What is Prep week, and is it really so important?
Fitness Prep week is just how it sounds. It is a week where you prepare to become a healthier you. Whether that is by diet, exercise, or both.
I cannot tell you how many times I have splurged on weekend cake (that’s a thing, right?) and I told myself “It’s okay, because my diet starts on Monday.”
Well, Monday shows up, and I don’t have the healthy food that will get me through breakfast, much less the whole day. So I “intermittent fast” (which can work, check it out here. But only if you plan well) till I can get to the store. But by then, I have to stop at a fast food place to grab lunch, because I am shaky and I’ve been “dieting” for 5 hours already!
Having a plan is not enough. You must prepare for the healthy lifestyle goal you want.
Jumping in without preperation, is a quick way to mess up and give up.
Let me give you an example of a Fitness Prep Week.
My sister Chae-lo started this 6 week fitness course called “FastER way to fat-loss”. She was really excited. She has a big day coming up soon, and wants to look her best.
So she signed up, then found out that the first week (it’s really 7 weeks) is only prep week. At first she complained that the assignments were too easy, and wondering when were they going to have her do stuff to lose weight?
But the second day, she was assigned to figure out her Macros. “My what?” She called me almost in tears, already wanting to quit, because it seemed too difficult.
If she was already supposed to be dieting and exercising while trying to figure out what she should and shouldn’t eat, it would have been all over.
She figured it out and was all set and confident to start her fitness journey come the next Monday because they had insisted on a prep week.
By the way. She LOVES it! She is a couple of weeks into it, and can already see a difference. Follow her on instagram while she goes through the program, or sign up yourself if you are looking for something that will push you to be better! http:// https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/#chaelo
3 things to prepare before starting a diet or fitness plan.
1. Write out your Fitness Plan.
You don’t necessarily have to do a paid course like Faster Way To Fat-Loss to have a fitness plan. But getting a free one will mean a little more preparation and research on your part.
Make a list of all of your excuses that you use, and write out how you will overcome them.
For instance. “I don’t have time to work out” Answer: set your alarm 30 minutes early. Or exercise while watching tv. Or buy the gym membership that is by your work and stop there before heading home.
For dieting it might be “But I hate eggs” Answer: I will eat these low carb german pancakes in the morning with sugar-free maple syrup.
There is an answer to every excuse, but since the excuses are yours, YOU have to be the one to give the answers that will truly overcome the excuses.
Once you do this, your fitness plan will be pretty much spelled out for you. “when/where/how to exercise, what to eat for breakfast, etc.”
2. Go Shopping.
there will always be some sort of shopping it seems like, for any lifestyle change.
Some things may be better to buy online, so make sure you buy those a few days before.
And shopping at the store is a must beforehand! (If you choose to do keto. you can check out my one week shopping list here).
Also, it is a really good idea to have at least one practice meal in the prep week, and one practice workout, to get a good idea of what is ahead.
3. Have a Commitment Buddy and Reward System set up.
Maybe this is part of section one, because it stops mid-plan excuses. When you are tempted to drive past your gym instead of going in, you will keep your workout date because you have a workout buddy, or a sister who will ask you about today, and was instructed not to allow excuses.
Set a time period on your calendar.
You may think “I want to eat this way, and exercise every day for ever” Which is fine. But when it doesn’t have a time limit, it’s easier to make excuses. because there is always “tomorrow”.
At tryitsisters, we like 2 weeks for strict diets. But to be honest, you need at least 6 weeks for a successful round of fitness.
Then have a reward system for the end of ‘six weeks’ with your commitment buddy.
This reward system may be something that is happening anyways, like a friend’s wedding you wanted to buy a new dress for, or a family vacation to Orlando. Or it can be something you made up. Like a girl’s weekend or spa day to celebrate. Whatever it is, put it on your calendar and make it happen.
Now you are prepared with how to accomplish your goal, with all the tools (food) to attain that goal, and a clear way of finishing strong!
By the way, this is what my sister wrote about her fitness prep week, in case you need some more inspiration!
“Last Monday I started a 6 week program called Faster Way to FAT Loss. I was excited and nervous.
There were a couple things that right off the bat impressed me. The first link I got was to their “prep week” page. On this page was outlined each day of the next 7 days
That’s right, SEVEN.
I had a simple task to do each day and it was all given to me on the website and in a private facebook group.
Things like measuring and weighing myself with before pictures, reading the program outline, trying to fast for 16 hours, and trying one of the work outs.
Day one was not overwhelming, in fact, I got really excited about whatever this was that was coming.
Day two though… we had to calculate our Macro Nutrients (does anybody really know what that means?!) and make sure on certain days we were eating the correct nutrients.
Well, I was so confused and so frustrated that I texted my sister and told her I was about to throw my phone through a window! The next morning I took some time and figured it out, and then I made a google spread sheet and BAM! All of the sudden I understood and LOVED what I was doing.
Each day took me step by step, easing me in to a program that I was actually ready to start on Monday.
So Monday, I started. Meal prepped, Macro grams planned, and lots of excitement.
This is an incredible part of the Faster Way to FAT Loss program! They give you one week to figure everything out, get organized, do your shopping, mentally prepare, and then you STILL get 6 weeks after that to succeed in the program!
How many of us have started a program and only figured out how to do it towards the end?
That’s what helped me succeed this week! I think it boils down to the Seven Habits step, Begin with the End in Mind. If you know where you’re going then you can actually get there.“
