Week 3: Avoid The Fizzle-Out

WEEK 3: AVOID THE FIZZLE-OUT

I would not call myself a “quitter” but I sure as heck would say I am too often a “fizzler-outter”. I don’t one day say “I quit!”, instead I say to myself “I’ll just do that tomorrow” or “I’ll get back on track tomorrow/Monday/end of week”, and when that day comes, I “tomorrow” myself until the thing I started has ended.

That’s a Fizzle-Out.

Best intentions that start off strong with a BANG, but like a firecracker, tail off quickly into a fizzly spiral fading into the dark night sky.

Welcome to Week 3 and likely the week where your motivation is starting to wane. I know because mine did too this week. Why? Looking in the mirror, I sure don’t see much progress – my tummy is still very squishy & poochy, my ass is big, and I do not impress anyone with my fitness feats (Wow Erica…look at you walk! lol).

Any friend would say “Give yourself a break, you just had a baby three weeks ago!” Thanks friend but that doesn’t help a waning motivation. Wanna squish my tummy?

Week 3: Multi-tasking Momma

Reading + Breast-feeding ;)

Week 3: Best Bro Ever

Curtis (4 years old) is an amazing big brother. He loves his new baby sister and gives her kisses often. He often tells her how beautiful she is, and tries to soothe her with songs and kinds words when she cries.

Week 3: Faith

Faith is more alert for longer periods.

I’ve been down this road before when I started my fitness journey in 2010 after the birth of my first child, so I’m wiser about what this process takes…and I learned in the school of hard-knocks that it sure as heck takes more than 3 weeks. It takes months even years, and the real enlightened moment was when I accepted that it takes a lifetime.

So as my motivation faltered this week, I took a step back and breathed life back into my waning flame by:

Acknowledging the progress I had made; and
Widening my lens on what this journey really takes.

Slow Progress Is Progress

Suck it up buttercup, LIFESTYLE changes that last the long haul are progressive and show results more slowly. Yes, dramatic changes tend to create dramatic results; however, you typically cannot sustain dramatic changes so you consequently cannot sustain the results.

With lifestyle changes, you do progress each week as long as you’re consistent and progressive with your nutrition & exercise. Progression requires patience, trust and dedication to the process. For example for exercise, in Week 1 I started by just walking a few blocks, in Week 2 I walked for longer durations and started a few beginner core exercises, in Week 3 I walked with more intensity as well as added sets & reps to my core exercise. Next week you won’t see a kick-butt workout, but there will be progress. And someday (soon enough) there will be a kick-butt workout and I’ll physically be ready for it and as a result I will have the confidence to dominate it that day, and for years to come.

Now let’s look at nutrition, in Week 1 I focused on digestive health as well as balanced eating. Weeks 2 & 3 have basically been the same but it’s the consistency over a long period of time that will win me the game of nutrition, not dramatics. Yes there will be nutrition tweaks as we go, but I’m laying the foundation for long-term success each & everyday.

With that in mind, I say to myself “Let’s talk progress”…during Week 1 I couldn’t get myself out of bed without significant pain and discomfort. Now in Week 3, I easily swing my legs to the side of the bed and sit up without any discomfort. I danced with my son in our living room & played cars/trains/planes on the floor with him and didn’t need help getting off the floor at the end of playtime. THAT IS progress - (slow) beautiful progress.

Take A Wide Lens View on Your Journey

I feel strongly about this part, and fear my own words are inadequate to convey the importance of this, so I’ve selected several of my favorite “quote photos” for the picture gallery below in hopes that they help me express the depth of what it takes to make a lifestyle change.

If your daily motivation is hinged on an arbitrary deadline or a bikini, you’re not going to make it for the long-haul sister.

EXERCISE: WEEK 3

This week I would have LOVED to start back into some light exercise other than walking, but my body was not ready (particularly my core strength). So I continued walking twice daily and increased the intensity of my walking – the pace was NOT speed walking but I felt stronger with each step and so picked up the pace.

I continued my kegels as well as beginner core exercises (see Week 2 for core exercises). I did my beginner core exercises 2-3 times a day (1 set of 12 reps each time).

NUTRITION: WEEK 3

The energy demands of breast-feeding showed up in my hunger this week, likely because my baby is demanding more milk as she grows. Consequently, I increased my food intake slightly while keeping my food choices nutritionally balanced and listened to my body’s hunger queues. Week 1 & Week 2 have example meal plans. For additional food, I chose two additional snacks a day on top of the meal plans you see in Week 1 & 2. The snacks have a balance of protein-carbs-fat, here is a list of my additional snack choices:

Isagenix FiberSnack (see bottom of Week 2).
GRAINola Bars (see recipe)
1 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt + handful of almonds + handful of fresh cherries
peice of whole wheat toast + natural peanut butter + 1 cup skim milk
No Bake Protein PB Bars (see recipe)

Side Note: Even with increased food intake, I still lost 2 lbs this week for a total of 26 lbs weight loss in the past three weeks.

If you'd like to discuss including Isagenix products in your lifestyle diet, I'd love to chat with you about that - contact me at erica@sisinshape.com to set up a call. I can't share these products enough!

Enjoy The Journey Life is too short. If you've lost someone you love in life, then you know that it's the moments that count. Health & fitness is an amazing gift to enhance the quality of the moments you get to live.	It's More Than Skin Deep Dreaming of a bikini body will leave you feeling empty - looking deeper at the life you want (vibrancy & strength) helps you make choices that will last long-term.	Roar It's a fight sister. Fight hard.
From "The Man" Arnold defines strength. I 100% agree.	Results Will Come Persistance over perfection wins out in the long haul. You might as well enjoy the ride!