November Plan

If I get accepted into the final stage of the Instructor Certification Program, it means I'll be heading to Los Angeles towards the end of January -- in just under 12 weeks. With that in mind, I'm setting my goals for this month to help me get ready for that trip.

It's hard enough being tested on something ... add to that the fact that it'll be a physical test ... in front of a group of instructors and other students ... wearing a gi (something I'm still not completely comfortable in) just makes it feel a lot more stressful.

Just like when I went to defend my PhD, I need to be completely confident that I had done everything in my power to prepare me for that moment. I don't want to get there and think - I wish I had been more diligent with my eating or I wish I had been more focused with my training.

I have the end date in mind so there are no excuses. I cannot let January creep on me and still be stuck - stuck at a particular weight, stuck at a particular fitness level, stuck at a particular mentality.

If this is the direction that I want my life to go in, then I've got to do all I can to get there.

I now have a pretty good routine.

My physical activities include: Weight lifting, MetaFit (body weight HIIT), Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and Yoga. My main objective is to feel more sturdy and stable with my movements and less out of breath with my cardio.

My physical goals are: to drop a few inches and to lose weight (ideally 7 kg by the 3rd week of January). I want to feel comfortable doing my Jiu-Jitsu moves both in gi and no-gi training.

My food goals are: to still follow the Whole Life Challenge eating guidelines, giving myself 3 'bonus' points a week (which will most likely be 'spent' on coffee with milk), and trying to incorporate the Gracie Diet food grouping strategies into my meal prep. I want to minimize my natural sugar intake and focus more on eating raw and low glycemic index foods.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I plan on taking a slow and steady approach. At least the Whole Life Challenge type of eating feels easy to me. That will be my basic eating style. The other tweaks will be added gradually.

I have a long list of general tasks and errands to add to my goals for the month, but these are my basic food and fitness ones for now.

I've got a lot going on. Staying organized and productive will be key!