"What diet are you on?"
"I want to do that diet ___ celebrity did it!"
"Oh, you aren't eating fruit? What diet is that?"
"Lose 15 pounds in 10 days on ___ diet -- it really works!"
How many times have we heard one, if not all, of those questions from our friends, family, and social media?
Too often.
Nowadays, people tend to lean towards a "quick fix" to reach their weight loss goals or food problems which then leads them toward a FAD diet. A FAD diet stands for "fast acting diet" -- not a long lasting one. Throughout my entire life the word "diet" always had a negative connotation to it. Before you ask, I was never put on a diet as a kid because of my weight. My Mom never used it, therefore we never used it. As I got older and I was able to form my own opinion I realized that I, personally, did not like the term either.
From middle school - high school, to now, I always heard friends say they were doing "such and such" diet with their Mom and they couldn't eat "xyz". I can remember distinctly going home and telling my mom that I was going to do that diet. She would say not to go on a diet, just make smarter choices. Like always, she was right.
Don't get me wrong, I've done "diets" here and there, but nothing ever stuck. I couldn't wrap my head around the concept of I wasn't going to do this forever then what was the point? People recently have approached me about "What diet are you doing?" and "How much weight have you lost?"... etc. To be frank, I hate the term diet -- I 100% hate it. I think it sets people up for failure without even given them a chance. It gives the dieter unrealistic standards to meet, that they ultimately will not meet and then fail. For example, if the diet you are on says you cannot eat any carbs whatsoever, and you slip up and eat a carb, what is your normal reaction? 9 times out of 10 it's "well, I messed up today -- I'll just start over tomorrow". This can turn into a continuous cycle and that leads to abandoning the diet + the new lifestyle as a whole. For me, being healthy and this blog isn't about sharing my "diet" with the world, it's focusing on my health + trying to become the healthiest person I can be. I firmly believe that if you eat good 75% of the time, it's okay to "treat yo self" and eat that hot dog at the party or a burrito from Taco Bell. But what can come back to bite you is if you let the "treat yo self" eating turn into 75% of your lifestyle and the healthy the other 15%... believe me, I would know.
You're probably thinking well, there's controversy about being Paleo -- what makes you think that that isn't a diet and isn't good for you? You're right, people do consider it the Paleo diet. But I'm not some people, I don't eat bacon for every meal and I eat bread from time to time. I strive for "Paleoishness" because it gives me a set of guidelines [to a certain point because every Paleo person has different opinions about what is Paleo + what isn't]. But I like how strong, clean rejuvenated my body feels when I follow it. It's not that I am never going to eat pasta, bread, or cheese again, that's would be unrealistic and I'm Italian -- we love our cheese, it's just I am striving to cut back on things I have finally realized our hurting my body. It's about cutting back and enjoying what you love on a smaller, more healthy scale. I promise you can do it! Because if I can, you can.
My goal with this post is not to sound rude or disrespectful. But to hopefully make people question the way they think about living a healthy lifestyle. Is the diet you are on the best for your body? Are you getting the necessary nutrients your body needs? I want girls to realize that there is no set weight you're supposed to be, size you're supposed to wear or body shape you're supposed to have. It' about being the best version of yourself you can be + loving yourself.
Eating healthy doesn't have to come at a price, you can eat healthy and delicious foods every day and still meet your goals. No one is perfect, and you are going to make mistakes, but it's how you handle those set backs that really shape you into a stronger person. What I have found that works best is to set small, monthly goals for yourself -- it can be anywhere from 1 - 10 goals, however much you are willing to take on and try each day to achieve something you didn't the day before.
Since it is FITtastic Friday [+ I haven't done one in a very long time] and as nerve racking as it is, I've decided to truly share my fitness journey with you all.
On Monday, I began the crazy 6 week program of the CHAARG Booty Camp and I've decided to have you guys along this journey with me + to hold me accountable.
This is my before picture. My FitGoal I set for myself is to see definition in my abs by the end of the program and to stick to being "Paleo"ish throughout the program!
This post is a bit more serious than normal, but I've had it in "the blogging vault" for a while and thought it was the right time to throw it out there.
FITtastic Friday Workout from the CHAARG Booty Camp:
Warm up:
1 mile [or 10 minute] walk, jog, or run
Workout:
Repeat 2X
*Rest 20 seconds between each round
Round 1 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Eagle Sit Ups
Round 2 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Bicycle Crunches
Round 3 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Flutter Kicks
Round 4 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Reverse Crunches
Round 5 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Vertical Crunches
Round 6 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 60 sec Plank
Round 7 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Oblique Raises [each side]
Round 8 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 180 Planks
Round 9 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Hundreds [1 up + down with arms = rep: complete 100 reps for a full set]
Round 10 || 60 sec Jump Rope + 20 Hip Twists
Extra Burn:
Repeat 4X
*Measure out 10 yards
10 Russian Twists | Sprint 10 yards
10 Core Destroyers | Sprint 10 yards
10 Reverse Bicycles | Spring 10 yards
10 Ground Runners | Sprint 10 yards
That's all I have for today! Hope everyone's Friday is going great : )
Have a fit + fantastic day!
Disclaimer: The workout above is not my creation nor do I claim I made it up -- CHAARG and Share It Fitness collaborated on this workout + it is amazing!
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