MORE ON Buffing- “the first half of the month”- Sweet happiness –2 weeks…
Mindset
-Hit it hard –shoot for overall weight loss (chances are you are motivated and post boosting phase so you have lots of strength and energy)
-Return to a lower caloric intake- rapid weight loss level- 10x’s your goal weight is about right
-Be relentless in your workouts, hit them hard and intense
Basically- we all know that during the first half of the month our motivation are high, we are typically much more happy, focused, and often times more driven- feel thin, energized, fti, satisfied, etc…-this is when we often start new programs, shoot for higher goals and feel good about ourselves…AND knowing that it is our hormones triggering these positive thoughts and feelings, will allow us to capitalize even more on this happy time of the month–
SO! it is like very smart to push ourselves and plan to workout a ton and diet hard—your body will respond amazingly and you will see huge progress made during your buffing phase…During buffing we typically do what we planned and that is so gratifying and creates huge success.
HORMONAL TIMING takes this into account–you need plan on making progress during these 2 weeks…give it your all and expect to see results in all the ways you measure success.
NOW physically there is a ton of cool and not so cool things going on in our bodies during this time.
#1- your body is in a “catabolic” (breakdown) mode–you have less hormones in your system including estrogen, progesterone, and TESTOSTERONE….so we need to be aware of this and do what we can to protect our body from breaking down too much…HOW?
This is part of why we have less trouble than controlling our diets during PMS–our body doesn’t have any reason to preserve–so we see weight loss- HT uses this fact to your advantage—but, we don’t want to lose all the muscle we built during our boosting or get sick from a reduces immune function—so that’s why you need supplements.
Also it is mentally it is easier to do “cardio” during this phase so up the frequency of your cardio/interval workouts…maybe try a different workout split…think buffing your body—when you buff your car it takes a lot of movement and perfecting type moves…get the same attitude towards your workouts!
#2- Your body needs a caloric deficit to lose weight. Your metabolism is cranked up after your boosting phase and will respond to the quick cut in calories once you start buffing. Studies have shown that in just 2 weeks our body adjust and adapt to its caloric intake and activity level—so be focused and get all the weight loss you can in 2 weeks.
#3- Buffing has to have a strong MENTAL focus on the “perfect” diet and workout routine—you need to take time every day to plan your attack in order to keep your focus high . You need to have a couple more servings of green veggies, cutting your carbohydrate intake to the minimum. Keep in mind that this is just for 2 weeks and you can do anything for 2 weeks.
#4 Buffing is NOT a license to starve yourself—you still need to keep your protein levels high and be very smart to eat only nutrient dense foods tabs on yourself
You also need to make sure to keep fueling your workouts properly. You will not have good workouts if you are always in a fasted state. There are many advantages to doing cardio in a fasted state…and/or extending your fast during this phase.
#5 One final interesting finding is that during the second week of the month you will typically ovulate—this may be like a little mini pms time for you 1-3 days of lackluster performance and possible water weight gain. Be staunch through this and you will have 3-4 more good buffing days after it.
Happy Buffing~
Michelle
p.s. if you missed last week’s coaching on Boosting– check it out here~
http://buffmother.com/6716/lets-talk-about-hormones