Exercise Strategy

I missed the workout on Saturday because I stayed up late Friday playing games. Rebecca had fresh professional quality waffles when I woke up as well, reducing my desire to hit the gym to zero. I thought at the time I would go later, but it didn't happen.

My exercise strategy has a lot to do with sleep, i.e. what time I go to bed. I workout in the mornings on an empty stomach (well lots of water but no food). My goal is 20 minutes of cardio, six days a week. I then eat the largest meal of the day within an hour after working out. Not to say I go overboard at breakfast (700 calories), but the rest of the day, my meals are fewer calories. Exercising six days a week is important for me because more than one or two consecutive rest days can derail my routine. Once I start working out I have more energy and time. However, the chance to sleep in and avoid exercise becomes more of a temptation. So with that here are some typical events or items that can derail (and have derailed) fitness goals

• travel
• illness
• vacations or holidays
  

These items can cause me to miss workouts or indulge in food. The best way for me to handle the above is to have a plan. If I have a plan for how I can continue exercise while traveling, then I am more likely to stick to it. If I have a plan for how to prevent illness, then I can likely avoid it. So I need to plan better what I will eat and how I will exercise in different situations so that I can be as flexible and do as much of what I enjoy as possible while still keeping on track with my goals.

That being said, I firmly believe the following:
"The key to getting what you want most is found in giving up some of what you desire less."

So the reason I don't already have what I want is because I have something else. What I already have is preventing me from obtaining what I want even more and I won't let it go.

So I can't have it all, I can't stay up until 1:00am every night and expect to wake up at 5:00am to exercise. I can't exercise on reduced sleep and then eat chips, candy and other junk and expect my body to repair itself. I might be technically "able" to make these choices, but it is not an ideal scenario and will not help me reach my goals.

I can't binge on food at parties and avoid the effects of that. I know what the ideal scenario is for losing weight and it is largely in my power to control: my portions, how late I remain awake at night, and if I get up to exercise.