My Nutrition Plan for the Next 4 Weeks - Bulking and Cutting?

Hello again!

I have been sharing with you some of my own workouts, along with some recipes, but I want to actually take you through a full day of what I eat! I will be sharing those through out the next four weeks especially, as I am going through two different phases of caloric intake! I am going to give bulking another try! But only for a short period of 2 weeks, so I would not count this as a full on "bulk" per se, but my calories will be slightly increased to help my efforts to put on some muscle!

The reason it is so short, is because my school is having a banquet in about four weeks, and I don't want to be carrying any extra fluff! There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a little extra body fat, especially especially when trying to bulk and gain muscle, but me personally I want to look my best on this special night! I also want to see how my body responds to bulking for two weeks, then cutting for two weeks. I have read about some men doing what they call "micro bulking," however as a female my body will respond differently so I am excited to see what happens!!

After the two weeks of bulking (which I have already/just started), I will cut for two weeks, right until the day of the banquet! I have increased my caloric intake by only 100 calories so I don't gain excess body fat. As for the second two weeks when I am in a caloric deficit, I will probably shoot for around 1500 calories per day- I have not decided yet, as my exercise each day varies.

Anyways, I want to take you guys through this journey! Like I mentioned earlier, I want to show you an honest full day of eating- one to keep me accountable, and also give a little more information as to what exactly I put in my body! I want to be totally honest with you guys, but be warned: somedays I really go off track. Today for instance, I was bored and just started eating ice cream out of the container... (which is such a big no-no in my book, at least put it in a bowl so you know how much you're eating!).While it is okay to have treats every now and then, you really need to be consistent with a good diet to reach your goals! I know I am not the person who should be preaching about this, because I mess this up so often. But I want to encourage you to really pay attention to your nutrition and what you put in your body! I am just another person, coming alongside you, to encourage to watch what you eat. It is so important, and I have gotten better about it, but still have my downfalls!

So that's basically all for my updated nutrition plan for the next month! My workout split will stay the same (marathon training and 5 days of weight lifting), and I will continue to share those workouts!

Oh and a little marathon training update! This past weekend I broke into the double digits!! The last two weekends I missed my long run days, and I thought I was going to be way behind! But my dad and I survived the whole ten miles!

Overall, I am really happy with how well my body has been responding to this workout split! My body has adapted to the higher mileage, and I have gained some serious muscle and definition from making sure I am lifting HEAVY consistently!!

For anyone who is starting their fitness journey, or wants to rework how they do it, I highly encourage two forms of training: Cardio AND Resistance Training. This can be walking and pilates, or it can be riding bikes and Cross Fit; it can be running and weightlifting, or it can be HIIT and training with Resistance Bands. Both forms of exercise are SO important because resistance training strengthens your muscles and cardio strengthens your heart (which is also a muscle), to make it brief. Having a strong heart and able muscles are essentially the two main keys to keeping your body physically fit! Flexibility, mobility, and endurance are also important!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some full day of eating's coming soon!
Hannah