Week 1- "Why" Over "How"

Well, I did it...I survived my first week of Body Revolution! Just like I thought, this was tough, but very rewarding. If there's one thing that I've learned on my journey so far, it's that I'm dedicated to this. Here's a quick recap of what went down this week:

The diet: I was doing the 7-Day Kickstart Your Metabolism program, which primarily featured recipes that included protein and veggies, but no fruit or carbs. I stuck to this for the first few days, then gradually began re-introducing carbs and cheating a little. I was still careful with my calorie counting and tried to stay around Jillian's suggested calorie breakdown per meal, which is:

250 calorie breakfast
400 calorie lunch
150 calorie snack
400 calorie dinner

I just can't do extreme diets. I definitely tried some of the recipes, and they were delicious, but I need more food variety in my diet and DEFINITELY need the energy that carbs give. Going forward, I will eat more clean and organic and try some of the recipes in the meal plan, but overall I feel it's just too expensive and too time-consuming to follow it to the letter. I'll just continue making better food choices and count my calories. I still saw great results!

Here are a few photos of the recipes I made this week:

Greek Yogurt with Cinnamon and Almonds

Chef Salad

Southwest Turkey Burger with a Small Spinach Salad

I'm someone who never cooks, so even making these small recipes was something of an accomplishment for me.

The workouts: The first week of the program, if you're doing the kickstart, encourages you to do two workouts a day. Normally, the workout schedule is as follows:

Day 1: Front of body strength workout

Day 2: Back of body strength workout

Day 3: Cardio

Day 4: Front of body strength workout

Day 5: Back of body strength workout

Day 6: Cardio

Rest Day

Since I was doing the kickstart, I did this same workout schedule in the morning and then did the Cardio workout every night. Wednesday and Saturday, I did the Cardio workout twice. The first day when I did the first workout, I legitimately felt so exhausted and nauseous throughout most of it. As the days went on, I got so much better. It's amazing how adding in the cardio every day conditioned my body and built up my endurance. At the end of the first week, I still think some of the moves are hard, but I can do all the DVDs without stopping and am working on perfecting my form. The workouts for the first two weeks are all basic strength moves designed to build up your core strength so your body can work out harder. As a beginner, that's just what I need. I honestly love these first few workouts and am starting to see and feel changes! I have to say, working out every morning gave me the energy I needed to start my day and I've been feeling amazing all week. This is the motivation I need to keep me going, the fact that I can feel myself getting stronger and also feeling more energized and motivated.

The results: I lost about 4 pounds this week! I am thrilled with this result. Normally, when people start working out and eating healthier, they lose more the first week, but I've been dieting and exercising for about a month now, so I already went through the exciting "water weight" loss. These are 4 REAL pounds, which is better than I could have ever hoped for. It'll definitely give me the motivation to keep going. Next week, when I go down to 1 workout a day, I might gain some of it back, but I know it's part of the process and I'll just have to do a better job of watching my calories.

The takeaway: There's something Jillian says on one of her DVDs that stuck with me. She says, "If you have a why, you can get through any how. Any amount of pain or punishment is something you can get through if you remember why you're doing this." This doesn't just apply to working out. It applies to life. So many people give up easily on things that are difficult or challenging for them, but in order to get through, you really have to remember WHY you're doing something. I had to give notice at my job this week because I accepted another offer. I hate confrontation and disappointing people, so I was afraid to have the conversation because I didn't want to let my supervisors, who believe in me so much, down. In order for me to have that conversation, I just had to remind myself why I was leaving my position and why I wanted to move on. That's what helped me have the chat, and it was a surprisingly positive and drama-free experience. This week, ALWAYS remember your why. You can get through the "how" if you do!

Also, I have to say, I love the support I'm getting on Facebook! Thanks so much, you guys. Your words will be what gets me through, even if I gain, plateau or feel like I want to give up. I appreciate the encouraging words, so keep them coming!

xo, Sarah