The Best of Fitness Intentions ...

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

03 Apr 2006 08:07 AM

This should have been posted yesterday, but I am going to consider Sunday an object lesson for everyone. Some days just don't happen how we plan them too. Sunday, April 2nd did not go as I planned. I wanted to post a great big welcome to the April Spring Forward 30 Day Challenge, but the hour we lost as time sprung forward threw a monkey wrench at the entire day.

So, for those of you who dived in and started your workout plans yesterday: CONGRATULATIONS! For those of you who were waiting for me to get the ball rolling, get ready to punt because today is the second day of your Spring Forward to Action 30 Day Challenge. Every day from now until April 30th, I will be posting a workout for that day.

You can choose to do the workout posted, or modify it to suit your own purposes. The important part of the Spring Forward to Action 30 Day Challenge is that you do something everyday: that you make healthy choices in your food selection; you don't have to diet unless that is what you want to do. For our Body for Life challengers, you can follow the eating plan offered by the Body for Life program. For more information on that, check out the WeightLoss Blog.

For me, eating healthier means I will make a few different choices in my daily selection. For example, I'm addicted to Starbuck's mochas. I drink one or two a day (sadly, sometimes three). But for the Spring Forward to Action 30 Day Challenge, I cannot have more than one mocha per day, period for the first week. They can only be Grande in size. For the second week, that means cutting it down to one every other day, in the third week, it will be one every two days and so forth.

This is a healthier diet choice for me. Also, I have started drinking two glasses of water upon waking every morning before I even have my coffee. Just 16 ounces of water in the morning can make a big difference. By re-hydrating, you cut back on hunger and drinking too much coffee to substitute for the lack of water.

So make the choices that are right for you. Every step you make towards a healthier, fitter lifestyle is a good one. After today, the daily workouts will be up by 6 a.m. CST every morning. If you like to work out earlier than that, you can always roll your workouts forward a day - i.e. what is posted on Monday can be Tuesday's workout and so forth.

The Action Challenge will offer you ideas on what you can do, not what you have to do. You can choose to bicycle instead of walk. You can choose to use gym machines or weights or nothing at all. I would love it if you posted your progress, your choices and how you feel.

So without further ado - let's get started! As it's day 2 and a Monday, we've got both Cardio and Strength sessions to do today.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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