Sandwich, Salad and Swimming Challenge: Entry #1

Improving your health isn’t always easy.  In fact, for some (myself included), it’s SUPER HARD! It didn’t used to be this way. When I was younger, all the physical activity my body required was already built in to my lifestyle. Sports leagues and dance classes in grade school turned into walking to college classes everyday, fitness credits and dance parties.

But college was 3 years ago. Which is enough time to back slide and realize I no longer own my little girl metabolism. Still, I should know better than to let my health deteriorate… With a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science: Fitness and Wellness Management, I practically minored in health. I’m keenly aware of what can happen…
…The increased risks for chronic disease when proper diet and exercise are neglected…
But schedules change. People graduate and move. Lifestyles fluctuate. It’s not a good excuse, but it happened. And so, I am taking a more sincere interest and investing in my health this year.
 

so, What’s the plan?

SALAD, SANDWICH AND SWIMMING CHALLENGE.
On March 1st, I started a month long swimming challenge.
I’m not just eating salads and sandwiches, of course. The title represents a concept of healthy eating and living. I will put all the nutrition and fitness tools I learned from school to use for a whole month to establish new habits.
Starting with replacing almost all of my grains with whole grains. Next, I will eat a higher percentage of vegetables and protein. Third, I will stay within the daily recommendations set by the USDA for grains, vegetable, fruits, dairy and protein. And last but not least, I will adjust my caloric intake according to my fitness level and weight loss goals.
But that’s not all…
 

The Swimming Part

I am also upping the ante on my physical activity.
I’m going to SWIM FOUR TIMES A WEEK. According to the blog we wrote on “Plan a Swim Routine That Will Last Longer Than One Week,” four is the magic number that helps people overcome workout barriers.
Seeing as how my goal is to develop some lasting fitness habits, I would definitely like to stay in the zone that breaks through workout barriers.
And I’m sharing all the tricks and tips from my journey with you! How you ask? Through an entire series a blogs throughout all of March tracking my progress!
 

Preview to ENtry #2: the Super Tracker

I will be organizing my goals, tracking my diet and recording my swimming entries all with one fabulous website. And the best part is… it’s 100% FREE !!
It’s a website produced by the USDA (a.k.a. it’s really credible and backed up by tons of scientific research): https://www.supertracker.usda.gov
I could literally go on for days about this website. My next post will give you an extensive intro of it’s features and guide you through creating your own profile.
 

What do you think?

Have you ever used this program? Do you love it or what?
Stay tunes for follow up posts! In the future I will be:

• Walking you through how to create your own super tracker profile
• Keeping you posted on my swimming progress
• Offering you the motivation tips I learn to help you in your goals
• Suggesting healthy, delicious recipe combinations to help you reach your daily, dietary recommendations

Feel free to post a comment to encourage me along the way and to include your tips!