Mind Games

No one likes to feel like someone is playing mind games with them. But what about when we play mind games with our own brain?

The whole "get healthy" journey is far more mental than most people would imagine. Dedication and obedience to anything you want takes a tremendous amount of mental strength.

Food is everywhere. Poor food choices are far more readily available and convenient than most healthier options. So I decided to do something a little drastic to work on resetting my brain.

If you know me at all you know that I DO NOT believe in quick fixes. There just isn't one. There are band aids, not quick cure alls. It takes a lot of work to get and STAY healthy. And regardless of how much emphasis we place on a number on the scale, that number does not indcate "healthy". But I digress.

Last weekend I did a reset, well I guess technically a refresh - 3 Day Refresh to be exact. I picked a weekend without a lot going on and got started. I planned to start on Saturday. On Saturday morning I laid in my bed for 30 minutes refusing to get up because I didn't want to do it. (Yes, I am super stubborn.)

All I could think was if I planned to do this and continue to make healthy choices after the three days I was going to have to give up a lot. Halloween was only days away. As I laid there I found me talking to myself (don't act like you don't) reminding myself of the fact that had I stayed on plan and not enjoyed so many treats throughout ALL of 2017 we wouldn't be having this conversation. I would possibly be at goal and enjoying anything in moderation.

But there we were at the end of October trying to get it together. SO I eventually got out of bed and got started. The plan eliminates dairy, grain and meat. The general outline is as follows:

Breakfast: Shakeology and Fruit
Mid Morning: Fiber Sweep
Lunch: Fruit, Veggie, Healthy Fat and Vanilla Fresh Shake (LOTS of protein)
Afternoon Snack: Veggie and Healthy Fat
Dinner: Vanilla Fresh Shake and a Dinner from the list of options (Lots of good options!)

You also should drink a lot of water, and there are a couple of time for unsweetened or green tea during the day.

I did make a few adjustments. I used Shakeology instead of the vanilla fresh. I just don't like vanilla flavored things... except ice cream ;) I also added a little grain and meat on day three because I planned to do a morning walk and evening workout. I planned to do the "Clean Week" nutrition plan and workouts this week following the refresh as a great transition.

The refresh went great! Much better than I thought it would as I laid in bed last Saturday morning. I feel much better. The real test is committing to a a continued clean(er) diet from now on. To not make a million excuses to cheat, because my mind is an expert at justification when it comes to little treats here and there.

I can do this. I have done this. I will do this.

I know I feel so much better mentally and physically when I"m fueling myself with proper nutrition. I think a lot clearer and have so much more energy when I fuel myself properly. With the cold, dark, winter months coming keeping me mentally and physically healthy is going to be especially important. Because those months can play horrible mind games on us.

I will be getting back to posting weekly updates to let you in on how things are going... and to keep me on track! Be sure to follow me on Instagram (mandyhazel) and/or Snapchat (manda_nic) for more of the day to day of the journey.

(Sidenote: Was planning to start Core de Force next week, however Beachbody is doing a sneak peek of their new program releasing in January that I am really looking forward to. If anyone would like to do the sneak peek with me Monday - Friday, let me know!)