I am officially halfway into week three of my USN12-Week Challenge. Now I realise that I am still in the ‘easy’ phase, but trust me it hasn’t been challenge free.
On day seven we were invited to a friend’s birthday – at an Italian restaurant. Not only did I have to say no to delicious looking pizzas and pastas, but I had to avoid the cupcake table too. I had visions of running past the table and diving face first into the cupcakes, and, at one stage, I thought, “one cupcake, surely it can’t make that much of a difference?”. Truth is, it can. One cupcake could’ve set me back those seven days, and that is when I made a conscious decision that I will stick out the 12 weeks – no cheating.
So why did I fail in the past with changing my lifestyle? Simple. I didn’t have goals, the knowledge, a plan of action or a reward system. I believe that these are four vital ingredients to any behavioural change.
The goals. My goals are not in kilograms or fat percentage, but rather in perception. My goal is to look in the mirror and like what I see. To know that I look the best that I can.
Also, I have never owned a pair of shorts (and my dresses and skirts are all knee-length). For once in my life I would love to own a pair of cute shorts, which I wear to flaunt it, rather than (boardshorts) to hide it.
Gain the knowledge. Now here I am quite privileged. Because I work in wellness, I am exposed to things like what is a healthy lifestyle, the healthier choice and what healthy weight loss is. But remember, Google is your friend. If you don’t know then read up about it or ask. (PS: One of my favourite websites is ShapeMag.)
Go and see the dietician or fitness consultant. Spend the money to see a professional and know you are doing it right rather than attempting it on your own. Not finding out the necessary know-how can lead to you not seeing results and giving up. If you are interested in the USN 12-Week Challenge, contact USN for any tips or advice – they are great at getting back to you.
Have a plan of action. Changing something is like finding your way to a place for the first time, you need directions. I took about two months reading up about low GI food, the USN products and getting together some recipes. Based on my research, I then selected my USN products and drew up a meal plan. I also made sure I knew how to do the exercises properly – to optimise results and ensure that I don’t hurt myself.
The reward system. If you work hard, you deserve a little reward. Once a week I treat myself to some guilt-free dessert. While you can have the USN Protein Dessert every day, I prefer to use it as my reward. I also plan to extend my tattoo once I have reached week six, and to get a decent pair of jeans after the 12 weeks.
To add some sprinkles to the ingredients
A lifestyle change requires commitment – remind yourself why you are making the change, what the benefits are and visualise yourself having reached your goals.Dedication – say no to that cupcake. Get up on a Saturday morning and go to gym, run that extra two minutes.
Motivation – when those last four lunges seem impossible the drill sergeant in my head reminds me that today’s weakness is tomorrow’s strength. And in any case impossible actually is (I'm)possible.
Cut it out – your taste buds will adjust. Cutting out the sugar out of my coffee was hard. When I started the USN 12-Week Challenge I was still putting in half a teaspoon of sugar. A friend then gave me the advice; cut it out – your taste buds will adjust – and it has.
Support – it helps – a lot! When we were at the Italian restaurant, bf didn’t mention once how nice the pizza was, only when we got home did he say that was the best pizza he has ever had. I appreciate that. It’s the small gestures of support and words of encouragement from bf, my (wine loving) friends and my mom.
When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, I often hear people say, but I don’t have the time. I don’t think it’s time you need, it is support (think about it), but that is another blog for another time.
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