Spring has finally sprung and the usually antics of cleaning out the closets, and getting rid of the items we do not want or need is amongst all of us.  Studies have shown spring cleaning not only increases your endorphins but burns calories at the same time.

Now that we are on the topic of calories, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say now that the weather is nice I am picturing my soon to be summer filled with warm sun, cool pools and of course swimsuit season.  For those that are training and fighting religiously, you have nothing to worry about.  For those who "took some time off" of hitting the gym as regularly as you might have wanted to needs to put a plan in motion on how to get back to your fabulous physique before you fell off the training wagon.

No worries, it happens to us all.  Due to "life" we tend to find ourselves at some point not able to get to the gym as regularly as we would like, especially if we don't have any fights lined up.  Many of us that are working are working more hours and it gets hard to juggle it all.  However, getting back to that amazing shape you were very recently in is a very realistic goal and doesn't take that much time at all.  You just need to set a plan in motion. 

Your plan should include what your long term goal is.  It may consist with a size or certain weight, pair of jeans you want to fit into, or how many rounds you might want to train for without gassing out - our goals could all be different.  Next, decide how long you are giving yourself to get to this goal. 

If it's a physical goal, I suggest taking a picture of yourself at the point you liked yourself best and putting it in your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator wherever you are going to see it more often.  That alone will be extra motivating on the days or meals you plan to slack on. 

It's now time to start watching what you eat.  It's amazing how all those quick drive through lunch/dinner fast food stops can creep up on you and your body.  You need to take ownership of what you eat and fuel your body with.  One of my favorite sites to research all types of food calories is www.calorieking.com <http://www.calorieking.com/> .  It's insightful as to how many calories are in a regular latte vs. fat free latte, how many calories are in a cream salad dressing -vs.- vinaigrette.  Start keeping a food log of breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, and dinner.  After a week of seeing what you are continually eating you'll start making a conscious effort to replace the not needed foods, with the good foods we all know we need.  If you really want to go cold turkey and drop a good 10 pounds, I suggest trying the Isagenix 9 day program (the link is on the front of the site).  This is a WONDERFUL program that helps jump start your metabolism to where it needs to be, while maintaining your normal energy level you will need to have to continue your exercise program. 

Now...It's exercise time.  I'm sure just recently you remember doing 5-6 minute rounds for hours on end.  Now the thought of doing 2 minute rounds seems like a lifetime.  It can be intimidating to go back to your regular routine, but if you are planning on going back to the gym, just do it.  No more procrastinating.  We all know the quickest way to get into shape is doing our typical training work outs, where we don't think about losing weight, it just happens.  I'm not going to sugar coat it - it is going to suck for the first couple of weeks and breathing will most likely be optional but that's the crash course on getting back into shape. 

If you are more conservative, start with baby steps for a week.  Get up each day and start with some push ups right when you get out of bed.  Start with 15 if you need to, just to get your body used to that once normal exercise.  Next make sure to get out and start running a mile.  It may not be the 3 miles you once did, but it is something and just like everything else, muscle memory WILL kick in.  Now add in some sit ups.  I'm sure you were probably doing them on an incline or something of the sort and remember how rock hard your abs were at the time.  I realize most of us do not have an incline bench at home but be creative.  Put your feet up on the side of the bed and come up with something similar to what you were doing before, (when you were at the peak of your training).  Trust me, you will love getting back into shape and how you feel overall. 

Remember that was just a starting point, as part of your plan, make sure to increase your exercise every few days to include your running, your sit ups and your push ups so that you will be back to where you once remembered yourself to be without a whole lot of effort.



 Til then - train hard, train smart and be safe.



~Lisa "The Blackwidow" King