The Top 10 List...

6Fit is officially over and I’m already feeling a little bit of withdrawal. It feels strange not to log all my fruits and veggies in the spreadsheet. Tuesday was the first time in a long time that I went home after work rather than going to the studio. It felt strange, but I think my dog Molly was happy to have me getting home early again. Overall, I’d say my first 6Fit experience was a success. 6 pounds and several inches lost over the course of 6 weeks is a great kickoff to my new healthy lifestyle. Here is my Top 10 List for a successful 6Fit that I’m so excited to carry forward:

1.       Meal Prep is Key!

It’s easy enough to buy healthy foods, but it’s another thing to actually use them to cook a healthy meal. Having meals already made makes it so much easier to stay on track. My new favorite meal to prep is breakfast. I’m in love with chia seed pudding and overnight oatmeal. Not only does it taste great, but it fills me up for the whole morning and I’m spending less money on those expensive Luna and Kind bars that I used to eat every day!

2.       Drink More Water!

I never used to drink anything, let alone water, throughout the day. I bought myself a cute new water bottle at TJ Maxx and now I bring it with me everywhere. I definitely feel like it helps keep me from unnecessary snacking throughout the day.  

3.       Eat more veggies!

Although I’ve always been a fan of veggies, I only really ate them as a side for dinner before 6Fit. I’ve tried to incorporate more veggies into my other meals and snacks throughout the day. I snack on baby carrots rather than chips and I try to bring salads rather than sandwiches for lunch. Being so filling yet low calorie has really helped me curb those huge calorie counts from snacking that I used to have!

4.       Treat treats as treats!

I used to eat junk food constantly throughout the day. Now I really only have sweets once or twice a week. If I want sweets, I’ll have one chocolate, not three! I appreciate the treat much more now that it’s actually a treat! I’m making these See’s Candies last!

5.       Schedule your workouts!

It’s so much easier to stick to your workout schedule if you put it on the calendar. Every time I signed up for a DanceFit Studio class, I added to my calendar and I looked forward to going. Being accountable to my schedule made it harder to skip than just planning on running when I got home. 

6.       Be open to trying new foods!

One of my favorite things I did during 6Fit was trying all new types of food. During dairy-free week, I decided to try almond milk. I have absolutely fallen in love with Blue Diamond Almond-Coconut Milk Blend. Now I use this in all my cooking which I never would have tried had it not been for 6Fit. 

7.       Be more active throughout the day!

Improving my overall fitness level was not just about going to classes and working out at a gym. As someone who works at a desk all day, I can become very sedentary if I don’t keep being active top of mind. I set my Jawbone fitness bracelet to vibrate after 20 min. of inactivity. If it goes off, I make sure to get up, fill up my water bottle, walk around a bit, then go back to my desk. It’s really helped get my total step count up for the day!

8.       Have a support system!

6Fit is great in that it incorporates the team system, so you always have people there who can support you and know what you’re going through. I was lucky enough to have really great coworkers who also became invested in my success. Every week, they wanted to know what the new fitness and food challenges were. They were also really supportive in making sure I didn’t give into temptation with all the goodies around the office!

9.       Watch less TV!

I used to do so much snacking in front of the TV while waiting for my husband to get home from work. Rather than going home every day and sitting in front of the TV, I started going to DanceFit Studio to take classes. Keeping myself busy so I don’t snack before dinner is key!

10.      Take DanceFit Studio classes!

This has been the most fun part of 6Fit. I looked forward to going to the studio every single day. I got to see my teammates and I made new friends. I tried out some new classes and felt myself growing stronger every day. Finding a workout program that I love to do has been key to finally getting motivated to work out! With new classes coming up in March like PiYo and Total Body Blast, I’ll just have more reasons to look forward to heading to the studio!