Ok, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to start a new thread for my post or not but I wanted to share a recent experience with other folks looking to get their weight-loss and fitness goals back on track this Summer! Here's my little story...
Take a Weighcation!
Consider using your vacation time to get your fitness goals back on track
Ok, so times are tight and none of us can afford that beach vacation this year but let’s not forget about trying to get that beach-body anyhow. Last year, “Staycation” was the hot term for an economic alternative to escaping to our favorite tropical destination but recently, I discovered another inexpensive way to enjoy my (much needed) time-off... and boy was it worth it!
So maybe “weighcation” isn’t the right term. After all, this isn’t about spending the week weighing yourself or even focusing on your weight exclusively but it does start with a weigh-in at the beginning and again at the end of your week. Besides, it’s catchier than “fit-cation”, “health-cation” or “excersize-cation”. So, I’m gonna roll with it.
In previous years, I would sneak off for my annual trip to Cancun Mexico (sometimes even twice a year). Ah, basking in the sun with a Margarita in one hand and a good book in the other. Of course, for the past couple of years, that just has not been in my budget. So, after a stressful year as a busy executive and about 230 hours of vacation time accrued, I decided that I needed to take some time off, but what to do? I certainly wasn’t going to take a week away from the office just to sit at home.
So, I decided that I would take the week to get my fitness goals back on track and to launch a new health plan. I’m a pretty a dedicated fitness buff but every once in awhile, life gets crazy, you start to skip those trips to the gym here and there and you lose focus of taking care of yourself. My busy schedule had left me feeling drained and worn out. My workouts had become inconsistent and ineffective and I was distracted at work, irritable and losing productivity day-by-day.
To help get my newly inspired plan off the ground, I discovered the perfect fitness planner and goal setting diary while perusing the pages of my Shape Magazine one day (FitBook, $20 online at getfitbook.com. Get one! You won’t regret it). The diary is an awesome workout partner). I purchased my book and went right to work documenting a 12-week regimen and diet plan. I came up with some reasonable, achievable weekly goals and documented them in the pages of my new little book. Some goals were small like focusing on increasing my water intake and making sure to eat something for breakfast each day (I’m a chronic meal skipper) and others were more elaborate goals such as improving that 5k time to get it under 30 minutes! I planned a pretty aggressive first week - knowing that I would have a lot of free time to jump-start my plan because it would be my vacation week.
With my little book in hand, I hit the gym religiously each morning - spending a few hours each day during my first week (since I didn’t have anywhere else to be), I went for my afternoon run, documented my meals and kept track of my weekly goals and progress. Taking an entire week to focus on just me was liberating and in addition to my fitness goals, I had lists of other tasks and errands that I wanted to accomplish during my “vacation”. I carried my book with me throughout my day and felt inspired by being able to flip through the pages to review my progress and accomplishments in writing. It kept me motivated for what I’d be able to accomplish during the days to come.
By week’s end, I was flying high on renewed endorphins and increased energy and I was as determined as-ever to carry my 12-week plan through to the end and to maintain my regimen, even after returning from my “weighcation”. If I had not taken this week away from my busy job to rebuild my focus, I never would have been able to get a successful plan off the ground and although, it wasn’t Cancun, I’m so glad that I made the decision to make the time for me!
So, what were my results? Well, it’s only been three weeks since my weighcation. My first week back to work was great! I felt rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. I found that I was more productive, determined and focused. An unexpected result was that, unlike past vacations where I felt depressed about returning, I was actually excited about being back to work and about taking on the challenge of balancing my new fitness goals with my career.
As I write this article, I’m still very much on-track with my plan. My 5k is down to 29:15, my strength training has produced some great results in my toning and shaping and I dropped a few pounds during my weighcation and a few more since then. I’ve been able to maintain my workout schedules and even slip out for an occasional walk during my lunch breaks. Work is still good and I’m still carrying my little FitBook everywhere that I go (including keeping it on my desk at the office incase I feel inspired and want to jot down a new goal or review my progress). My 12-week plan has about 8-weeks left and I’m actually looking forward to those 8 weeks. I do believe that the weighcation is here to stay (at least for me) and will become an annual event!
Take a Weighcation!
Consider using your vacation time to get your fitness goals back on track
Ok, so times are tight and none of us can afford that beach vacation this year but let’s not forget about trying to get that beach-body anyhow. Last year, “Staycation” was the hot term for an economic alternative to escaping to our favorite tropical destination but recently, I discovered another inexpensive way to enjoy my (much needed) time-off... and boy was it worth it!
So maybe “weighcation” isn’t the right term. After all, this isn’t about spending the week weighing yourself or even focusing on your weight exclusively but it does start with a weigh-in at the beginning and again at the end of your week. Besides, it’s catchier than “fit-cation”, “health-cation” or “excersize-cation”. So, I’m gonna roll with it.
In previous years, I would sneak off for my annual trip to Cancun Mexico (sometimes even twice a year). Ah, basking in the sun with a Margarita in one hand and a good book in the other. Of course, for the past couple of years, that just has not been in my budget. So, after a stressful year as a busy executive and about 230 hours of vacation time accrued, I decided that I needed to take some time off, but what to do? I certainly wasn’t going to take a week away from the office just to sit at home.
So, I decided that I would take the week to get my fitness goals back on track and to launch a new health plan. I’m a pretty a dedicated fitness buff but every once in awhile, life gets crazy, you start to skip those trips to the gym here and there and you lose focus of taking care of yourself. My busy schedule had left me feeling drained and worn out. My workouts had become inconsistent and ineffective and I was distracted at work, irritable and losing productivity day-by-day.
To help get my newly inspired plan off the ground, I discovered the perfect fitness planner and goal setting diary while perusing the pages of my Shape Magazine one day (FitBook, $20 online at getfitbook.com. Get one! You won’t regret it). The diary is an awesome workout partner). I purchased my book and went right to work documenting a 12-week regimen and diet plan. I came up with some reasonable, achievable weekly goals and documented them in the pages of my new little book. Some goals were small like focusing on increasing my water intake and making sure to eat something for breakfast each day (I’m a chronic meal skipper) and others were more elaborate goals such as improving that 5k time to get it under 30 minutes! I planned a pretty aggressive first week - knowing that I would have a lot of free time to jump-start my plan because it would be my vacation week.
With my little book in hand, I hit the gym religiously each morning - spending a few hours each day during my first week (since I didn’t have anywhere else to be), I went for my afternoon run, documented my meals and kept track of my weekly goals and progress. Taking an entire week to focus on just me was liberating and in addition to my fitness goals, I had lists of other tasks and errands that I wanted to accomplish during my “vacation”. I carried my book with me throughout my day and felt inspired by being able to flip through the pages to review my progress and accomplishments in writing. It kept me motivated for what I’d be able to accomplish during the days to come.
By week’s end, I was flying high on renewed endorphins and increased energy and I was as determined as-ever to carry my 12-week plan through to the end and to maintain my regimen, even after returning from my “weighcation”. If I had not taken this week away from my busy job to rebuild my focus, I never would have been able to get a successful plan off the ground and although, it wasn’t Cancun, I’m so glad that I made the decision to make the time for me!
So, what were my results? Well, it’s only been three weeks since my weighcation. My first week back to work was great! I felt rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. I found that I was more productive, determined and focused. An unexpected result was that, unlike past vacations where I felt depressed about returning, I was actually excited about being back to work and about taking on the challenge of balancing my new fitness goals with my career.
As I write this article, I’m still very much on-track with my plan. My 5k is down to 29:15, my strength training has produced some great results in my toning and shaping and I dropped a few pounds during my weighcation and a few more since then. I’ve been able to maintain my workout schedules and even slip out for an occasional walk during my lunch breaks. Work is still good and I’m still carrying my little FitBook everywhere that I go (including keeping it on my desk at the office incase I feel inspired and want to jot down a new goal or review my progress). My 12-week plan has about 8-weeks left and I’m actually looking forward to those 8 weeks. I do believe that the weighcation is here to stay (at least for me) and will become an annual event!
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