21-Day Fix

I am on "Day 7" of a program called "21 Day Fix".  The colorful containers above are the key to the nutrition portion of the program.  It's quite simple.  First, you calculate your target calorie range based upon your current weight and a little math.  I am shooting for 1,200 to 1,499 calories per day.  But I am NOT counting calories. Phew!

Instead, I am directed to portion out my food in the color coded containers.  Each day, I should fill and eat 3 green containers (veggies), 2 purple containers (fruits), 4 red containers (protein), 2 yellow containers (carbs), 1 blue container (healthy fats), and 1 orange container (seeds and dressings). 

Breakfast: 

Turkey bacon, egg, berries

Above... Post Work Out Shake: 

Cold coffee, 8 ounces unsweetened almond milk, a ton of ice, and a packet of Chocolate Vegan Shake Mix from "Shakeology". 

Going, going, gone!

Late Lunch:

Grilled Chicken, sweet potato, and red bell pepper. 

Dinner:   Roasted asparagus, salmon kabobs, and quinoa

Looks pretty good doesn't it. Of course, eating like this requires some thought and planning ahead.  Thankfully I am retired and home, so I am not having to plan, prepare, and pack up a day's worth of food before I leave the house each day. There is a lot more to this program, but this just gives you an idea how it works.

The other part of this program is exercise DVDs.  There are 10 different work outs so I have not tried all of them yet.  Each of the 21 days, you are encouraged to do a specific work out. It's planned out pretty logically.  For example, Day 1 is an All Body work out, but the next day is just Arms and Abs.  Today, Day 7, was called an Active Recovery Day, so it was just Yoga with lots of stretching and breathing to recuperate from a long, challenging week.  I have to tell you, I am REALLY struggling with the exercise DVDs.  I simply have not worked out this rigorously in a very long time; I have not done much physically other than walk the dogs for the past few years. 

I kept telling myself I would get in shape in retirement.  I've been retired a little over six months now and I have actually gained a few pounds. I was not getting it done on my own and I am enthusiastic about getting on track with this program.  Not program is for everyone, but I think this program is a really good fit for me.

I won't have enough time to get in 21 days on this program before I leave on my Alaskan cruise, but I'll see what I can get done between now and when the ship sets sail.