Day 11 (Day 1 Week 2)

Well, glad that's over with!  I regret all previous posts where I complain about being bored with Week 1 exercises.  Week 2 is INTENSE!  For me, the toughest part about Week 2 is definitely the cardio.  It seemed like my heart was about to explode with every exercise.  The worst were plank jacks and double jump rope.
I was feeling really confident about exercise during Week 1 because after the first 2-3 days, the workout became quite a bit easier...I'm hoping the same goes for Week 2 because right now I am sweating like I just ran a marathon (not that I'd know what that's like, but I can imagine)!
Although the workout was WAY harder than I expected, the exercises were a lot more interesting and I had fun doing them.

This makes it look so easy...

I had a revelation last night when I was talking to my sister and telling her how much fun I was having doing these videos and going to the gym.  For two years after high school I convinced myself that I hated working out and the only way I would exercise would be to play sports (I played high school softball and volleyball).  Well, as most college/university students who don't play on their school's athletic team have realized, finding a co-ed/ competitive team to play on and who's schedule fits into theirs is pretty damn hard!  I finally realized that I don't need a sport or a team to have fun,  working out and going to the gym can be my sport and I can enjoy it just as much, if not more (no coaches hammering volleyball's at your face, is one perk).

I've been Pinning again (what's new) but I've tried to stop pinning heart attack inducing recipes and start pinning to my "Health and Lifestyle" board, which was pretty much empty about a month ago.  I have found some great tips and tricks and thought I would share some of my favourites with you that I've tried and found that they really work:

1. Keep a food diary
I know this sounds like something your high school gym teacher would make you do but I found a great app on my iPhone called Lose it! It tracks your calories for the day, your exercises, your percentage of carbs, protein, and fats, and even helps track your weight goals. It's FREE and I highly recommend it.  It gives you a visual of what you are putting into your body and really opens your eyes to hidden calories in your food (using 2tbsp of butter on my toast in the morning was more calories than one cup of steamed broccoli!)

Lose It!

2.  Plan a day or two a week to meet a friend at the gym
This is pretty self-explanatory.  When you tell someone you are going to meet them at the gym at 6:00pm on Mondays and Wednesdays at the gym, every week, you make sure that you plan your activities around that gym time.  If you can carve two hours out of your night to watch Grey's Anatomy (which I do) than you can make it a priority to set aside two hours out of your night to meet up with a friend at the gym (and talk about what happened on Grey's Anatomy)

3.  Drink water with lemon (and drink lots of it!)
I'll be the first to admit, I used to drink maybe 1-2 glasses of water/ day until I started working out.  Now I rarely drink anything else.  Adding lemon to your water helps kick start your metabolism in the morning and frankly, jazzes up that boring glass of water.  I also bought a Starbucks cold cup (that I love!) and it encourages me to drink water throughout the day.
I mean it, that water bottle should go everywhere you go.  When I leave my house I check for four things: My wallet, my keys, my phone, and my water bottle.  I've gotten so bad that if my pockets aren't full (keys in one pocket, phone in the other) and my hands are empty (wallet in one hand, cold cup in the other), I have a minor panic attack until I've located my precious belongings.

Mmmm...Refreshing!

4. Eliminate your weakness
My kryptonite is Salt and Vinegar Chip and Fudgeo Cookies.  If either of these things are in my house, I will destroy them.  One minute they are there, the next they are a crumpled bag shoved to the bottom of the garbage can in an attempt to high my shame.  So how do I overcome this internal struggle? I DO NOT KEEP THEM IN THE HOUSE!!  If an unexpected craving hits me and I feel like I'm going to die if I don't have a Salt and Vinegar chip (that's exactly what it feels like too) I at least have to get of my hiney, walk to the nearest 7-Eleven and buy a bag.

So we meet again..

5. Brush your teeth after EVERY meal
This seems excessive, but it totally works!  As soon as you've brushed your teeth, you eliminate any cravings you might have after a meal.  Personally, after supper I crave something sweet but as soon as I brush my teeth, the thought of a brownie mixed with the taste of that minty toothpaste doesn't seem so appealing anymore.

So there are a few of my tried and true tips,
To health and happiness!
Jordana