Where to Even Start?!

Where Do I Even Start?

Jessica Bento, MSPT

Check Out Our NEW 19 Day Program HERE

Success is often the result of how much you plan! I should know, for a long time I didn’t have to plan and was always confused why I wasn’t doing much better than “okay”.

I thought you could get results with somewhat consistent exercise and buying what appeared to be healthy frozen dinners. I have to give Josh a little credit, notice I said a little, he didn’t lecture me or try to change things for me when we first met. So, I was open to learning that I could do things better.

Of all the things I found out I SHOULD be doing, nothing was more obvious than just planning. As my life was becoming more hectic and I was getting more serious about my goals, the more I found myself needing to not just let things happen or fly by the seat of my pants. I began to see that if I wanted to really see a difference I would have to crack down on how I went about the simple things.

Plan Your Groceries

Nutrition isn’t something we have talked a ton about on our blog, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. There is soooo much information out there, but a lot of it comes down to that infamous planning. Every week I go through a host of cook books, or websites that I like and plan out the week.

Josh loves grocery shopping so our system works very well. I make the plans, on the weekend he hits the grocery store and we start our preparation. Okay, he also has a habit of bringing home something extra, but overall it works really well!

Anything you can start early, do it! The harder you make things the less likely you are to follow through on your plans. So many people complain about the price of high quality food, but if you track how much people spend on eating out, even eating high quality food at home is usually much cheaper and better for you!

You don’t have to be a competitor on Top Chef, to cook good tasting home meals. That may be where the internet is incredibly helpful! Look at this recipe I’ve used to make healthier options like mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. I even fooled my old school Dad with my faux mashed potatoes.

Step 1: one head cauliflower, pepper, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil

Step 2: chop up head of cauliflower and rinse well and place in boiling water

Step 3: boil for 10-15 minutes or till tender

Step 4: drain and place (I use a Nutribullet, Josh’s new love!) add about a tablespoon of olive oil

Step 5: blend up and season to how you like, you may have to do this a few times with the Nutribullet as it is smaller but I find it faster and easy to clean!

Plan Your Training

Not every gym I workout in gets this view, but the equipment is often the same!

This was as brand new to me as planning my meals. Everything in the past was about convenience and just squeezing things in rather than how I could do them better. Now I actually schedule my workouts like an appointment. I use a plan, I don’t guess or wonder what I am going to use.

As I told you last time, I started my day one of the 19 day program (CLICK HERE to find out more). It didn’t kill me, but it did get me jump started again. That is tough for some people. There are those think they have to be almost crawling on the ground to have a good workout. Then there are those that are so afraid of experiencing pain during their workout they never get started.

If you start off with a good plan, then you are much further along than most. Why? Because a smart program builds up. It should fit you and you should be able to adjust it the way you want. That is why I chose the 19 day program, start with a solid, I know I did work training session, and continue to build! That is how you should think of your training as well.

If you workout leaves you in bed for a week, it isn’t a good plan. Believe it or not, it is always better to add a bit more over time. I learned this the hard way when I didn’t think the workouts Josh were giving me were tough enough. I could do more! I wanted more!

I started adding more reps, sets, even an extra exercise. The funny part is that I was seeing good results, but like most, I thought more equaled better! As I started to add to my workouts I noticed I felt more and more tired all the time. My body was achy and sore and believe it or not, I was losing motivation to train. If that wasn’t bad enough I found my results were really no better:( So, I have been there, please listen to when I say you don’t have to kill yourself to get great training.

The last part was really being consistent where you train. It doesn’t matter where as long as you feel comfortable, you can make it work in your schedule, and it allows you stay focused! Too many people feel that they have to be at the gym, they have to be at a fancy place. I have known a lot of my friends with young kids that stay in incredible shape at home. The key is that it has to work for you!

The Most Important

Once in awhile I still think he messes with me!

I hope the most important thing you get out of my experiences is strategies that can work for you! So many people want the “right” answers and they don’t realize it has to be right for them. However, no matter what your situation the best way to achieve success is to think ahead and be prepared. It has been the biggest difference for me and think it could be for you too!

Where to Even Start?! is a post from: Ultimate Sandbag Training System

The post Where to Even Start?! appeared first on Ultimate Sandbag Training System.