesterday I committed to Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. I have been looking at her website for a couple of weeks now, googling for blog reviews and generally um-ing and ah-ing about whether or not I would join. I wasn't sure if it was right for me. I want (need) to develop healthy habits but don't have a lot of weight to lose. Regardless, I think it will give me structure, and take some of the hard work out of planning and researching the best healthy diet and exercise options, so that I can spend my time doing.

The program officially kicks off on Monday 19th November. In the meantime there are tasks and challenges to get into the right mindset. I am nervous about what may be around the corner. I don't know what my goal weight should be. I don't know if I won't collapse from exhaustion from so much exercise. I don't know if I will feel satisfied eating a low-ish calorie diet and I wonder if my stomach won't be growling from hunger in the evening.

I want to put myself 100% into this program and not second guess the advice. The hardest thing I think for me will be balancing my commitment to the program while also listening to my body. I am determined enough that I will make time for the exercise and food preparation. I can afford to buy basic exercise equipment to complete a good workout. My partner is encouraging and supportive. I just need to arrive at a happy medium where I am eating well and feeling strong, and my weight is stable. While I  am not quite sure what the numbers (calorie intake and body weight) will be I hope I know when I get there.