You’re in the home straight of your program. If you’re reading this, then you’re still in the fight and I think it’s wonderful.
The strength of this program is also its downfall. You see, to remain engaged for 90 days is a mighty long time. This requires a kind of stickiness that only habits can impart. However, if you grasp that it is indeed all about habits, then you’re the guy or gal, who made this program work for themselves.
So, as we head into the penultimate week of the program, you have 2 choices. – Either you sign up for another round of the system re-set, or you head into the unknown, training wheels and all.
Quite honestly, I end one of these cycles and put myself onto the next cycle without much thought. I would invite you to do the same and focus on other areas that require your attention. If this is the case, then I highly recommend the “just rinse and repeat” approach!
I’m often sad when people get to the end of the program because I feel that we have walked a path together.
This being said, and with the knowledge that there are 2 more weeks to go, I would like to rift and give you a few instructions, tips, which would serve as guidelines for when you’re navigating the kitchen and gym without the benefit of regular instructions.
THE WEEK AHEAD
FLOW
In its bare essence, I would recommend that you become aware of the things that you do out of habit. These are the things that you don’t think about doing, but do anyways…
Observe yourself throughout the day and become mindful of your actions. There will be things that you do by now, which deserve a good ‘ol pat on the back and that’s great. There will be things that you do without thinking which don’t necessarily move you towards the overall picture that you had envisioned for yourself. Hhmmm… How do I deal with these? I have a habit section in my diary and when I address it in the mornings, I literally count the “unbroken string” days…. I have written my goals down every morning and every evening for the last 192 days. It’s an unbroken string that I am reluctant to break and it serves me well, because it grounds me, allows me to re-focus, and hit the ground running in the mornings. Try it out and you’ll be amazed at how becoming aware of your habits, can actually help.
FAST
Look, you don’t have to be super strict about the 16/8 intermittent Fasting regime, but there is a caveat. You should try to stick to the schedule that you have decided to follow. It takes about 30 days to shift your body clock by an hour. You’ve been doing the IF for 3 months now and your body is set in the best possible way. You’re operating at a higher, healthier level.
Now for the caveat. Every time you break the IF schedule that you set for yourself, you are winding the clock back by a week. This means that if you habitually eat at 1 pm and then on a Sunday, you don’t do the Fast, but eat at 9 am, then you’ll need about a month to get your body clock set back to the 13h00 feed. (1 hr every 30 days) – It’s not a train smash by any means, but it’s not optimal. – and this program is about setting you up to operate optimally.
FEAST
During this phase,
Protein = 1.5grms per lb of LBM on Workout Days
Protein = 1.25grms per lb of LBM on NON – Workout Days
Carbs = 1.0 grms per lb of LBM on Workout Days
Carbs = 0.5 grms per lb of LBM on NON – Workout Days
Fat = the balance of your caloric allowance.
This breakdown is the same as was published last week. – The reason for this is simple. If you’re heading for “auto-drive” then this is a good macro breakdown to stick to. You’re going heavy on protein and your body will respond well to resistance training. Stick to this split.
Eat enough carbs to burn them all up after a workout. The tank should be empty after a day. Re-fill the tank in the evenings. This will help with your sleep, and if you’re still practicing intermittent fasting, you will sleep better.
Eat your protein servings during daylight hours. This makes for better absorption.
FIGHT
If you’re a little older (40plus) you should be doing resistance training. If nothing else, this will slow down the wasting away of muscles, something which befalls most as father or mother time begins to gnaw away at us. Train heavy, and use cardio to increase the flame of your metabolism. Most importantly, don’t back down. Be consistent. Once you have some momentum, hold onto it as your life depends on it. The moment you stop, it’s going to take an extraordinary amount of energy to get the furnace fed again.
Have an awesome week. You’re literally in the home stretch now. Keep up the pace and set yourself up to finish strong.