Keep True to Your Goals While Traveling

Pensacola, FL

This weekend Lenny and I went to Pensacola, FL for his brothers wedding. I had every opportunity to make a bunch of excuses and toss my healthy eating and exercise to the wind.  I could have said: "It is just a few days, a vacation, I'll get back on track when I get home!" But I didn't, because this journey isn't a quick fix for me, it is a life style and a commitment. That is not to say that I didn't have a little cake (hey, my cheat day was planned into this vacation).

Eating clean and staying on track while traveling doesn't have to be exhausting. There are a few things that you can do to minimize temptation and maintain all that effort you put into getting your body to where you want it to be.

Planning:

Planning is the most important part of staying on track. We plan our workouts, meals, vacations, work days, etc., why shouldn't we set a travel eating plan? It makes sense, but I know a lot of people neglect it and end up running to a fast food place to grab "just a little bit" of something to hold them over before they get to their destination. There is a better way.

If you are traveling by car, pack a cooler with some veggies, nut butter, fruit, and nuts. You can also bring along some hard boiled eggs, just make sure that they don't over heat or you'll have a big problem on your hands.

If you are traveling by plane things can get a little tougher as you can't bring food and drinks through the TSA. My suggestion is to do research before hand. Find out what your meal options are in the terminal and stick to the healthy varieties. You can always find some nuts, granola, or healthy food options around. Just make sure you read the nutrition labels.

Before you get to your destination, look for grocery stores around your hotel. Most hotels have a small fridge in their rooms so you can store some of the basic foods like protein shakes (the pre-made kind) and  some fruit to curb those late night cravings.

Make sure that you have a few workouts already planned. Some hotels will have a gym or at least a set of dumbbells for guest use. If you are staying somewhere with no gym access, plan a body weight workout. I recently found a knock of version of a TRX system at Wal-Mart for 40$ and it is a life saver! It packs up neatly, takes up only a tiny amount of space, and can go over any door. Seriously, if you are training hard and traveling a lot, this is a must have!


When you get there:

 Now that you have planned out your vacation it is time to enjoy it. You will likely go out to eat while you are vacationing. Here is a link to a helpful article that will help you eat clean when you go out. Make sure you drink plenty of water and most importantly use you vacation time to sleep and regenerate you body.

I hope you all have a great time vacationing this summer. Stay strong, keep on track, review your goals daily,  and believe in yourself. If you believe you can do it, there is no telling what you can achieve!

The Day I Said "No" To Fear

Today was my video interview at Revolution Fitness, the gym that I have been a member of for about 3 and a half years. I wish I wasn't so camera shy and didn't stutter as much as I did. I think I relayed all the information that I wanted to relay in a concise and laconic manner, but I do wish that I talked about my current trainer more. Since I don't think that I gave her enough credit, I'd like to write a short bit about how she changed my life.

...and then those people become your friends :)

Since I met Nicki last July,  I have changed dramatically not only physically, but also spiritually. In part my change came from my inner desire to change and part of it was her contagiously positive attitude. Through my training with her I have learned the power of positive self talk, benefits of various exercises, and the necessity to truly believe in the goals that I set for myself. I have to say here, that I knew all of these things before, I heard these things before, I just needed to be ready to accept them.Whether it is through a specific method of delivery or just because I view her as a true inspiration, my eyes were opened and I saw myself for who I truly am-- an ATHLETE.

I have to tell you a story about this woman's dedication and passion for what she does. This is also a story of a defining moment in my training, the movement that I truly committed and became fearless.

At the beginning of September 2012 I was in a very dark and lonely place. I was lost in doubt, in self hatred, and a sea of overall negativity. That sunny, September day I had a rough workout, I was not feeling well, I had zero energy, and the only thing that I wanted to do was to stop feeling like I lost control of everything.

As I was walking up to the towel rack, feeling discouraged, clear as day I heard Anna's voice in my head (Anna is my previous trainer and owner of Revolution Fitness who first introduced me to quality training) "Kseniya, I don't understand what you are doing! Are you running a race or are you not running a race?" these words were said to months before in part out of concern and in part out frustration over my own frustration with the lack of my progress. Anna was right, I wasn't committed, I was just talking about being committed. In that moment, it was clear to me, I have to stop talking and start doing. I had all the resources available to me: a wonderful trainer, a great gym, an awesome support system, there was nothing in my way!

When I got home that night, I signed up for my very first 5K race. I was very nervous hitting "submit" on the registration form, but I knew that if I didn't hit that button, I'd be full of it again.  During my next training session, to cement my commitment, I told Nicki that I signed up for my very first 5K race. She looked at me and asked with a smile: "Really? Which one are you running, I'll run with you!"I was in disbelief. Really? She is actually going to go and run a race with me? Me, a slow poke, who will probably throw up 5 minutes in? Wow! Why would anyone do that? (didn't I tell you that I was really down on myself?)

Up to the time that I saw her at the number pick up table, that early Saturday morning, I don't think I fully believed that there is a person willing to help me battle, what seemed like, a perpetual uphill struggle. The horn went of and immediately Nicki began pacing me, talking to me, walking me through this new race thing. She ran by my side the whole way, helped me stay out of my own head by calming me down when I freaked out about a side stitch, helped me fight the hills, and got me to the finish line with a better time then I expected. When I crossed the finish, I wanted to throw up. I think I even teared up a little from pure exhaustion. Nicki stayed by my side, made sure that I was ok, and talked to me the entire time. She was trying to take my mind of off feeling the discomfort of a hard race.  After that, we got bananas and walked back to our cars. I drove home in stunned disbelief because I just finished my first 5k in under 40 minutes and Nicki went for a long run with her friends (yes, 5K was just her warmup).

 I heard from other runners that you will never forget your first race. My race was made that much more memorable by my resolution to never again allow myself to go backwards or give up on myself. There was a person out there that believed in me more, at that time, than I believed in myself, which means that there is never a reason for me to doubt what I can do. You are your biggest fan and cheerleader, after all!

I don't think that there will ever be enough words to describe the multitude of ways in which fitness and running impacted my life. I honestly don't think that I would be here if I never crossed the threshold of Revolution Fitness and consequently I would have never met a person that I consider  a great friend and an amazing trainer.

Monthly Goals

I believe that the most important thing that we can do in order to contribute to the growth of our character is to set measurable, realistic goals for ourselves and hold ourselves accountable. Measurable goals allow us to avoid getting caught up in the insignificant and allow for a much clearer view of our paths, development, and growth.

At the beginning of every month I sit down with my note book and outline my goals for the upcoming 4 weeks. I divide my list in three categories: Personal Goals, Fitness Goals, and Business Goals.  

Personal Goals:

My “Personal Goals” category usually contains goals connected to “character” and “soul”. For instance, a few months ago when I was having a hard time keeping my head above water, my personal goals included the following:

Think of one great thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world every morning.

Think of three things that happened today that you are grateful for at night.  

Simple things like that allowed me to more effectively deal with the challenges that I was facing and made me concentrate on the positive things that were going on in my life instead of the storm of difficulties that I was dealing with.

Fitness Goals:

I did not use to separate my Fitness Goals from my Personal Goals until I realized that I allowed my Fitness Goals to overtake my Personal Goals. So, I gave my Fitness Goals their own place to live and found that it kept me even more on track. During the last few months, my Fitness Goals included:

Eat less cheese (a little back story here, my goals for the year included eliminating all processed food from my diet. I pick a processed food every month, and try to break the habit of eating it)

Decrease my 5K time by 2 minutes

Increase my maximum squat weight by 10lbs

Setting Fitness Goals allows me to figure out what I am going to concentrate on during the next month and helps me plan my workouts. It also allows for a more measurable result at the end of the month when I do my self evaluation.

Business Goals:

 Just like Personal and Fitness this is a very important category for me that I know I need work in. Setting measurable monthly goals in this category can make a difference between toiling away to get a paycheck and living. These monthly, in-depth evaluations allow me to better prioritize during the upcoming month, keep me on top of my deadlines, and to make sure that I have a good foundation that will allow growth and development.

Of course just simply setting measurable monthly goals is not going to help you, unless you review them frequently. It is important to keep yourself on track and tuned in to your daily progress as well as the overall monthly, quarterly, and yearly progress. You should be realistic about setting your goals to prevent discouragement. If your goals are not evolving month to month, every quarter, or every year, then you are not setting measurable and realistic goals. Get to planning, people. It is going to be the best thing you ever do for yourself next to drinking plenty of water.