A month has passed since Carlos and I were going to the gym on a regular basis. We both felt drained and weak while training. It got to the point that neither of us looked forward to going to the gym. Not only were we struggling with our workouts, but we weren’t eating as clean as we normally do. Carlos and I discussed how we were feeling, and we both agreed we probably needed a little break from the gym. A break is sometimes a good idea to regroup and gain energy; however, a break from the gym does not necessarily mean that we should have also taken a break from clean eating. We were away from the gym for two weeks, and off our regular diet for just as long. When we finally made it back to the gym, it didn’t last for long. We had to leave Raleigh for a clinical trial that our dog, Sasha, was enrolled in at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, more on that here. Read Sasha’s experience in the Mason Bone Cancer Study, here.
My hope was to attend a gym in the Philly area and do the best we could to eat healthily. However, it was a little harder than I would have hoped. One, to use a gym we would have to pay $10 per person, and $20 a day was not something we felt we should spend given our current job situation. The nutrition front was not easy, because we stayed with Carlos’ parents, and their eating habits are not even close to ours. We could have chosen to eat out, but again, we did not want to spend more money than we needed to, and we could not really buy food and keep it refrigerated because my in-laws fridge was already overly full. So, we tried to eat as mindfully as we could given the circumstances. On Thursday, our last full day in PA, we went to the area where we used to live in PA. We went looking for a farm store where we once bought some ice cream. Even though we only had it once, we can honestly say it is the best ice cream we ever had! We found the farm store, and of course, we treated ourselves to some of this deliciousness. We also went to Bravo Pizza and shared a pepperoni roll and a small pepperoni and sausage stromboli. Bravo’s used to be one of our favorite places to get take out when we lived in PA. The owner knew us and he would always give us pepperoni knots as a treat for our dogs. We didn’t used to eat this stuff much, nor did our dogs, trust me = )
Anyway. I don’t feel good about failing to eat better or not having worked out at all. So, I’m embarking on a 2-week training and nutrition plan.
As of Sunday, we started training and cleaned up our diet. From Sunday 7/15/12 thru Sunday 7/29/12, we’ll be on a strict gym-going-clean-eating-plan. Our training will consist more of circuit training to keep our heart rate up. We will also use the rowing machine at the gym on our pull-days. We want to incorporate some sprinting, and we’ll be walking the dogs at least once a day. By sticking with this plan, we should see positive results, such as having more energy, and maybe losing a few pounds. I know Carlos will; guys lose weight so much easier/quicker than women = ) I am happy that I have not gained back the 6 lbs. I lost prior to us taking the break!
The week of July 30th we are driving to Philadelphia for Sasha’s 2nd treatment in the Mason Bone Cancer Study. This second trip, during the days we are in Philly, we hope to be able to be active. Additionally, I already have a 3-day YMCA pass (for each of us) for a location near Carlos’ parents so that we can train while there.
I’ll share an update on this plan during the weekend. In the mean time:
