It’s time for a new round of HEALTHY LIVING. (cue game show intro music!)

It’s been a rough year for me health-wise, and all of the good strides I made last summer died in the exhaustion of a 3-month bout of shingles. Then there were the sinus infections. Followed by the flu. Basically, it sucked, and I was too tired to do the things that I needed to do to maintain.

But the time for excuses is OVER. And since I’m posting here (for the 3 people who read this blog), I am forcing myself to be accountable in cyberspace.

So here’s the plan:

Dump Extraneous Stress! DONE!

I had to put my MBA aside and push back on a bunch of other projects. And you know what? I am SO much happier. Go figure.

Exercise!

I am doing a slightly modified Insanity program. It’s one of my favorite Beachbody workouts and the only workout where I have seen results from day one. I’m mixing it in with my new all-time favorite, Les Mills Combat, because those workouts fire me up. And Dan Cohen is one funny and strong dude.

Eating Right!

This has always been my downfall. I can give you every excuse, but now, it’s gonna be different. Why? Because I FINALLY HAVE A PARTNER IN THE HOUSE: My husband Mike. It’s so hard when you are trying to eat right and your well-meaning spouse says “Let’s get Mexican. Don’t worry, I won’t force you to eat …”

We are following a specific eating plan, but I’m not going to endorse it or talk about it here until I am past week one. But let’s say this: It’s low-carb, low-cal and high energy. And EASY and PORTABLE. Portability is HUGE for me, especially since I have trips to Hawaii (work-related), Louisiana, San Francisco, Seattle and Canada in the next two months. My eventual plan is to go paleo, and this will put me on the right track. (And paleo no-travel-well-eo)

Last summer, I had great success with the Ultimate Reset. But it’s impossible to take on the road. But if you love to cook and will be home for 21 days straight, give it a shot.

So here we go!

Day One Stats:

• Weight: 152.2 (I am 5-foot-6)
• Favorite summer shorts: Can’t get up over hips
• Dress pants: Fasten. Barely. And in a very unflattering manner.

Goals:

• Fit comfortably into all summer shorts!
• Get back to last summer’s weight with muscle tone
• Feel good in my skin
• Have visible abs (total life-time goal here)