EDITOR’S NOTE: Josh Messersmith has been selected to participate in the Year of You, a fitness challenge hosted by The Manteca Bulletin, CalFit Manteca and CORE Athletic Performance. Messersmith is keeping a weekly journal, highlighting the strides and struggles of his fitness journey. These are his thoughts and feelings shared with you.

Day 1 

After getting all the groceries I needed with Robert, it was time to begin meal prepping. I started my day off with a healthy breakfast of eggs and prepared my snacks and lunch for work with chicken and veggies. After work, I went to the gym and began to warm up for my workout. After I finished weight lifting, I wrapped up my workout with as much cardio as I could do on the treadmill, since my ankle is still hurting and it was difficult to complete. 

Day 2 

Similar to Day 1, I woke up early in the morning and prepared my meals for the day. After work, I followed the same routine and finished my workout with cardio, improving on the previous day.

Day 3 

I started my day off with my workout. It was the dreaded “leg day.” It was the hardest workout I had for the week, but I got through it and did some cardio and abs along with it. After the workout, I prepared each meal for the rest of the day, full of all the macro nutrients I needed.

Day 4 

I woke up and started my day by making breakfast. I made some protein pancakes along with eggs. I followed that up with chicken and veggies for the rest of my day’s meals. I worked out later that afternoon, and prepared meals for the next four days after I was done with my workout. 

Day 5-7

Now I put these days together because they were all very similar. I did not get any gym time in these three days for I had to work 16 hours each day. I had meals prepared and packed full of ground turkey, chicken, broccoli, asparagus and quinoa. I also had snacks, such as apples, granola, and Greek yogurt. I stuck to this new healthy eating lifestyle for one week and this is only the beginning of my journey.