The Badass Trio is cleaning up. Together. One day, one sugar craving, and one cup of brown rice at a time. Sans vino!
We're letting trainer Jillian Michaels (of America's Biggest Loser fame) lead the way by using her book Master Your Metabolism as the guide, in hopes of jolting our metabolism and ascending an even higher mountain on our Badass journey.
The three of us - me, Badass Foodie and the Original Badass Bertsch - don't have lots of pounds to lose, and it's not like we spend our days in fast food drive-thru's ordering the SuperSize meal. But we know we can eat cleaner, and drink less alcohol. We know we can be even more Badass. Above all, we know that reaching the goal will be a lot more fun, albeit not easier, if we do it together.
This whole Badass Fitness thing is about continuing to challenge ourselves and to find new levels of health and fitness. Your new level of health might be getting through your first cycling class, as I proudly watched a woman do last night. It might be losing 5 pounds, or maybe it's 50.
Whatever your goal is, noone here is judging. So own it. Make it happen. And remember that you never have to go it alone. Even if you don't have a fitness partner or cheerleader at home, you have this Badass Fitness blog. The Badass Army's got your back.
We kicked off The Badass Trio Master-the-Metabolism Pact on Monday by laying out a few ground rules. No alcohol. No high-fructose corn syrup, and we're avoiding all sugars except for what we get in fruit and real foods. Whole grains, no white flour. We even agreed to do air-popped popcorn instead of the typical highly processed microwave bags. Organic as much as possible.
Kirsten had already cleaned out her pantry of all things processed, and Jenn and I have since said buh-bye to sugary cereals and the like. I am even giving up the EAS chocolate fudge protein shakes I love so much when a chocolate craving hits. Sigh. And we're doing this for a month, at least! Double sigh.
We each have different reasons for being a part of this Trio pact, some of them too personal to share here. But the three of us know why we're in this together, and we know that we will not let each other fail. We might stumble and even fall along the way, but if so we just pick each other back up and keep going. We have dominated countless hours running stadiums at Doak Campbell Stadium, and we have sweated through 105-degree hot yoga classes together. We can do this, too.
So can you.
Since Monday, our daily back-and-forth of BlackBerry messages reads like an OCD nutrition session:
We each downloaded a calorie and activity tracker into our BlackBerries, and we're sending updates throughout the day: I'm at 1,500 calories right now, but I think I need more protein and less carbs, Jenn says.
Every time these messages fly back and forth, it helps keep the group in check. It reminds me of the value of group challenges, much like the wellness program I started at Moore Consulting Group where I work.
I have had moments since Monday when all I wanted to do was eat a piece of Bubblicious gum or stop at my favorite pizza place in town. But I thought about the Trio, specifically the strength and mojo that makes each of us who we are, and I got through the cravings without giving in. The Trio that eats clean together stays together. Even if it means happy hour without wine and fewer cookie exchanges.
Coming tomorrow: I'll lay out the trio Pact in more detail, with tips on how - in ways big and small - you can clean up your own eating. Hint: Walk away from the gumballs, walk toward the sweet strawberries.
