Learn. Play. Sweat. Chocolate Lollipops?

I've been asked what my exact diet plan and work-out plan is. But when you've got 3 kids and a job with no defined hours, it's difficult to plot out each day in advance. So instead of laying out a list of foods I'll eat each day or a schedule for extra work-outs, I have to play it by ear.

The motto of MKG's 10-week kickboxing and body sculpting session is: Learn. Play. Sweat. And there's a sign on the front that says: Leave your ego at the door. I've decided to apply those ideas to my daily choices as a way to stick with my plan.

Learn: Last night I made chocolate lollipops. Growing up, my mother would always set up the kitchen for my sisters and I to paint lollipop molds with colored melted chocolate. Paintbrushes in hand, we set about our delicious artwork. After they hardened and were filled with melted Nestle Crunch and a lollipop stick, we would wait for them to come out of the freezer so we could pop them out of the molds and dig in! Of course the lollipops were for our Mishloach Manot baskets, which are gifts of food given to family and friends on the Jewish holiday of Purim. I've decided to make them this year. The theme is Star Wars, so Yoda, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca molds have been filled with green, black, and brown chocolate, and of course Nestle Crunch. And as I stared this morning at the delicious hardened chocolate lollipops sitting in my fridge, I decided it was time to LEARN from my past mistakes and JUST SAY NO!

You see, I've realized that I'm most likely a food addict. I think about food all the time. If it's nearby, I always want to eat it. And I regret it afterward, even if all I ate was a salad. But knowledge is power, and knowing is half the battle. Now, before I eat anything, I put real thought into the choice. Am I eating this because I'm a food addict, because I'm genuinely hungry, or because I'm bored?

Play: I've chosen kickboxing because it's fun! I love all the punching and kicking. It's a great way to feel powerful and strong. Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy...and happy people just don't eat their feelings in ice cream. So the lesson is to choose an exercise you enjoy. If it's fun, the time will fly. I absolutely never look at the clock when I'm at MKG because I'm having such a great time. I don't love the treadmill or running around the Loop. But my MP3 player has great music on it, and Broadway show soundtracks make anything fun!

Sweat: Because if you're not sweating, you're not working hard enough. Feel proud of the sweat. If your face isn't dripping, then step up your game. I have to tell myself that I'm stronger than I think I am. Today in class we had to count how many push-ups we could do in a minute. Military style, elbows under the shoulders, all the way to the floor...no girl-style push-ups allowed. I normally wuss out at 18 because my wrists start to hurt. Sounds pathetic, I know. Not today. Today I reminded myself that I'm strong, and that by being strong, I only get stronger, and I knocked out 30.


I'm definitely leaving my ego at the door from now on...it only makes me stronger.