I kicked off the week with a weigh in and took measurements, so here’s where things start…
Weight: 145 Lbs
Chest: 36″
Waist: 32″
Glutes: 40″
Thigh: 23″

I haven’t had any sort of body fat assessment, but if I were to guess, I would say I’m hovering around 20-25 percent; high enough that I have almost no lower body or ab definition. The goal throughout the next ten weeks isn’t to get “super-shreddy,” but rather get myself into a consistent routine and get rid of the top layer of fluff before heading into the New Year.

I’ve been consistent as far as getting in my workouts regularly, but there’s been no structure whatsoever; pretty much just whatever I feel like doing in the moment. I haven’t been consistent however with taking group classes, which means cardio has been kept to the bare minimum. I’ve been lucky to squeeze in one OT class each week over the last couple of months, so increasing group fitness from one class to at least two each week is another goal throughout the next 10-weeks.

I guess that makes for a good segue into greater detail of my goals over the next several weeks… I have created a “garage gym” program that I will be following that consists of four days of weight training: one lower body day, one upper body day, one full body day, and one day solely dedicated to Weightlifting/skill training. Along with weekly goals, there are a few habits that I always try to keep in my routine which I feel are just as important for my overall wellness and mental health. These staples include: 10,000 steps minimum each day, 20 minutes of grounding outdoors with bare feet in the sun each day, 10 minutes minimum of full-body stretching and breath-work each day, and the most important, a talk with Jesus each day.

Now, to share what seems to be the most challenging for most when it comes to creating any sort of game-plan, nutrition. We all know that you can work out every single day, but if your food choices aren’t supporting your goals, you will never get to the desired destination. For me, one of my biggest downfalls when trying to lean out is getting in adequate protein. Whether trying to put on muscle or lose fat, protein intake is crucial! In order to reach my protein goal each day, I’ll be consuming one pound of lean meat, which I typically split among two to three meals throughout the day. One pound of meat on average is equivalent to about 120 grams of protein, which almost puts me to my daily total. I aim for about 125-150 grams each day, which means adding in a protein shake after any and all workouts. As far as carbohydrates and fat intake, I don’t have a set macro-guideline that I will adhere to, at least not just yet. I prefer more of an animal-based approach which allows for vegetables and fruits (tropical fruits are reserved for meals surrounding workouts), while starchy/complex carbs are are limited to 1-2 servings per day (these include breads, pastas, and grains). As for fats, I prefer natural occurring fats from animal protein, like beef tallow, fish oil, or whole eggs, and occasionally, fats from other sources such as coconut oil, butter, or olive oil. Finally, everyone’s favorite, and usually the hardest to resist, sugar. I try my best to avoid all added sugars, but I do enjoy fruit and honey.

Again, I’m not looking to create any grande changes to my physique over the next couple of months, but creating a more consistent routine before heading into a New Year is top priority.