Four Week "Cleansing" Plan

So you know how sometimes you feel unsettled and it's a signal that you need to make some changes? I think that's a regular occurrence for me especially around this time of year, when I am so sick of winter and also knowing that I'm getting dangerously close to the point where I really will be getting serious about my training.

I've been kind of a slacker this winter as far as my diet goes--too much alcohol (not that it wasn't fun!), too many treats, probably not drinking enough water and eating a little too richly for my needs. Also, I tend to get confused when I'm training a lot and get my carb balance all out of whack, and so nutritionally I'm probably not doing the best I can.

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, I feel fat. I've weighed myself, and you can only go so long in saying "maybe it's muscle." Maybe some of it is. Net net is I'm 114 lbs. and that ain't good for me. I should be 110-112, max. So this morning I decided it was time to bite the bullet and make myself a plan to obliterate those 2-4 lbs.

Step 1: Find out where the hell are those pounds. So I took all my measurements yesterday morning. Apparently, the excess is in my ass. Let's just say from about 2" below my navel to the top of my thighs, which is generally the belly/ass area. My chest measured about 1" larger than a year ago, but honestly I am not seeing any fat up there, so I'm going to say that's my lats building up from the regular chinups and more swimming with paddles, so that's good. But 1" there is not 1 lb. of muscle...damn it. For the sake of accountability, here are some comparisons:



Step 2: Fess up to nutritional changes I need to make to get myself back on track. Among those changes are less alcohol, no more candy or hard cheese in the house, eat more fruit and watch my fat intake. Fact is I know that if I just grab some fruit when I want a snack that it will pretty much take care of the rest. But I am also going to try and cut out some processed foods at breakfast and lunch (Power bars and Lean Cuisine) that aren't impacting my caloric intake, but it seems like a good idea to get back to more whole, clean foods there as well.

Step 3: While I'm at it, I may as well add some other things to my daily routine just to mix things up. So daily pushups, chinups, crunches and jump rope are being added. Why? Why not.

Step 4: Start tracking stuff. I haven't kept a detailed food log in years, and I'm not going to do that now, but I am writing down calories taken in. I'll weigh myself once a week and record that, too. Also check off whether I followed through on the other little things.

I officially started my 4 weeks yesterday. So far so good! I did some crunch variations this morning that I haven't done in a long, long time, and I really felt it in my abs, so that tells me it was time to mix things up. I know my body gets used to anything I'm doing, be it an amount of training, intensity of training, stretching routine, eating pattern--ANYTHING! It's maddening at times, but the fact is my (and maybe your) body requires me to constantly keep it on its toes.

I'm not going to change around my training plan--just adding some things here and there. In 4 weeks, my training volume is going to begin the big jump-up to get ready for Triple T (only 12 weeks away) and IMLP (21 weeks away). So it will be good to head into this build period feeling lean, mean and solid.

Next week I transition to strength maintenance, too, so all good in terms of ch-ch-ch-changes. I ordered some seeds and plants this morning, so psychologically, I am preparing myself for spring and all the changes that brings, increased training volume, mixing things up and hopefully a good season ahead for me. But at the end of the day, all this is about to me is looking and feeling good. The race results will be what they will be. As long as I have fun doing it, what more is there to do?

Oh, and I can always use a little...