Summer Goals: Part II, with Gatorade Canada

This post was written almost 3 weeks ago! But I’m just now sharing it due to internet issues while traveling and being off the grid for those full 3 weeks back to back. 🙂 A fresh post about goals and our recent trips to come this week!

Well…the adventure begins!

I am writing this post on our last flight to Thunder Bay, Ontario, but have been writing this post in my head for a while now. My main emotion right now? Anticipation! It’s an exciting time when you are anticipating sleeping inside for only 4 out of the next 39 days! We have a lake trip and river expedition to focus on and enjoy, and so much adventure ahead makes my heart sing.

But in the midst of these events, I’m reminded of the reality that, while there is some activity on our trips, we are sitting for the majority of the day and full body movement is limited compared to my usual routine. Furthermore, although I am fairly happy eating anything for any length of time, this is a longer trip and recently I’ve been eating a bit more liberally and have gained a few unwanted pounds.

So, taking all these things into account, I’m am building off my last post and am excited to be partnering with Gatorade Canada to voice my summer goals concerning strength and nutrition to help me finish the summer strong!

I was contacted by Gatorade Canada to share my goals and help keep you motivated along the way as I try to stay on track! Throughout my adventures I will be using Gatorade product to help me stay hydrated and to recover. I am grateful for the extra push to put my goals out there and #WinFromWithin in this Summer of Sweat!

Goals:

Strength Blitzes: My strength goal for the rest of the #summerofsweat is to maintain my strength while traveling and adventuring with 1 minute blitzes of varying exercises each day. Although our trips are physical (kayaking, rafting and canoeing), the movements don’t lend themselves to keeping up my hard-earned strength from the gym. For example, one day it might be push ups. I’ll pick a minimum of 3 times throughout the day to drop and pump out 1 min of max push ups. Another day might be lifting my dry bag above my head like a shoulder press, or squat jump blitzes throughout the day.

Nutrition Mindfulness: My goal when comes to nutrition is to stay mindful each day on my trips, fueling for my optimum health and eating only to 80% fullness, not taking snacks “just because they’re there.” This will make a big dent in my desire to get back to and maintain my “happy weight” while enabling me to engage in our outdoor pursuits while feeling good!

I work hard during the fall, winter and spring to stay in shape and be able to go for a run on Saturday morning, have fun backcountry skiing for 3 days with my husband or be able to pop out some pull ups or kettlebell snatches in any season and at any time. That means there’s no reason that summer should be any different. But the BBQs, holidays, evenings out with friends or travel plans can often thwart our strength gains and nutrition.

Now, if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I don’t discriminate between broccoli and bagels, and I enjoy everything from grapes to gummy bears! But, it can’t be all bagels and gummy bears all the time, and even though I haven’t been actively pursuing fat loss, I always want to maintain so I feel my best and live my best – in and outside the gym. The addition of these recent pounds have made me feel uncomfortable in my own body, and the prospect of being on the road (or rather, on the water!) for so long makes me see the need to tighten up and reign it in.

It’s a balance, isn’t it? To indulge and also to restrain yourself? To enjoy and also to know the difference when you really want that donut and when you’re actually more satisfied with some fresh fruit! I stand by Jill Coleman’s #Moderation365 approach to nutrition, but if you’re using that to justify many food choices (“How many times are we at the lake?” “We’re celebrating. Why not 2 pieces of cake?”) and to alter your general movement (“I’m already away for a week traveling without a gym; I’ll just get back to working out when I’m back home.”), then that’s not really moderation anymore, is it?

Hence, my goals. I’m not complaining about my body or necessarily unhappy with it – I know I am fit and healthy – but it’s just time to change my approach to food (yes, even while traveling!) and to keep my strength up as much as I can (because that’s never tough for me at home, but while traveling) and make my goals public! If I can’t stick with some goals while adventuring, when else can I? Because that’s real life – when you or someone you love gets sick and you can’t workout; you need to move and real life is pizza and wine and eating all the random food in the fridge (I’m looking at you – and all of us at times, Laura!); when you’re on a river trip for 2 weeks and didn’t plan the menu or have much room for additional snacks.

I’m excited about these goals, and to be partnering with Gatorade Canada to help me get there!

Do you have any summer goals? Do you want to join me in finishing out the summer strong and not restarting in the fall? Let’s do this together! I’m excited to check in with you guys in about a month (not much social media where I’m going besides the fact that I smashed the screen of my phone the morning we left and can barely use it!) and then again for the last bit of summer to make the most of our days in both a strength and nutrition capacity!

Live well & be well,

Bonnie