| Gorgeous day to you, Friend!
I was asked the other day by a current member, if I could write about what I do to get back on my plan, when I stop following it and I thought this was a great question, so I thought, I'd try a 2 part response. The first email, will be what I do personally and the 2nd email will be shaped by your response.
What do I do when I fall of the wagon? Oh man, this happens a number of times a year. Based on my measurements data there are 2 recurring times it happens each year and other situations it might happen.
The end of the year and the midpoint of the year My two recurring times are between Christmas and New Years and the week of 4th of July. Besides the obvious holidays, I think for me, I like to peak for year end and mid-year measurements and then take a break from being so routined. This lines up perfectly with most things I'd like to do during these times, so I'm o.k. with participating in more joy foods.
The other situations. Birthdays, weddings, parties, baptisms, bar/bat mitzvah's, guys night out, family night, something to celebrate, it's a good day, it's a bad day, ... the list goes on and on. There are a myriad of opportunities to break from routine and this is a challenge. Sure you can plan for these and I often do and sure you don't have to participate fully in all, and I don't, but sometimes breaking from routine creates a new routine that requires breaking as well.
So What do I do? Usually my body sends me a message that it feels like crap, so unless, I want to spin down the negative cycle of feeling, thinking and being crappy, I better change it, asap. Sometimes I'm having too much fun and I miss the signals, so my body sends me another wonderful message by blessing me with a cold. And if you're like me you probably hate being sick, so message received. Getting a cold is basically my rock bottom and grabs my attention, and I change things real quick, though I've had enough colds that I'm sick & tired of being sick, so I've been practicing slowing down, so I can listen to the messages my body sends me sooner, to skip that step and get back on track asap.
- I drink more water. I pound 16oz of water to start my day just like I did at lunch with milk cartons in grade school or with beers in college.
- I eat greens as in green vegetables. A lot of them. At every meal (2-3 fists or more). And then I pee a lot. Get irritable a bit. And then, I'm back on track.
- I eat foods made at home by my bride or myself. Breakfast is my meal, so I've got 100% control right there and I know what to do to get me back on track. I eat an oatmeal based meal on my strength days and a whole eggs based meal on my cardio days. My wife mostly and I now rarely, cook in bulk so we have meals for a couple of days. We pack our meals for work, reheat for meal time at home and wash the storage containers.
- I buy a lot of legumes. Boxed black beans, chick peas and kidney beans are the easiest for us. Bagged dry beans are perfect if we're doing a big meal prep. Canned are fine if we're shopping at Costco's. Then I eat a cupped handful with every meal I don't eat oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes.
- I fill my plate with proteins aka meats (mostly chicken or fish, some meats and turkey). 2 palms minimum for me. I like proteins so this is easy. It fills me up too. Gets my metabolism racing and helps to give me energy.
- I reprioritize my healthy fats. This is also easy for me, when I'm at home and requires a little more thoughtfulness when away. I've got an awesome homemade container of mixed nuts. I've got my designated spoon from my bachelor days already in the container so I can get the perfect portion size every time and then I start my day (breakfast) with nature's vitamins. Egg days? Nuts. Oatmeal days? Nuts! Easy peasy.
- Olive oil. If I'm eating lots of greens at every meal to get back on track, then what do you think is the easiest greens to have at lunch and dinner? Salads, of course. What's a typical salad at the Alves Compound East? Romaine, english cucumbers, compari tomatoes and Ina Gartner's Lemon Vinegrette (Olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice, pepper, salt, water, ...). This dressing is so good you'll drink it. I think at the 10th anniversary of CYBBC, I'll serve shots of it. Salud means "to health", so what better way to celebrate health than by drinking the leftover dressing in the salad bowl.
- I rip the band aid off and get my first workout. Have you ever noticed that when you're training, not only moving, but training to get better, you want to eat better to support your efforts. Well, I get a fun, challenging and sweaty workout in that makes my muscles tired, my breath winded and my lungs worked. That resets me just as fast as restarting your computer, though, actually restarting your computer is a lot faster than getting a workout in, but you get the point.
- I plan my week. Planning by spending my time on paper and seeing what's coming up on my schedule gives me tremendous sense of control and power. It also lets me see the opportunities for my next splurge meal to enjoy all the things I only eat weekly or the things I might crave during the week, but hold off on until later to build up my sense of control.
- We meal plan and prep. Pounding the 16oz of water 1st thing in the morning, (or for that matter any time water seems to go down slow because it doesn't taste good, is the perfect time to pound it for me), is the easiest way to get back on track. Another no brainer way to get back on track for me is to plan what I'm going to eat or rather what we're going to eat this week as a family. Breakfast I'm cooking for myself 9 times out of 10, so planning this one is easy. The rest of the meals, Vanessa asks me what proteins I want to eat, what vegetables, any recipes I want to eat, and are there any starches, or fruits, etc... I want. She maps out the non-breakfast meals for the week, making sure there's something for everyone at every meal (proteins, fats, veggies, fruits, starches, dairy, bread and even dessert). Then just like kids get to choose whether they're going to eat, what they're going to eat and/or how much they're going to eat, same goes for me. Sometimes I participate in everything on the table and sometimes I don't. When I'm getting back on track, I don't. When I'm kicking butt and have momentum, I might. When I feel like it, I might as well. And if I'm breaking from routine intentionally, I usually do.
And that's what I do to get back on track when I fall off my routine.
How about you? What do you do to get back on track when you break from your plan and routine?
Ready for lunch now,
Coach Mike
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