Incorporating Exercise into a Hectic Schedule Beginners Edition

Exercise has been a crucial part of maintaining my weight loss. For the most part, exercising feels great... afterwards. Its that first step out the door on the way to the gym or out for a run that is the hardest. After a couple weeks of gym dedication, sometimes we get in the mindset of, "I have done so

well for so long. I deserve a break." Little breaks are fine. One day off from exercising is fine. But two or three days soon turn into a week and before you know it, you havent made it to the gym in weeks. And suddenly that pooch you worked so hard to get rid of with hundreds of sit-ups is coming back.

My problem is that I want every day to be a lazy day. And Ive been living with the consequences of that the last two weeks. After seeing a few pounds creep up I decided that I needed to involve myself in a type of exercise that I could adjust to fit a busy schedule and do pretty much anywhere. So I chose running/walking. I wanted to set a realistic expectation of consistency but still allow myself some breaks.

 After a little thought and planning I finalized a commitment to myself. My running schedule is three days on, one day off, three days on, one day off. This allows me to get in a good lazy day. If I know my lazy days are on Tuesday and Saturday this week, I can plan my running around them. Knowing that I can have days off makes it a lot easier to push through three days of exercise.

Here are 5 steps to implement this  type of exercise schedule into your week:

1. Get a calendar and write your goal at the top: Form an exercise habit by penciling exercise into my schedule and following a consistent pattern of three days on, one day off.

2. Identify the types of exercises you can do in a half hour to 1 hour period. Make sure they arent so hard that youll give up and never exercise again, but also make sure youre challenging yourself.
3. Assess your schedule on a weekly basis. When do you work, when do you have places you need to be, when do you have a half hour of time that is open and where will you be at that time?
4. Write down when youll exercise.
5. Keep a bag near your door or in your car with exercise clothes and running shoes, some deodorant, and some baby wipes (these will come in handy when you have to run on a lunch break).

I applied the above steps on Saturday and have my week planned out. This is what it looks like for me:

Saturday, by some miracle I was home. I needed to clean and run some errands but I managed to get in a 3 mile run/walk first thing when I woke up.

Sunday I usually spend the day at my parents house and catch up on some reading. Sundays are my most relaxed days, so I was able to do a 2 mile run/walk.

Monday is when it started getting a little crazy. I work 8-4:30, and at 5:45 p.m. I had a date. I am terrible at waking up early enough to go running before I have to get ready for work. So I took my running clothes to work, changed into them before I left and stopped by a high school track to do a mile before my date. I changed back into my clothes and met up with my guy for a nice dinner. It was incredibly hard to do that run, it wasnt even a good one. At all. But I knew that as soon as I finished, I was done with three days which meant I could have a day off and not feel guilty about it.

Tuesday was an off day. :) And it was an awesome one.

Today is Wednesday and its also extremely busy. I have work until 4:30, and a fancy date a 6:30 that I have to get ready for. Sooooo... That means by the time I get home at 5:00 p.m. I wont have time to run because that precious hour and a half leading up to my date will be spent curling, powdering, polishing, lining, ect. So... I brought my running clothes to work and Ill be doing a couple miles on my lunch break.

Thursday I have a double date with my dude and his bromance. I know its important to him so I cant skip it. That will happen right after work... So once again, Ill be running on my lunch break.

Friday I have the day off for a family member who is coming to town so I will be doing a nice 5 mile morning run/walk before he gets here and Im whisked away for family activities. :)

Saturday is a day off. And it will be much needed.

Next week I start school again. School part time, work full time, it looks like Im going to have to get used to running on lunch breaks. The thought of being sweaty for the remainder of the day isnt my favorite. But gaining weight back is also not my favorite. I have to choose the lesser of two evils there.

What are some of the ways you incorporate exercise into a busy schedule?

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3 Tips To Avoid Fall Weight Gain

I love fall. It is my favorite season. The temperature is perfect, the colors in the mountains are beautiful, and I can finally wear cardigans, scarves and boots without burning up. Its the season of soup and haunted hay rides. Its the season of cuddling and wearing leg warmers. But of course with all of my favorite fall activities also comes the season of eating.

Tends to bring out everyones desire to bake rolls and pies. Just since the beginning of October Ive had co-workers bring in pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, cheesecake, homemade biscuits and home made cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. Oh. My. Word. Its like carbohydrate heaven around here!

As easy as it may seem to stuff my face with all this bready goodness and wear baggy sweaters for the next three months, I know that I have a goal that is much more important than snacking on the fall foods that make me pack on the pounds.
Im not saying it is easy, because its incredibly hard to be surrounded by friends when they are eating rich, homemade confections while Im crunching on an apple, but I am saying youll feel better about yourself come January when youre already making progress toward your weight loss goal.

Here are 3 Tips to avoid Fall weight gain:

1. Sweaters are good, just dont hide under them
Big sweaters are in right now. They are easy to dress up with a pair of leggings, boots and a chunky necklace, but they also give you the perfect excuse to gain a little weight and have it go unnoticed. Tempting
right? Nothing hides a food baby (the bloat you get after overeating) better than a cute, off the shoulder, sweater. Keep in mind, though, that sweater season wont be around forever. It takes a lot longer to take off pounds than it does a sweater. Even though its tempting to use this fashion trend as an excuse to indulge in pumpkin spiced lattes from Starbucks, ditch the over-sized sweaters and pick up some fitted cardigans.

A couple months ago, target was having a sell on their boyfriend cardigans, and I stocked up. They are form fitting enough that if I put on too much weight they will show off my muffin top. Its good incentive to eat healthy even when everyone around me isnt.

2. Go for foods that are warm but not rich

Theres nothing quite like the feeling of broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl, or hot apple pie settling in your stomach. Usually when its cold outside we want something warm to eat or drink, right? Unfortunately a lot of the things we end up eating and drinking are warm but they are also rich. Cream based soups, hot pie, and creamy lattes are loaded with calories. But just because youre on a diet doesnt mean you cant have something warm and delicious, its all about making some healthy swaps. For instance, instead of Broccoli Cheese Soup go for vegetable soup in broth. Its incredibly tasty but it doesnt have the flour and butter that are usually in cream based soups. Instead of apple pie, slice an apple, sprinkle it with cinnamon and Trulicious powdered stevia, and bake it. You still get sweet, warm apples but you cut down on calories tremendously. Instead of a latte add a tablespoon of milk and a teaspoon of stevia to a cup of black coffee. Again, its a lot less calories but you still get that warm, full feeling.

3. Keep exercising
I live in Utah, and eventually its going to get dark earlier than I get home from school and too cold for me to
go jogging outside (yup, Im a sissy). If youre anything like me, staying home seems so much better than braving the cold for a workout.  But NO EXCUSES! There are hundreds of exercise videos out there that you can do in the comfort of your headed home. You can also check out HCGDiet.coms fitness board on Pinterest for some awesome and FREE stay at home fitness ideas! Even if its a 30 minute zumba video, its better than nothing. Keep moving. Your body will feel so much better if you continue to exercise through fall and winter!

Dont use fall as an excuse for weight gain. Enjoy fall without packing on the pounds with those three tips!

Need additional help reaching your goal weight in time for the family Christmas party?  Order your HCG Triumph kit today and you can lose up to 40 pounds before Christmas! Get your kit now while its on sale: http://www.hcgdiet.com/

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