Weigh-In Wednesday: Equestrians Get Fit Together!

Tracy at Fly On Over had a FANTASTIC idea - a monthly Blog Hop to help all of us equestrian bloggers keep track of our fitness goals and keep each other accountable. As someone who easily falls into laziness on the exercise front, this is going to be incredibly helpful.

We're starting off the first Weigh-In Wednesday with Fitness Goals. So, what do I hope to accomplish over the next couple months?

Lose The Holiday Chub
I really, really, REALLY love food. Aside from horses, food is one of my great life passions. And since Thanksgiving I've basically just been eating All The Food, all the time. Christmas cookies, chocolate, pasta, and huge delicious meals at parties and family gatherings. I have not restrained myself. At all. And with limited riding going on in my neck of the woods, my breeches are fitting a little more snugly these days. I want to significantly decrease the amount of muffin top that I have going on.

Get Stronger
Without riding at least 5x a week, my once-awesome abs have become Flabs. I know I'm not as fit as I was in the early fall, and it makes me feel crappy. Not just bad-about-myself crappy, but I physically feel like a slug. I feel better and I ride better when I'm fit, so more exercise is on the schedule!

So, how am I going to accomplish all this?

On the food front, I'm trying hard to eliminate sweets and boredom snacks, as well as making healthier meal choices. I am a HUGE boredom eater, so this week I've been replacing my "I'm bored/lonely/want to make the workday more interesting" snacks with a cup of green tea, or a piece of fruit or handful of almonds if I'm legitimately hungry. So far, so good! We'll see how long I can stay strong on this one.

It's also hard for me to resist really good food, and if there is a tasty meal in front of me, I will eat WAY too much of it. I'm also a really good cook, so this makes portion control tough. I tend to eat until I'm full to bursting instead of eating until I'm not hungry anymore. So at mealtimes, I'm going to cook some lighter fare and pay attention to how I feel instead of how good everything tastes! Lunches and dinners this week have included salad with grilled chicken and vinaigrette dressing, homemade vegetarian black bean soup, and tonight's dinner will be grilled marinated tofu with a side of sautéed spinach. You'll note the distinct lack of pasta, bread, cheese, butter, and fatty meats. It's a little sad, but I can make healthy food taste pretty darn good, so it's not a big sacrifice. There will be a pumpkin risotto on the menu someday soon as well!

more of this is in my future... yay veggies!

And lastly, I'm a big fan of a cold beer after work. I hereby solemnly swear to drink only on weekends until I'm feeling fitter and less flabby!

Then, we get to the exercise portion of my goals. For me, this is the toughest part of trying to be healthier and fitter. During the winter, when push comes to shove I would rather take a nap than exercise. Let's be real, I would rather eat a gallon of mac & cheese and then take a nap. But indulging my desires for sleep and carbs is just going to make me feel more sluggy.

My plan is to make sure I do something active on the days when I don't ride hard. If I do not get off of my pony sore, exhausted, or both on any given day, I want to either do a Pilates workout or go for a run. Both activities only take about half an hour, and both are great exercises that I actually enjoy doing. Over the past week I've been doing some sort of workout about every other day, and while not ideal, it's a good start!

Anyone else have a plan to get fit before show season ramps up?