Pride has a dual existence where it can be read as both a negative and a positive trait. On the one hand, there is the pride associated with those with an inflated sense of self. A person who loves to love themselves and doesn’t believe they have any evolving to do. They have already reached the best they can be so why change anything. I can’t imagine a more obnoxious person than this!
Then, there is the pride that any fitness professional who loves what they do, seeks to to build or maintain in their clients. It’s a sense of accomplishment that comes from the knowledge that our bodies and minds are capable of anything we train them to do. It’s a discovery that our boundaries will change and move according to our thoughts and actions. Pride is a powerful emotion and it is a major driving force in creating life long health and wellness.
For me and for Sweat there is NO GREATER COMPLIMENT than hearing about and seeing this healthy sense of pride be built through our work together! Every time I hear someone tell me, “I feel so strong now” or “I can’t believe I can do that now” or even “I never thought I’d enjoy working out,” I know that with the physical changes that we help accomplish we are also changing the way someone views themselves. Current research in psychology and neurology tells us that there lies “the magic pill” that everyone is trying to bottle up and sell. (Read the books Switch by Chip and Dan Heath and especially The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg to learn more.) These “small” but significant performance based changes can be the positive reward that the brain needs to make things like working out an automated behavior. I don’t want to get too #nerdy on you here but simply stated this means that the things that make bad habits excruciatingly hard to break are also the same neurological mechanisms that create permanent lifestyle changes!!! I get so excited about hearing and seeing pride because it’s the physical manifestation of these major things at work!!
1. Benchmark-
The Thanksgiving detox is now over. You WILL KILL IT this week during your benchmark test. After all, it’s a matter of pride, right!!??!!
2. Nutrition- BREAKFAST!
BREAK YOUR FAST…Last week we talked about two different ways to get a 12 hour evening fast into your schedule. The purpose of that was not only to give your digestive system a break but also to allow enough time for our bodies to dive into our stored fats for fuel.
So how should you break your fast? What should your BREAK-FAST look like?
Protein + starchy carb + high fiber + good fat
Looks a whole lot like dinner, right? Sounds like a ton of food? What if I’m not hungry in the morning? How do you fix all that with a crazy morning schedule?
1. Yes, it looks like dinner b/c this is the time of day our brains and bodies are demanding the most amount of physical and mental work. FEED IT!
2. Yes, you will be hungry because you just fasted for 12 hours! For those who tell me, but I’m not hungry when I wake up in the morning, well that’s fine. Many times that’s because you ate at 9pm so why would you be hungry at 6:30 in the morning? If you ate late, travel w/ your breakfast, but EAT IT as soon as that hunger does hit you (very likely it will be close to or slightly after that 12 hr fasting mark anyways!!)
3. You might not get it right at first, but eventually you will find your favorites! You absolutely MUST work w/ what you like and what you can do to make this work. Once again, read the book The Power of Habit if you want to understand why trying to insert new habits feels so taxing on the brain.
What works for me, might not work for you, but it’s always nice to see what others do. Here’s what I do…usually.
I don’t love to drink my breakfast but I do understand that there are certain mornings that out of necessity I have to use a shake. I NEVER EVER go hungry!!
1. 1- 2 scoops of: Protozyme Vanilla Protein Powder (as a post workout) or Vega Sport Protein Powder (as a meal replacement)
2. unsweetened coconut milk
3. ice (takes longer to drink when it’s super cold. BRAIN FREEZE!)
4. kale (tons and tons of it! FIBER keeps you full)
5. 1/4- 1/2 cup frozen berries (high fiber, low sugar fruit that takes the edge off the kale)
6. cinnamon (truly helps keep my insulin in check so my hunger stays down
7. vanilla (cause it’s yummy)
8. apple pectin (THICKENS my smoothie which has a good bit of liquid in it)
9. 1 TB coconut oil (cause it’s yummy and fat is important for fat loss too)
If I have time at home then:
1. olive oil
2. 1 whole egg
3. 3/4 cup egg whites
4. ridiculous amounts of kale, broccoli, or spinach
5. 1/2 cup cooked steel cut or old fashioned oats (depends on how much time I have in the morning)
6. hot sauce or salsa (cause I love it and it takes longer to eat spicy food!)
7. sometimes I add 1/4 or 1/2 apple if I’m particularly hungry that morning.
Protein, starch, fiber, fat…in either scenario. Experiment this week! I want to see your breakfast combos this week!!!
3. Activity- Strength Workouts!
As previously stated…it’s all about the benchmark test this week!
