Cupcakes and Health: A Day in the Life Sunday

There are many reasons to exercise regularly and eat healthy. I get that. What I don't get is why we continue to chase the next new "perfect" diet or fitness plan only to be  surprised and disenchanted when the too-good-to-be-true results are not realized.

Stop chasing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to health and fitness. What works for one, won't work for another and what works for you today, may not work for you tomorrow.

The only perfect plan is the one you will follow.

Today, the plan I am following includes a paleo-ish way of eating (I completed an 8 week Paleo challenge last month) and CrossFit. I've had amazing results in strength and flexibility and am feeling better overall with less cravings, more energy, and stable  blood sugar levels. But the rigidity of the LuRong plan is too much of a long term commitment for me.

I stayed 100% true to the plan until I attended a wedding. I made good choices throughout the night: red wine and not white, shrimp and not eggrolls, sweet potatoes and not mashed. Then the desert came. Not eating the desert was less choice and more deprivation (see cupcake above).

I ate the cupcake.

And nothing bad happened.

I jumped back on the bandwagon and finished the challenge - strong. So, while I wait for my finisher's t-shirt, I'll continue to push my self and my strength, pay attention to the foods I eat and settle into the right balance of Paleo/clean/fun foods and exercise for me.

It's taken me a while to get to where I am, now. Will I be in the same place, doing the same next year at this time? I don't know. The one thing I do know is that whatever my perfect plan is, it will always include a cupcake.

#Fitness: A Day in the Life Sunday

Good morning! I slept in until 8 am this morning. It's been a long time since I've done that. I needed the rest and the loss of 3 productive hours was a good trade this morning.

I've been in this over-50 zone for over 2 weeks now and I have got to tell you, it's not bad.

I have been exercising and eating clean (a work in progress for this carb lover) and just this morning I fit into the dress I wore for my daughter's christening AND the dress I wore out for my birthday dinner that same year - 12 years ago. 

I went shopping yesterday to buy new pants because the ones I have are too big. Need a pant size 6-8-10-12? I got you covered and hope I never have the need for the bigger ones again. Weight fluctuations stink.

There are some real reasons your weight will fluctuate up to five pounds each day:

• Eating and drinking. Weighing yourself after eating a meal or drinking a  large amount will give you a falsely high measurement. Weighing yourself after  you sweat a lot, such as after working out, will give you a falsely low  reading.
• Sodium intake. The large amount of sodium in a fast food or pizza meal  leads to water retention and a falsely high weight.
• Carbohydrates. A meal high in simple carbohydrates will also cause you  to hold water and temporarily raise weight. Similarly, high protein and low  carbohydrate diets give a false impression of weight loss when the body is  simply losing carbohydrate and water weight.
• Hormones. Water retention, and therefore weight, fluctuates with a  woman's menstrual cycle.

My fluctuations have blown past five pounds and over the years, pregnancy aside, were due to stress, no exercise and a lot of food. For the record I am all for falsely low readings but have made a commitment to myself, my closet and my wallet that this is not a short term experiment but a new way of life.

Don't believe me? I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and bought sprouted bread and  nitrate free turkey bacon. Replace the mayo with a touch of guacamole and you have a killer, clean BLT.

What do you do to keep your fitness in check? HR-sphere friends, need some motivation and support? Join the HR Fit Crew on Facebook and get out from behind the desk right now.