The #1 most valuable, high impact thing you can do to improve your body & your health is improve your mindset.
I can’t tell you how much people dismiss this truth and instead only want to focus on diet & exercise strategy.
Guys, our minds create our lives. Our thoughts drive our decisions. When you improve your mind, you make every other change in life exponentially easier.
In today’s episode I’m sharing a few things, mindset related, that really hit me hard this week because I want you to accept this reality:
If you want to change your body or your health, change your mind. It changes everything.
What a world of good a weekend away on the water does! I feel like my normal self again! Hurray!
The weather was amazing this weekend and I got to lay on the beach & work – it’s hard to beat that!
Plus, I got in great workouts each day which made me proud. If you’re traveling or you don’t belong to a gym, here’s a doozy I did in the hotel room with ZERO equipment:
10 rounds for time (you could totally do fewer rounds)
20 body weight squats
10 burpees
1 minute plank (you could do more or less time as desired)
On round 4 I was definitely sweating!
Today’s it’s back to the hustle & grind!
I’ll be honest – I didn’t feel like going to the gym today. I’m tired and have a ton of work to do. I definitely considered skipping it but here’s why I didn’t:
I asked myself which choice would make my day better – skipping the workout and getting more work done or making the workout a priority and giving it 100% effort.
I have never regretted prioritizing a workout.
I’ve often regretted skipping one.
Without question, prioritizing the workout and stepping away from work will make me feel better so that’s what I did.
My favorite part of the workout today was the coaching between the warm-up and the workout. I love the important reminders like leading with your elbows when coming out of the bottom of the squat. It makes me really happy to improve my form because my workouts get more efficient and I know I’m getting stronger & more fit.
On the food front:
I was in the car for a couple hours this morning and I felt pretty hungry when I got home. Breaking from the norms, I ate before my workout.
I had chicken cakes & cauliflower “couscous” from Paleo Power Meals.
I had a few cherry tomatoes with it, too.
After my workout I had a mini meal – carrots & guacamole – since I wasn’t too hungry after that bigger brunch.
I’m going back to a favorite of mine for dinner: a bag of cauliflower rice sauteed with the inside of a stuffed pepper.
The stuffed pepper also comes from Paleo Power Meals and it includes veal, ground beef, mushrooms, a bit of almond flour and onions but no grains or anything like that. Super yummy.
I am back to relying heavily on Paleo Power Meals because, as the weather gets warmer, I want to enjoy more of my time outside and doing things I love.
Cooking isn’t one of those things I love all that much so I’m letting Paleo Power Meals do it for me. Plus, in addition to freeing up my time, their food is totally delicious and very fat loss friendly, so it helps me with this year of push I’m living!
I’ll say this: it’s not cheap but I do believe it saves me money because I’m not buying snacks or making a bunch of random trips to the grocery or letting food spoil in the fridge. That’s just what’s true for me.
Lots of people want to know how much they should eat. When it comes to protein, fat & carbs, everyone wants to know: how much should you eat? How much is too much? What is the target you should look to hit?
In fact, a google search of “how much protein should I eat” or the same question related to fat or carbs will yield millions of results & opinions.
Today, I’m tackling that question and providing tools to help you find your own answers.
The biggest take away of the episode is this: stop looking for someone else’s answers and start consistently doing the work to create your own.
In today’s show I’ll be helping you find and create your own answers so you can stop relying on everyone else’s opinion.
I am determined to be happy today. It’s a choice I am making.
Happy by choice looks like this for me today:
Getting an iced coffee before my pedicure
Listening to great music while I drive (instead of a book or podcast)
Taking myself out to lunch
Wearing an outfit that makes me feel cute & feminine
Being patient & grateful while dealing with a banking issue – it’s not a crisis unless I get dramatic & impatient.
I got up around 5am to grind through some work before heading to the gym for an earlier-than-normal workout.
I’m headed out of town today and needed to get it in!
It was a solid workout.
“Frantic”
4 Rounds:
21/18 Calorie Bike
18 Thrusters (65/45#) (Not sure what a thruster is? Here you go.)
15 Pull-ups
Thrusters at 45 lbs are pretty light for me, but 18 unbroken in a metabolic workout gets spicy.
I was determined to do all 4 rounds unbroken on the thrusters, and I did, so I feel good about that.
After the workout I did some solo work on my toes-to-bar.
I am ABSOLUTELY feeling stronger and more efficient in my workouts. Yay for that!
On the food front:
Today is a weird day. I have to be in Boston for a meeting, then Cape Cod then NYC. All today. I’m writing this post before I hit the road and I’m not entirely sure what the day will bring from a food standpoint.
I will, however, tell you the plan.
I won’t eat before lunch because I’m not too hungry and I’ll be sitting on my butt for most of the day.
I’m stopping by Chipotle (yes, again) on my way to Boston and I know for sure what I’ll order there:
Salad
No rice, no beans
Chicken
Pico & guac
My plan is to grab a small bag of almonds or cashews to have on hand during my Boston meeting (though I’ll be honest, I don’t need them). I could absolutely get by with just lunch and dinner, but I’ll likely snack on some nuts because I feel like it.
Though I’m not entirely sure, I think I’ll have an early dinner on the Cape before heading out to NYC. I can assure you that it will be a light meal since I’ll be completely sedentary from dinner until bedtime and I hate traveling with a full stomach.
Maybe a salad, maybe just raw veggies and a protein bar from a grocery store. We will see what the day brings.
As you go into the holiday weekend and many of us will be surrounded by food, I want you to think about what you’ll choose to fill you up.
Sometimes, we turn to food to fill us because it’s convenient and familiar.
However, that’s notwhat we want to be filled with.
Maybe we need to fill ourselves with rest or connection. Maybe we need to fill ourselves with laughter and adventure. Maybe we need to fill ourselves with patience & gratitude.
You would fail fast if you filled yourself with sand when what you needed was water.
Happy Thursday, loves! My day started off with some work on Saturday’s podcast which got me thinking about back to my most powerful question:
What opportunities can I create today to take impeccable care of myself?
These things certainly won’t happen by accident. I won’t drift towards impeccable choices and consistent self-care.
This week has been totally crazy and I’ve been driving all over creation every day. Today, I don’t have to go anywhere other than the gym. That creates a lot of great self-care opportunities.
I can drink plenty of water – after yesterday’s intense massage I know it will help
I can bring a positive, enthusiastic, eager attitude to my workout
I can meditate for at least 20 minutes
I can cook a delicious, fat loss friendly dinner & enjoy it without my computer or phone
No need for a crazy long list, just a few things that feel like self care today.
…
At my gym, before each workout we all give each other fist bumps or high fives.
For some people, it’s more of an apprehensive eye roll that says “here we go, this is gonna suck!” or “is it over yet?”
I’ve decided that every time I give another athlete a high five or fist bump before a workout I say, “have fun!”
I mean, honestly, we aren’t Olympians. We aren’t competing against each other. Do your best and for chrissakes – have fun!
Stop being dramatic about self care. It’s a wonderful thing that we’re well enough to be able to move our bodies in this way.
Put a damn smile on your face & have some fun!
That’s as much of a pep talk for myself as it is for you. Especially given today’s workout! Ready for it?
“Family Feud”
AMRAP 25:
*Buy In: 50 burpees
50m Prowler Push (95/45#)
100m Sandbag Run (50/35)
200m Run
Yayyyyy all the running! #sarcasm
50 burpees.
Running with a sled.
Running with a sandbag.
Running with dead tired legs.
Repeat
(See why I needed that “have fun” pep talk today?!)
Speaking of legs…
The funniest thing happened during my massage yesterday. Well, it was funny to me and you’re gonna hear about it whether you agree or not.
The massage therapist was working on my hamstrings while I was laying on my belly. My knee was bent at a 90 degree angle to the table and she was moving it up and down like a water pump to see where the muscle was moving easily & where it wasn’t.
She wanted me to relax my leg instead of holding up the weight on my own.
She says, “let your leg be heavy”
I said, “Uh, that’s like telling water to be wet”
I hold about 80% of my body weight in my legs so that just cracked me up.
Heavy legs. Check! #overachiever
Yeah, the workout was pretty rough. After the first couple of rounds my legs felt like I was running uphill through molasses in the winter. Yup, that’s about right.
I collapsed on the pavement afterwards and relaxed in the sun. So nice.
Had fun.
On the food front:
I ate before my workout today. I was hungry this morning so I ate. I had a Paleo Power Meals bacon & egg muffin from the freezer. I’m not usually hungry in the morning. If I am, I eat. Pretty simple.
I absolutely love Paleo Power Meals – if you try them out, be sure to use the coupon code ebprimal20 to save 20% on your first order!
After my workout I ran over to Chipotle for another salad bowl. I had one yesterday and I forgot how much I love it! I personally opt for no rice & no beans. Just a salad with fajita veggies, chicken, pico & guac.
I kept my promise of drinking lots of water throughout the day and dinner was simple but delicious:
I took a can of wild caught salmon, mixed it up with some Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo and had it with a bag of cauliflower rice.
