Holy cow! I am so excited! I have the best workouts for you! I just returned from Georgia, where I kneeled at the feet of the 2-time national champion, Olympian, and many-time Olympic women’s coach Michael Cohen and feverishly took notes as he outlined a whole new weightlifting program designed specifically for ya’ll (in keeping with the southern spirit). He has so much energy and knows so much that I could hardly keep up. He was sweating and breathing hard as he demonstrated the workouts so we are in for a serious challenge! He doesn’t scare me though – we are going to get so good at these workouts that he will ask us all to be on the Olympic team. As a group maybe – sort of like water ballet – we can all be doing the lifts in unison and change the face of weightlifting forever. Funny image.

For now, write out each day of your nutrition plan for this week. Write out exactly what you are going to eat and when. Then follow it perfectly. You will be changing the way you feel about, look at, and use food. Whereas previously you may have used food for comfort, or because you were bored or stressed or simply for pleasure, you are going to switch entirely over to eating for health and performance for 12 weeks. Not forever – just 12 weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks you will look at food differently and believe me, you will enjoy it more than you did before. But you will be in control of it. Don’t think of this as changing the way you eat for months or years, but only for one week. Go one week at a time. Take each day seriously. Take each meal seriously. Each glass of water. Then cross off every day as you succeed in following the plan you have written. At the end of 6 perfect days you will feel so great! Do this with me!

Because of the switch in how you use food, you may find these first two weeks a challenge when you are faced with breaking old habits. A couple of tips I’ve learned over the years: 1. Take a warm or hot bath. Doesn’t matter what time of day it is – if you need food when it’s not in your plan to eat it – get in the tub. It gives you that warm comfort feeling and acts as a kind of time-out so you can make a more rational decision. 2. Drink Water. Lemon or ice water – just drink instead of eat to break the habit of putting food in your mouth. You’re not hungry – so be in control of what goes in your body. 3. Zinc Lozenges. Zinc is good for you but it also coats your mouth and throat and totally kills any food craving. Magic.

Be strong. One day at a time. You can do ANYTHING for one week. We are only focusing on this one week. See you very soon and I’ll be bringing a really fun and effective workout!

Debbie