90 days to lean: part 2

Follow food and lifestyle blogger Sahar Aman (The Quirky Princess) as she takes on the Body Coach challenge in 90 days to lean: part 2.

During the second week of my 90-Day Shift, Shape and Sustain Plan from The Body Coach, I realised 10 days had already passed by. On day one, the end of the first cycle seemed far, let alone cycle three. What I’m secretly hoping for now is that day 90 won’t be the end, but the beginning of lean habits for life.

Clear intentions and planning saw my first week go by pretty well, despite a few hiccups (my broccoli bread was a disaster, for instance).

I didn’t spend the week before my start date going crazy and stuffing myself with junk, mostly because I didn’t want to go into the plan feeling icky and bloated. It’s not like I’m never going to eat a slice of pizza or cupcake again! I did go to a lovely brunch though with some of Toronto’s finest food bloggers, where we were treated to some amazing French pastries.

The day before, I dragged my hubby and friends to the vegetable and fruit market. While they helped me shop for bok choy, coconut milk and coconut water, my feelings were a mixture of excitement and nerves. The food aspect wasn’t as daunting as the idea of the workouts. Going into this, for me, the hardest part was going to be balancing the high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts with my ballet schedule. I can do two ballet classes in a row but the idea of a 20-minute HIIT session terrified me.

Most things are more of a mental challenge than a physical one, so I meditated on my goals. No chanting or anything, just some mindfulness about what all this really meant to me. Then I created a spreadsheet with my meals, supplements and workouts.

I did my first HIIT workout at 10pm after an hour and a half of ballet and got through it just fine. The irrational terror dissipated. Dinner was basmati rice with prawns to which I added too much curry paste, but it was fine and day one was done!

The 90-Day SSS Plan is challenging but not in the way you expect it to be: I thought I’d be craving cupcakes from Bunners, but no. What I miss most is freshly made almond milk, massive bottles of cold-pressed green juice, throwing dates into my smoothies and homemade popcorn fresh from the pan. But one email to the support team later, I was blitzing my protein shake snack with almond milk.

It’s not supposed to be impossible and Joe Wicks’ graduates are a testimony to that, offering help whenever you need it. Speaking of support, my husband has totally embraced what I’m doing and helping out much as possible, whether that’s prepping food for us while I’m practising late at Ballet Espressivo, carrying heavy grocery bags with me or coming to the gym. Having a buddy to encourage you definitely helps.

While having someone supportive is amazing, you also have to encourage yourself. There are moments where you think, Will this work? I’m eating so much and I don’t feel any thinner!

Sunday came round and I went to the gym and ate a roast of sorts – Joe’s potato and chicken bake (another favourite) – while watching Game of Thrones. After a week, you begin to replace other habits with these ones, and it becomes part of your everyday life.

Over the next 12 weeks I’m going share my experience of Joe’s plan. Stay tuned to the blog and follow me on Twitter and Instagram @sahar_aman to see how my transformation goes. Next week I’ll be sharing tips and little things I’ve been doing to enhance my experience of the 90-Day SSS Plan.