8 Weeks to Wellness – Week 3

SoJo Happening is participating in the 8 Weeks to Wellness® program, and I am happy to share that after 3 weeks on the program, I am down 13 lbs and feeling fantastic!  Here’s how week 3 went…

Click here to read about Week 1

Click here to read about Week 2

Week 3 of 8 Weeks to Wellness

The Diet

I have always been a creature of habit – as such I don’t feel the need to “mix it up” that much while following a diet or meal plan. I will happily consume the same meals at the same time each day. Usually. This week, I started to get a little antsy for variety, so I had to literally spice up my meals. I had been eating mostly chicken, but I introduced fish again this week, starting with salmon. I’d like to add this 1-2x  per week, since it is super good for you and also easy to cook. I then did a spice inventory, and found my shelves lacking. So I headed out to Trader Joe’s where I picked up giner, cumin, curry, and a host of other spices. I even got a fresh ginger root. I love Asain and Thai flavors, so I’ll be experimenting with them more. My first salmon dish, however, was a spicy blackened salmon with about 10 different kinds of pepper. Bring on the heat!

While talking to Dr. Jarvis about the plan, she asked if I’d noticed anything new this week. I was happy to tell her that I finally feel my body working efficiently. Which is quite a thing to notice, if you’ve never noticed it before!  The combination of eating whole and complete nutrition, combined with the frequency of eating (5x/day), has allowed me to feel for the first time like my body is an efficient machine.  Now I feel like before 8 Weeks to Wellness, I was like an 18-wheeler trying to drive on regular unleaded gasoline. Now that I am getting the correct fuel for my body at the correct times, I can really feel the difference – and it’s fantastic!

The Workouts

Sometimes, when we’re looking towards a goal, we can go a little overboard. This is what I did this week.  In wanting to be as successful as possible, I upped my gym workouts to 2x per day. Burning calories is a good thing – but burning out is a bad thing. I ended up missing one of my 8WW workouts because I hurt my back while working out on my own. Besides just being overworked, Dr. Baumgardener explained to me that when I trian with Tyler and Jordana, I am breaking down muscle, which then needs time to repair. By adding several additional workouts per week, I could possibly sabotage my efforts by getting in the way of necessary muscle recovery time. Worse, I could actually injure myself, causing me to lose valuable time and possibly set myself back. And that would be bad!  I promised to scale back my workouts outside of Health Goals, and really use my training time to my advantage.

I still love my Arc Trainer workouts for cardio, but this week I discovered a new machine that raised my heart rate faster than any machine has before: The Helix Lateral Trainer.  Regular cardio machines (ellipticals, etc.) work in a front-to-back plane, but the Helix uses horizontal motion that targets more hard-to-reach areas of the body. Most aerobic trainers simply work the front of the thighs (quads) and the back of the legs (hamstrings), but the Helix also simultaneously works the inner and outer thighs and glutes.  Make no mistake -  afterwords you WILL hurt!!!

The Chiropractic

I had the best adjustment on Thursday. It was the first time I thought to myself “Oh my Gosh! This chiro stuff is for real!”  I had gone into the adjustment with a sore neck from ‘sleeping funny’ several nights in a row. Combined with my extra workouts, I was feeling tight, sore, and highly grumpy.  After Dr. B adjustment me, holy cow what a difference!  My neck felt 90% better and I was practically skipping out the door. And believe you me, I was a skeptic going in. Looks like I’m a convert!

The Massage

When someone is as busy and wound-up as I am, it can be hard – nearly impossible – to relax. Which is why it has been so vital to get into the routine of getting a weekly massage. I am finally getting nearer to a place where I can “tune out” all the way and let go for a half hour. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting closer, thanks to Joan!

That’s it for now!  13 lbs gone, and more to come ( I mean, GO!).

For more information about the 8 Weeks to Wellness program at Health Goals Center for Life Enhancement, visit www.HealthGoals.com.

 

 

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