Summer Shape Up 2K15: Week 1 is Done!

Hey Blogoshpere! Week 1 of Summer Shape Up 2K15 is done, and although it was more of a struggle than I expected I am feeling full of energy and really excited to move into week 2.

Throughout the summer I'll update here with lessons learned and a tip of the week. You'll also want to head over to the YouTube channel every week for videos of my cooking adventures, snippets of my workouts, and reviews of resources, which I might not always include here.

As I said week 1 was a STRUGGLE. The heat, the change in diet and the fact that I hadn't been in the gym in a while all worked against me for the first couple of days and the mental battle to push through that was a tough one. Here are some lessons and tips that I walked away with this week.

Lessons Learned
1. WATER IS A GAME CHANGER. This seems like an obvious statement, but I nearly passed out the first two workouts simply because I wasn't drinking enough water. As I said in the last video, it is always recommended to increase your water intake when drinking the protein shakes as the powder just absorbs it all. Water also has a ton of other benefits  and can make or break your entire fitness plan.

2. BLENDED NOT STIRRED. I love the taste of the Lean 1 protein shakes, but since my parents have a blender here (I don't have one in my new place in NY) I decided to use it and the shakes taste SOOOO much better. It's like drinking a chocolate milk shake twice a day. Note: In last week's blog I said the 2 lb. tub of shakes lasts 3 weeks. That was based on my previous experience when I think I was only replacing one shake a day (except for weekends). Doing two meal replacements will probably only last you about two weeks making the $40 at Smoothie King a bit costly. I ordered my second tub off of amazon this time and it was only $26. Much more reasonable!

3. WORKOUT FIRST, PLAY LATER. When I'm at school I have to fit my workouts in whenever I can and it's usually at night, but my relaxed schedule during the summer means my days are wide open. Putting my workouts in the morning BEFORE I get too deeply into relaxation mode was definitely another game changer.

TIP OF THE WEEK:
SKIP THE SCALES! It's so tempting to hop on the scale daily or weekly to check your progress, but my advice is to fight this urge as much as possible. Weightloss/training is 90% mental (in my opinion), and so many things factor into how much you weigh on a given week/day/hour. Seeing a number you don't like can really discourage you. I usually stay off the scales for a whole month when I'm first starting a new routine or getting back into the swing of things. This keeps me motivated by the more important things like increased energy, better sleep, less stress, improved attitude/emotional stability, etc. Of course you'll want to know how you're doing eventually but I'd say at the most keep your weigh-ins to once or twice a month.

Photo Cred: http://www.fridaylovesong.net/

 Alright guys I know that these were pretty basic tips and nothing too shocking, but when you're starting a new regimen or trying to get back on the wagon it's nice to be reminded of the basics. This week I'm keeping my cardio routine pretty steady but adding in more weight training since that bit the dust as I battled through the near-fainting due to lack of water. Also, I've started my second phase, which is purposeful attention to my mental/emotional state through various meditation and journal apps. Next week's tips and lessons will all be related to that with a video introducing and reviewing all of the apps I use.

I hope you all find this helpful/motivating/encouraging. If you think I forgot any important tips for starting out please leave it below in the comments and I'll add them to next week's post with a shout out to the commenter. Stay motivated and as always...

Enjoy the journey...