Per usual, an absence on my end of things usually indicates that I have fallen off the wagon--not so fast! I'm happy to report that I have been consistent this past month and I am starting to see results.
When I last blogged, I talked about taking a hiatus from Jillian Michael's Body Revolution to do a rotation that combined her 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 workouts. My reasoning was that Phase 1 of Body Revolution seemed too easy for me and was simply not enough to increase my fitness level. I felt the transitioning between levels in both Shred and Ripped was more equipped to help someone go from A to B to C, etc, whereas the transitioning in Body Revolution felt like going from A to D to Z...I just didn't find it very tangible.
My schedule for the past 4 weeks looked something like this:
Week 1-30 Day Shred (level 1) x5, plus maybe a workout from Killer Buns & Thighs, Tonique Premier or some type of add on
Week 2- Ripped in 30 (level 1) x5, plus the occasional add-on workout
Week 3- Shred (level 2) x5, plus the occasional add-on workout
Week 4- Shred (level 3) x5, plus add-on
I am happy to report a loss of an inch on my waist, 5-7 lbs dropped (it fluctuates) and I am back to fitting in size 8 clothes again (down from a 10/12). I am also happy to report that to all the Jillian naysayers out there: her workouts work, plain and simple. Mind you, I have also kept my diet in check (counted calories, which I plan to talk about more later) and really upped my H2o intake (I have an addiction to sparkling water...again, more about that in another blog post). All these ingredients lead to the results I have been craving for a long time.
The really awesome part about being consistent with that rotation was seeing my fitness capacity increase. A lot. I have documented my downfalls from this past year, both from a fitness and personal perspective, and one thing I unfortunately lost was my body weight strength and the ability to do lots of push ups. As a woman, I am proud to boast that I can do toe push ups and have been able to do them since childhood. At my peak, I could pump out 50 consecutively and over 100 in rep sets...but at my lowest I could maybe do 10 before collapsing, completely out of breathe. Thanks to Jillian, I am on way to getting back to peak strength. Yay!
Because of these great strength gains, instead of continuing on with the next levels in Ripped in 30, I decided to start Phase 2 of Body Revolution...and man, what fun! So I am halfway through the first week of Phase 2 and it amazes me how much stronger, faster and more athletic I have become; however, that doesn't mean it isn't challenging for me. Thanks to my increase in strength gains, I was able to complete a reverse plank hold for 30 seconds, twice...but thanks to that cruel, insidious b*tch, Jillian Michaels, my triceps are f*cking sore as hell!
But jokes aside, it is nice to have the best of both worlds (again): the ability to be challenged, but also have the strength, stamina and endurance to push yourself through the challenge. Upon previewing the once-evil-and-impossibly-challenging Phase 3, it not longer seems as hard to me. In fact, I welcome it. Until then, however, I will enjoy the challenge Phase 2 presents to me for the month of December.
I am hoping before the year ends (or before that dreaded apocalypse), I will have enough time to blog about my diet and other things that have worked for me. It seems I found my "Aha!" moment and would love to share. I also want to segway into my fitness goals for 2013, as the beginning of next year seems more promising for me then the beginning of this year did. I'm all about the positivity, people!
Enjoy your weekend! Cheers!
When I last blogged, I talked about taking a hiatus from Jillian Michael's Body Revolution to do a rotation that combined her 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 workouts. My reasoning was that Phase 1 of Body Revolution seemed too easy for me and was simply not enough to increase my fitness level. I felt the transitioning between levels in both Shred and Ripped was more equipped to help someone go from A to B to C, etc, whereas the transitioning in Body Revolution felt like going from A to D to Z...I just didn't find it very tangible.
My schedule for the past 4 weeks looked something like this:
Week 1-30 Day Shred (level 1) x5, plus maybe a workout from Killer Buns & Thighs, Tonique Premier or some type of add on
Week 2- Ripped in 30 (level 1) x5, plus the occasional add-on workout
Week 3- Shred (level 2) x5, plus the occasional add-on workout
Week 4- Shred (level 3) x5, plus add-on
I am happy to report a loss of an inch on my waist, 5-7 lbs dropped (it fluctuates) and I am back to fitting in size 8 clothes again (down from a 10/12). I am also happy to report that to all the Jillian naysayers out there: her workouts work, plain and simple. Mind you, I have also kept my diet in check (counted calories, which I plan to talk about more later) and really upped my H2o intake (I have an addiction to sparkling water...again, more about that in another blog post). All these ingredients lead to the results I have been craving for a long time.
The really awesome part about being consistent with that rotation was seeing my fitness capacity increase. A lot. I have documented my downfalls from this past year, both from a fitness and personal perspective, and one thing I unfortunately lost was my body weight strength and the ability to do lots of push ups. As a woman, I am proud to boast that I can do toe push ups and have been able to do them since childhood. At my peak, I could pump out 50 consecutively and over 100 in rep sets...but at my lowest I could maybe do 10 before collapsing, completely out of breathe. Thanks to Jillian, I am on way to getting back to peak strength. Yay!
Because of these great strength gains, instead of continuing on with the next levels in Ripped in 30, I decided to start Phase 2 of Body Revolution...and man, what fun! So I am halfway through the first week of Phase 2 and it amazes me how much stronger, faster and more athletic I have become; however, that doesn't mean it isn't challenging for me. Thanks to my increase in strength gains, I was able to complete a reverse plank hold for 30 seconds, twice...but thanks to that cruel, insidious b*tch, Jillian Michaels, my triceps are f*cking sore as hell!
 | |||
| Just because we CAN do a reverse plank doesn't mean we SHOULD, Jillian! |
But jokes aside, it is nice to have the best of both worlds (again): the ability to be challenged, but also have the strength, stamina and endurance to push yourself through the challenge. Upon previewing the once-evil-and-impossibly-challenging Phase 3, it not longer seems as hard to me. In fact, I welcome it. Until then, however, I will enjoy the challenge Phase 2 presents to me for the month of December.
I am hoping before the year ends (or before that dreaded apocalypse), I will have enough time to blog about my diet and other things that have worked for me. It seems I found my "Aha!" moment and would love to share. I also want to segway into my fitness goals for 2013, as the beginning of next year seems more promising for me then the beginning of this year did. I'm all about the positivity, people!
Enjoy your weekend! Cheers!
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