Summer Countdown Series 2014

So far 2014 has been an awesome year for me.  I've been really motivated, working out 5 days a week, eating clean, and accomplishing some of the goals I set out to achieve in just a few weeks. All was going well until about three weeks ago... I've been going through some really personal challenges in my life over the past few weeks, both physically and emotionally.  In the past three weeks I've worked out only 3 times and ate pretty much whatever the heck I wanted. But I'm finally getting through these challenges and I'm ready to get back on track! Life is tough man. Remember, it's okay if you hit bumps along the road and have to stop every now and then... as long as you don't give up.  

Now that I'm back and able to commit myself to my goals, I'm gonna try something a little different. I'm calling it the "Summer Countdown Series."  Summer Break is 9 weeks away (more or less depending on where you go to school) which is quite terrifying to me. In 9 short weeks I'll be on a plane headed home to Hawai'i... That means I'll be spending 99% of my time in bikinis and short shorts! Can you see why I'm worried haha. Don't get me wrong, I love myself and who I am.  I don't workout to lose inches, pounds, or sizes. And I most certainly don't "do it for the thigh gap." That's just silly. I workout because I believe that my outside should reflect who I am on the inside... and if you ask me, I think I'm pretty darn awesome!

Haha anyways, each week up until Summer break, I am going to do something to improve myself.  Here are the rules that will serve as the foundation for each episode of the series:

A HEALTHY AND BALANCED DIET
I’m still going to do some food prepping each week but it will mostly consist of preparing fruits & veggies and making sure I have the basic essentials.  I want to direct my time & focus on eating balanced all the time. That means no more “cheat day.” I want to make health conscious choices 7 days of the week, instead of obsessing over every detail of what goes in my mouth for only 5 days of the week.

5 DAYS OF EXERCISE

I don’t plan on power-lifting, boxing, or running 5 miles every time I workout.  What I mean by 5 days of exercise is 5 days of activity.  Just get up and do something… a quick hike, jog for 30 minutes, an at-home Insanity workout. Heck, yesterday I did a workout on on the playground while I watched the kids at the park haha. I spent 20 minutes jumping up and down the stairs, swinging around on the monkey bars, doing pushups, and lunges, just anything I could think of while the boys played basketball.  It didn’t seem all that challenging in the moment but let me tell you, I am FEELING it today. Seems pathetic, I know, but I can guarantee playing at the playground for 5 days a week is better than doing an intense workout at the gym for only one.

A WEEKLY NUTRITION CHALLENGE

This is where the fun comes in… Each week of my Summer Countdown will feature a Nutrition Challenge.  The challenge will be something that targets a common nutrition weaknesses.  Since I’m not going to meticulously food prep as I have before, I want to be able challenge myself somehow. Afterall, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

and now, for the best part...

A WEEKLY REWARD

Yes, you read that right.  If I successfully complete the week, Sunday morning all the way through Saturday night, I will reward myself with an item that I chose at the start of the week.  The reward will be something that has to do with summer like a new beach bag or bikini.  As I challenge myself physically more and more each week, I plan to make the rewards increasingly valuable.  This will keep me determined on my countdown to summer.  And remember guys, don’t reward yourself with food, you’re not a dog.


So there it is! There Summer Countdown Series. Stay tuned for the first week's nutrition challenge and reward. And feel free to join in! When May comes around you don't want to be wishing you started in March...