GOALS.

I haven't written a "personal" blog post in a hot minute, so today I thought I'd sit and jot down what my current goals are/what I'm aiming to do this summer.

( ^^ Nikki Blackketter is my all-time fav. )

I was sick this past week, and it was killing me because I hadn't been able to hit the gym/track my macros/etc. But I've tried to take it all in stride and I've treated those past few days as a "refeed." (<< aka rebuilding the metabolism in order to cut more effectively.) I've been trying to listen to my body, making sure to give it lots of rest so that it can recover to the fullest.


Anyhow. I'm so ready for warmer weather! I find that it's easiest for me to be my healthiest and happiest during the summer. There are no stressors of school/homework, I can get an adequate amount of sleep, and I'm always getting a healthy dose of vitamin D.

So here's what I'm thinking:

1) Drink a gallon of water every day. I'll definitely be that girl lugging around one of those huge water jugs. ( << lol, football player wannabe ?? ) It's especially important to get proper water intake during the summer because it's so much hotter outside ( + ya might not think you're sweatin' more, but you totally are. ) And since my training schedule is a lil more intense than during the school year, extra water is a must.

2) SLEEP x10. ( << can't stress this enough ) It's so easy to get caught in that routine of staying up
late + sleeping in late during the summer. But I'm not 'bout that life, AT ALL. I'm definitely a girl who appreciates her zzz's ( + her daylight hours ) so I'm going to take advantage of that this summer.

I'm a super early morning riser ( think: 4:45 AM ) so I can't be up really late at night if I want to wake up feeling well rested + such. Because of my training, it's crucial that I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night for optimal recovery.

Caffeine is a thing, ( << + i definitely love my iced latte !! ) but I'm not going to mess up my sleep schedule and rely on it all the time. My training is really important to me, so it's easiest if I just hit the hay a lil earlier.

3) Get outside. Chemical reactions take place in the body when you spend some time outdoors. ( hello, releases of dopamine and serotonin !! #happyvibes ) And ya can't forget good ol' vitamin D.

I love getting a good tan as much as the next girl, but I'm not trying to get skin cancer, and I'm not a fan of laying out. ( seems a lil counterproductive, ya feel ?? ) To get my summer glow, I use SPF 15 sunscreen spray whenever I'm outdoors. I was always my tannest during the summers where I'd play softball and spend the evenings watching my brother's baseball games, so I'm definitely going to try to mimic that + be outside as much as possible this summer.

4) Early morning runs!! Since recovering from my torn PCL, I haven't really had time to get a good sweat on from a long run outdoors. I'm soo excited to strap on my lil black knee brace and head outside. My absolute fav runs are right as the sun's rising ( think: 5-5:30 AM ) when there's still a cool little chill in the air + it seems like you're one of the only people in the world that's awake. ( << OMG, love. ) My friends think I'm a psychopath because I'm such a morning person, but I just love my morning runs so much.

My runs are typically what I consider long distance ( 3-4 miles ?? ) in a HIIT kind of style. I'll sprint/run as fast as I can to a certain checkpoint, ( usually a distance of a quarter mile ) and then I'll catch my breath for a few moments + continue running. It ends up being around 3-4 miles, and I'll finish in under an hour, depending on how long my breathers are. Ahh, love it. Then once I get home I'll usually cook up my breakfast and drink a shiit ton of water. ( << bcuz, HYDRATION, duh )

5) LAUGH. A LOT. If there's one thing that's sure to improve your immune system and lower cortisol ( << the stress hormone ), it's laughter. & it's soo easy!! I'm already planning to re-watch all the seasons of The Office on Netflix. Gets me every time.

6) Plan my cheat meals. Last summer I ate super clean 100% of the time, 24/7, no cheats or treats. I missed out on a lot of lil ice cream dates + such w/ my friends. While they were all chowing down on appetizers & yummy entrees, I was the girl sipping lemon water and sneaking a protein bar. I wasn't tracking my macros either; things were either okay to eat, ( << what i considered "clean ) or they weren't.

BUT, since then I've started tracking macros and I've established a healthy relationship with food. Since I'll be cutting during the summer, I won't have terribly high carbs, so I'm not going to try to fit treats into my daily macros. Instead, I'll have one planned cheat meal a week.

But here's the thing, I have a few guidelines that I must follow so that it doesn't turn into an all-out binge fest, ya feel?

A. The cheat meal must be planned in advance. That means that if I know I'm going to dinner with my friends on Friday, I'll plan for that & make it my cheat meal.

B. Decide what you'll be cheating with. By that I mean, how are you spending your cheat? A dessert? An entree? Or a fun drink? Don't cheat with all three.

C. The cheat must be somewhat healthy. If it's not ridiculously nutritious, pair it with something that is. This helps to prevent that nasty feeling that often accompanies cheat meals because your body isn't used to those foods.

D. The cheat meal cannot be on a rest day. Sorry girl, but that's serious water weight gain just waiting to happen.

7) Get off my iPhone. I don't want to waste my summer away because I'm glued to my phone ALL. THE. TIME. I'll obviously bring my phone with me everywhere, but I'm going to try to only use it in the case of an emergency/photos. But actually if I want to take pictures, I can also use my digital cam or my snazzy lil Polaroid. ( << bcuz CUTE! )

Alright, that's enough for nowww. I still need to hit my macro requirements today + I'm not sure what I'm gonna hit em with...
xx. Ellie