7-8-20-30-6 Program: Day 1

As I expected, I woke up sore from yesterday's 4 hour workout. I was hoping to climb 20 flights of stairs today but my quads are not going to allow that. Looks like I am in for a rest day. Rest is important. It's just as important as a workout day. When you workout, tiny tears are created in the muscles, the muscles repair the tears by getting stronger and bigger during your rest and recovery days. If you skip rest days, you will not see the results you are seeking. On rest days, I like to complete some nice and easy cardio for 20 minutes and then stretch.

I looked at my swimsuit photos taken yesterday. I'm not where I want to be, but that's ok. I love transforming myself and others into a new and improved version. It's a passion of mine. I encourage you to take your own photos. You might not like what you see but you need to acknowledge your starting place. Just like the maps at the mall, without the 'YOU ARE HERE' indicator, you have no idea where you are going or how long it will take to get there.

Planned Log:

• Breakfast: 1/2 a plain bagel with CC, Iced coffee. Usually I would have a whole bagel so kudos for me!
• Snack: food is being served at a meeting I have at BWH. It's cold. I'm not looking forward to the trek over but I'm still committed to carrying my iced coffee with me no matter how cold it is :). I will have some fruit if possible.
• Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken, no dressing.
• Snack: Small pkg of almonds from Trader Joe's
• Workout: Light cardio for 20 minutes, followed by stretching.
• Dinner: Steel cut oatmeal and 1 hard boiled egg.
• Snack (if needed): GNC Protein Shake with frozen organic berries and 1/2 frozen banana.

Off topic: Remember when Elaine would interview dates to determine if they were sponge worthy? In the past, my question has been 'are they waterproof mascara worthy'. What are the odds they will make me laugh or cry on the date and how much do I care if my mascara smudges in the process? Getting waterproof mascara off is a project and no one wants to spend time doing that after getting home late for a date. Am I right? Well, and I make no money off of this, have I got news for you! Fiberwig mascara is eliminating this question for me! It's made in Japan. It never smudges and it comes off with warm water! That's it! You can laugh and cry as much as you want, it will not smudge! You can find it at Sephora.

7-8-20-30-6 Program!

I spent the day at a PT convention that consisted of 4 hours of lecture and 4 hours of working out. Once the soreness I expect will arrive tomorrow goes away, I'm inspired to kick my program up a notch. My inspiration is this photo of Jessica Biel.

My body type does not put on muscle or fat quickly. If I didn't workout, I would be skinny fat. Skinny fat is when you're thin with a high ratio of fat/muscle. Most hourglasses have a difficult time putting on muscle. To do so, my diet needs to be perfect going forward and some serious strength training is needed.

So, I will be on the 7-8-20-30-6 Program beginning tomorrow! Every 2 weeks I will take photos of me in a bikini and will post in the Clients Only area and the end of each month. Call me shy, but I dress for work each day because I'm a firm believer my co-workers do not need to see me in a bikini!

• 7 hours of sleep
• 8 glasses of water a day
• 20 minutes of HIIT cardio 3 days a week.
  
• 30 minutes of strength training 3 days a week.
  
• 6 small meals a day. Eating every 3 hours. I will have around 100g of protein each day (.08g per pound of body weight - I weigh 124)
  

I'm committed to looking my absolute best this summer. Time is on my side and I will not settle for less. Now it's your turn, are you in?