“Your desire to change has to be greater than your desire to stay the same.”

I found myself nodding vigorously as I heard these words. Powerful words. The fitness instructor leading my workout DVD was saying this while torturing me with an insanely intense glute exercise that consisted of weighted one-legged squats with the other leg on a bench. Even after my glute nearly burned off, I appreciated her words. They seem so simple, and yet, they are so profound and so true.

I’ve always believed that every day is a chance to be our best, to get back on track if we’ve veered off the path and start or improve our health and fitness journey. I’m not a big New Year’s resolution setter, but I have to admit – there is something special about January. A clean slate.

There is one goal from last year in which I failed miserably: clean eating. I didn’t fuel my body to be my best self or to maximize my fitness and running. I was inconsistent at best, eating healthy for a week and then falling – no crashing – off the wagon. I’m a very healthy person. I try to make good choices 90 percent of the time. But some alien took over my stomach and will power in 2015 (I swear!), especially toward the end of last year. My choices left me feeling unhappy with myself … which spirals into being unhappy with lots of other things, most notably my running and self perceptions.

With a new year and a clean slate, I decided to do something about it. But I never thought it would be this.

Rewind to several months ago …

“Ugh, not another one,” I silently groaned as I saw a message about Beachbody pop up in my social media news feed for the billionth time. Has every person I’ve ever known suddenly become a “coach” without experience or knowledge about fitness and nutrition? If I saw one more post about Beachbody (a popular fitness company that sells fitness plans, DVDs, protein powder and more), I was considering deleting my Facebook account. Ok, I would never abandon Facebook, but it was getting a little annoying.

The next thing I knew, several of my friends got hooked and signed up to sell their products. They told me about it and shared their experiences and results with me. I listened, and smiled and secretly thought about running and what I perceived to be harder workouts I was doing on my own. Beachbody and this thing called the 21 Day Fix left my mind, until another friend tried it and told me about it.

I was finally getting intrigued.

Fast forward to December.

I was tired of making poor eating choices and needed something to inspire me. A goal. Structure. Oh how this competitive gal loves a challenge with structure and rules to achieve. With no goal marathon to train for at the moment, I wanted – needed – a new challenge.

And so here we are. I’m doing a 60-day strength training regimen called Hammer and Chisel and following a nutrition plan called the 21 Day Fix that helps you focus on portion control and eating the right amounts of veggies, fruits, proteins, carbs, healthy fats and oils each day.

“Your desire to change has to be greater than your desire to stay the same.” Those words were from Autumn, one of the fitness instructors in my Hammer and Chisel DVDs.

I started on January 1. After five days in, I love it. Who would have thunk it.

My Goals

Why am I doing this? I’m certainly not trying to be crazy or restrictive. I’m not trying to lose a lot of weight. I realize I’m at a very healthy weight, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been making healthy choices.

Here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish by eating clean and focusing on a lot of strength training during the next 60 days with Hammer and Chisel and the 21 Day Fix:

• Fuel my body with food that’s real, wholesome and will improve my overall well-being to feel, sleep and run better. This includes eliminating most processed foods and sugar that isn’t from natural sources. It also includes portion control. I fall into the lowest end of the calorie plan for the 21 Day Fix. Given my high activity level and the additional running I do, I’ve bumped myself up to the next calorie bracket which adds an additional serving of carbs, fruit, veggies and nut butters each day to ensure I’m getting enough fuel.
• Consistently strength train to become a stronger runner … and yes, because I want more definition in my arms and abs. Who doesn’t dream of getting ripped? You’re a liar if you’re not raising your hand right now. Through Hammer and Chisel, I’ll be doing more strength training than I’ve ever done on a regular weekly basis. I will continue running 20-25 miles per week and training for my upcoming February half marathon.
• Run happier. I believe if I do A and B above, it will translate into better running. Being stronger and eating cleaner has always enhanced my running performance.

I will share my weekly training recaps and will update you on what I’m eating and what clean recipes pass my taste test. I’ll also be sharing a recap with before and after pictures, measurements and weight changes at the 30 and 60-day mark. This is the part where I question why I wanted to start a fitness blog and be an open book for all the world to see. Can I put my shirt back on yet!?!

Here’s my starting point. 60 days from now I hope to have a six-pack and some triceps to show you. *wink*

Tell me about your goals for 2016? Are you making any changes to your diet or training plan this year? If you’ve ever done the 21 Day Fix or Hammer and Chisel, share your experience with us. Any tips?