Good morning, all! Happy Sunday.
Well, I'll just get down to it: I gained back 3.7 lbs this week.
Naturally, I'm not at all happy about this. I've worked my behind off (literally and figuratively) for the past 10 weeks, and when you put in as much work as I have, you never want to see the scale NOT go down, much less go back up. With that being said, this blog, and this process, are all about holding yourself accountable, and this week I messed up.
I did every workout and then some. I'm doing a fitness challenge at my good friend's gym with her that is three weeks long. I did that Monday and Tuesday on top of Workouts 9 and 10 of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. Naturally, this put my body under a lot of stress. Wednesday I had a jam-packed day and I could barely walk, so I took a rest day. Thursday I resumed with the workouts and doubled up on my workouts yesterday to make up for the lost day. This means that I did Workout 10 AND Cardio 3 on the same day in order to compensate. Clearly, the issue this week was not the workouts because I actually did MORE than I've been doing when all is said and done. The problem was that I still have issues with my diet.
I cheated a lot this week, and I didn't do the greatest job of tracking what I ate in Weight Watchers to gauge what I was consuming. This isn't to say that I pigged out on McDonalds, Chipotle and ice cream all week, but I drank a lot more alcohol, had a bunch of sushi with a friend Wednesday night, ate salty foods and drank a lot of soda. I didn't have great self control at all, and it shows by my weight gain. I also understand that me working out more means that I built more muscle this week, so I'm sure that contributed to the weight gain as well, but I can take responsibility for my poor diet choices this week and realize that if I'm going to see success through the remainder of this program, I have to watch my sodium intake and keep the cheating to a minimum.
With that being said, the one thing about this that I've really been struggling with is the self loathing I feel over gaining a few pounds back. I feel like it negates my hard work when it hasn't! I need to learn to stop being so hard on myself. My physical fitness level has improved tremendously, as has my endurance and physical appearance. I worry about how much I obsess over the number on the scale. So this week, I'm actually going to do what I said I'd do last week: put the scale away until next Sunday. I'm not taking it out under any circumstances, nor will I weigh myself again until next Sunday. Instead, I'm going to focus my energy this week on making better diet choices, continuing with my workouts and letting go of this week.
Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, people can lose twenty pounds in two weeks through a fad diet, but once they go back to normal eating habits they gain it back just as quickly. When you do things the healthy way, you're going to experience setbacks like this from time to time, and I have to learn to accept that and not want to cry every time I weigh myself and I'm half a pound heavier. I've been making positive changes, so I need to focus on my positive results. It's the only way I'll get through this and not give up right at the finish line.
I have three weeks left of this program, and it's time to finish strong! I know a lot of you who read this blog are people who are doing the program too, and I hope my honesty and accountability for my results inspires you to keep going, even if you experience setbacks! Learn to let go. That's what I've had to do this week.
Have a great week everyone! xx
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Week 9: Can You Believe?
Happy Sunday! I hope you're all having nicer weather than Chicago is. Who else is ready for spring? I honestly can't deal with this freezing cold much longer. It'd be nice to turn off the heat too ;).
This week was REALLY tough workout-wise. I moved in to Phase 3 of the program, which is the final phase. Here it the lowdown on the workouts.
Workout 9 is the first front of body workout for phase 3. It is inspired by a lot of power yoga moves and is INCREDIBLY tough on your quads and core. The first two circuits are totally brutal, and the cardio intervals involve a lot of plank (my favorite...NOT). With that being said, I do kind of love this workout despite how "evil" it is. I was dripping sweat by the end of it and felt like I really got stronger with every passing second. It also showed me how far I've come in terms of my fitness level since the beginning of the program. I could have NEVER gotten through a workout like this two months ago. It's empowering to know that I can do this workout. Sure, there are some moves I still struggle with, but that's going to be the case whenever you move up. You're not supposed to look like the fitness models in these videos. That's what you're ASPIRING to. Do you know how long those people have had to work out in order to be in that kind of shape? If you're doing this program and feeling discouraged because you don't think you can do it, remember that. The fitness models in these videos work out for a living, and it has taken them years to look like they do. The same is going to apply to me.
Workout 10 is the first back of body workout for phase 3. This one is KILLER on your legs and butt. It also involves a lot more jump training with weights and cardio intervals with weights. Once again, as difficult as this workout is, (I personally feel it's the hardest thus far), I do love it because I feel my legs getting exponentially stronger with each exercise and am dripping sweat by the end. I feel as though I've accomplished something and gotten a good workout in. Once again, I did struggle with some of the moves. There are a lot of balance moves in this workout that are incredibly difficult for people like me who struggle with that, but I'm confident that will improve with time as I continue to work out more.
Cardio 3 is the cardio workout for phase 3, and it's the cardio I'll be doing for the remainder of the program. This instantly became my favorite. It's definitely hard, but because there are 24 exercises per circuit, each lasting about 20 seconds, the workout is fast-paced and goes by really quickly. Once again, it's so empowering to see how far my conditioning and endurance has come. I did very well at the cardio DVD both times I did it this week, given that it was my first couple times. Sure, I had to stop for about 20 seconds the second time I did it, but compared to where I was a month ago, that's not so bad. I'm confident that by the end of this phase I'll be killing that workout and doing it without pause.
In terms of my diet this week, that was frustrating. I can definitely see that I'm making better food choices, and I did a really great job of sticking to the diet I'm on. What was frustrating this week was my body! It was holding on to water throughout the week and I'm chalking that up to not watching my sodium intake enough. I was getting bloated, and as a result when I'd weigh myself throughout the week I'd see that the scale wasn't moving. I really watched it the last two days and lo and behold I ended up being down about 3.3 pounds this week. I still ate my designated number of points for the day, but I didn't drink as much soda and was careful to eat more fresh veggies and fruits that weren't too high in sodium. Boom. Weight lost, ready to keep rolling.
Another lesson that I'm going to have to stick to: STOP WEIGHING MYSELF EVERY DAY. Your body goes through natural fluctuations throughout the week and compulsively weighing myself only creates more frustration. I'm going to stick to weighing myself Sunday mornings after I wake up and putting my scale out of sight for the rest of the week. That way I won't harp on it and obsess.
Ready to keep rolling on to week 10! I'm taking things up a notch this week. One of my friends asked me to do a fitness challenge with her at her gym, so I'll be doing this program in the mornings and the challenge in the evenings. It should be interesting...hope my body can handle it!
Until next week!
Sarah
This week was REALLY tough workout-wise. I moved in to Phase 3 of the program, which is the final phase. Here it the lowdown on the workouts.
Workout 9 is the first front of body workout for phase 3. It is inspired by a lot of power yoga moves and is INCREDIBLY tough on your quads and core. The first two circuits are totally brutal, and the cardio intervals involve a lot of plank (my favorite...NOT). With that being said, I do kind of love this workout despite how "evil" it is. I was dripping sweat by the end of it and felt like I really got stronger with every passing second. It also showed me how far I've come in terms of my fitness level since the beginning of the program. I could have NEVER gotten through a workout like this two months ago. It's empowering to know that I can do this workout. Sure, there are some moves I still struggle with, but that's going to be the case whenever you move up. You're not supposed to look like the fitness models in these videos. That's what you're ASPIRING to. Do you know how long those people have had to work out in order to be in that kind of shape? If you're doing this program and feeling discouraged because you don't think you can do it, remember that. The fitness models in these videos work out for a living, and it has taken them years to look like they do. The same is going to apply to me.
Workout 10 is the first back of body workout for phase 3. This one is KILLER on your legs and butt. It also involves a lot more jump training with weights and cardio intervals with weights. Once again, as difficult as this workout is, (I personally feel it's the hardest thus far), I do love it because I feel my legs getting exponentially stronger with each exercise and am dripping sweat by the end. I feel as though I've accomplished something and gotten a good workout in. Once again, I did struggle with some of the moves. There are a lot of balance moves in this workout that are incredibly difficult for people like me who struggle with that, but I'm confident that will improve with time as I continue to work out more.
Cardio 3 is the cardio workout for phase 3, and it's the cardio I'll be doing for the remainder of the program. This instantly became my favorite. It's definitely hard, but because there are 24 exercises per circuit, each lasting about 20 seconds, the workout is fast-paced and goes by really quickly. Once again, it's so empowering to see how far my conditioning and endurance has come. I did very well at the cardio DVD both times I did it this week, given that it was my first couple times. Sure, I had to stop for about 20 seconds the second time I did it, but compared to where I was a month ago, that's not so bad. I'm confident that by the end of this phase I'll be killing that workout and doing it without pause.
In terms of my diet this week, that was frustrating. I can definitely see that I'm making better food choices, and I did a really great job of sticking to the diet I'm on. What was frustrating this week was my body! It was holding on to water throughout the week and I'm chalking that up to not watching my sodium intake enough. I was getting bloated, and as a result when I'd weigh myself throughout the week I'd see that the scale wasn't moving. I really watched it the last two days and lo and behold I ended up being down about 3.3 pounds this week. I still ate my designated number of points for the day, but I didn't drink as much soda and was careful to eat more fresh veggies and fruits that weren't too high in sodium. Boom. Weight lost, ready to keep rolling.
Another lesson that I'm going to have to stick to: STOP WEIGHING MYSELF EVERY DAY. Your body goes through natural fluctuations throughout the week and compulsively weighing myself only creates more frustration. I'm going to stick to weighing myself Sunday mornings after I wake up and putting my scale out of sight for the rest of the week. That way I won't harp on it and obsess.
Ready to keep rolling on to week 10! I'm taking things up a notch this week. One of my friends asked me to do a fitness challenge with her at her gym, so I'll be doing this program in the mornings and the challenge in the evenings. It should be interesting...hope my body can handle it!
Until next week!
Sarah
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Week 8: Mind Over Matter
Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a kick-ass Sunday.
So...where to begin with this week? I'm completely done with Phase 2 of the Body Revolution program and move to Phase 3 on Monday. I can't believe I'm two months in already! In just five weeks I'll be done.
This week was a rough one for me with the workouts. I worked out every day, but I still felt myself really struggling to get through Workouts 7 and 8. I definitely have improved, but it's still not easy. I felt a sense of dread every day when I had to work out this week, and that hasn't been the case up until this point. I had a few things going on personally and emotionally too that had me in a down mood for a lot of the week, so that might have had something to do with it. All I know is Wednesday, when I did the cardio DVD, I felt as though I did it just as terribly as I did the first day. It was a little bit discouraging for me.
Somehow Friday I turned a corner. I think it's because I did something positive to get out of my head and stop stressing out over the things that were bothering me. I signed up for my first 5K! One of my most encouraging and supportive friends through this journey told me to join her team for a zombie apocalypse themed 5K. Basically people dressed as zombies chase you through an obstacle course, and there's a party afterward. I don't know about you, but I think that sounds like a blast. If anything is going to get me to move my butt, it's being chased by a pack of zombies, right? Anyway, my Friday and Saturday workouts went very well and I felt better about moving on to the next phase after I was done. I have to learn to channel anything negative I'm going through into my workouts and transform it into positive energy instead of letting it drag me down. Lesson learned: mind over matter. Always stay focused.
The diet went well overall. I was back on track and tried my best to be good after my cheat week last week. I did have a few beers this weekend, but I also had one of the most fun weekends I've had in awhile. It was nice to finally go out with some friends and have a more low key night after a few weekends of staying in then my birthday party, where I overdid it a little with the drinking.
Anyway, I lost another 2.5 pounds this week! It was great to see the momentum keep going. Here are my phase 2 results:
Total weight loss in phase 2: 8 pounds
Total weight loss since beginning of program: 13 pounds
Total weight loss since January: 22 pounds
I'm feeling great and looking better than I have in the past year. I'm hoping to continue this successful track record in Phase 3, but I must admit I am apprehensive after previewing these upcoming workouts. They look HARD. I'll just have to push through and make them happen.
Thank you all for your continued support. It really does mean the world to me to have so many people cheering me on. It's what keeps me going.
Have an amazing Sunday!
xo, Sarah
So...where to begin with this week? I'm completely done with Phase 2 of the Body Revolution program and move to Phase 3 on Monday. I can't believe I'm two months in already! In just five weeks I'll be done.
This week was a rough one for me with the workouts. I worked out every day, but I still felt myself really struggling to get through Workouts 7 and 8. I definitely have improved, but it's still not easy. I felt a sense of dread every day when I had to work out this week, and that hasn't been the case up until this point. I had a few things going on personally and emotionally too that had me in a down mood for a lot of the week, so that might have had something to do with it. All I know is Wednesday, when I did the cardio DVD, I felt as though I did it just as terribly as I did the first day. It was a little bit discouraging for me.
Somehow Friday I turned a corner. I think it's because I did something positive to get out of my head and stop stressing out over the things that were bothering me. I signed up for my first 5K! One of my most encouraging and supportive friends through this journey told me to join her team for a zombie apocalypse themed 5K. Basically people dressed as zombies chase you through an obstacle course, and there's a party afterward. I don't know about you, but I think that sounds like a blast. If anything is going to get me to move my butt, it's being chased by a pack of zombies, right? Anyway, my Friday and Saturday workouts went very well and I felt better about moving on to the next phase after I was done. I have to learn to channel anything negative I'm going through into my workouts and transform it into positive energy instead of letting it drag me down. Lesson learned: mind over matter. Always stay focused.
The diet went well overall. I was back on track and tried my best to be good after my cheat week last week. I did have a few beers this weekend, but I also had one of the most fun weekends I've had in awhile. It was nice to finally go out with some friends and have a more low key night after a few weekends of staying in then my birthday party, where I overdid it a little with the drinking.
Anyway, I lost another 2.5 pounds this week! It was great to see the momentum keep going. Here are my phase 2 results:
Total weight loss in phase 2: 8 pounds
Total weight loss since beginning of program: 13 pounds
Total weight loss since January: 22 pounds
I'm feeling great and looking better than I have in the past year. I'm hoping to continue this successful track record in Phase 3, but I must admit I am apprehensive after previewing these upcoming workouts. They look HARD. I'll just have to push through and make them happen.
Thank you all for your continued support. It really does mean the world to me to have so many people cheering me on. It's what keeps me going.
Have an amazing Sunday!
xo, Sarah
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Week 7: Celebrations and Perspective
Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic day with your friends and family.
Well, I did it. I'm over halfway in the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution program! Here's a short summary of what went down:
The workouts: Workouts 7 and 8 are INCREDIBLY tough. In Workout 7, almost the entire first circuit is in plank/push up position. After that first circuit, things do get slightly better, but by no means easier. This was a struggle, but it was also a reminder of how far I've come since I started this, both physically and mentally. I'm becoming better at fighting through the pain, and that's important. Workout 8 is the hardest back of the body workout to date, and the third circuit is really challenging. She also introduces cardio intervals in this workout that you do with weights, which always takes things up a notch. Again, I struggled, but instead of getting discouraged I reminded myself that I should be struggling. If it's easy, I'm not working hard enough or doing the exercises right. I look forward to this week because I'm confident I'll improve in both workouts! I've also improved at Cardio 2 immensely since the beginning of the month and have even started to look forward to doing it.
I also have to give myself props. I had my birthday party Friday night and STILL woke up Saturday morning and did my cardio video slightly hungover. Was some of it half-assed? Admittedly, yes. But what matters is I woke up and did it. Something is better than nothing.
The diet: Let's put this in perspective. My birthday, Passover AND Easter were all the same week. Needless to say, I ate what I wanted and used my daily Weight Watchers points, all of my cheat points, and all my activity points earned and just stopped obsessing over my diet for the week. I gave myself a break. A coworker put it well: I have to live. It was a holiday week and my birthday, and I should be able to cheat a bit and enjoy myself.
The results: So, I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain any either! Given that I stopped dieting for the week, I'll take that as a win. One thing I did notice was that even as I was cheating, I made better food choices than I would have a month and a half ago. This just goes to show that I'm not just going on some extreme fad diet or cleanse temporarily. I'm making a lifestyle shift for the better. Even at Easter brunch today I still had dessert and ate what I wanted, but I didn't make horrible food choices.
I really gained a lot of perspective on things this week, both personally and in my health. I posted a photo online of myself in my Syracuse jersey the day after they beat Indiana, (sidenote: FINAL FOUR. SO PROUD), and I got so many "likes" and encouraging comments saying how great I look and how skinny I'm becoming. This was so much more gratifying than any weight loss on the scale. People are noticing my hard work. It's paying off. I've also realized today that I need to stop harping on negativity and focus on the positive things in my life, so that's my goal for next week. Stop sweating the small stuff and start doing my own thing.
Thank you all for your support and positive comments! You all have made this journey so amazing for me so far and the support is what's been keeping me going through my rough days.
Until next week!
xo, Sarah
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Week 6: We're Halfway There
Well, here we are. I'm halfway through my Body Revolution journey, and I had an incredibly successful week!
To begin with, I lost 3.5 pounds this week! I was amazed. Yesterday I had a little bit of a rough day. I was feeling like I should be farther along than I am and like I wasn't seeing the changes that I wanted to. After talking to a few fantastic and supportive friends, I felt much better. I have to remember that weight loss isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. This program is a great way for me to start exercising more regularly and living a healthier lifestyle, but I'm not going to reach all my goals through this program alone. It's going to have to continue after I'm through with it. Seeing that 3.5 pound weight loss though really helped me and it's motivating me to start the second half of this program stronger than ever.
I stuck to my diet this week, too. I consumed all my daily Weight Watchers points and used some of my cheat points on Sunday. I've decided that if I'm going to cheat, my weigh-in days are the good days to do it because then I have the whole week to get back on track. This week, however, is my birthday so my cheat day is going to be Friday night when I celebrate. My birthday is on Tuesday, but I have to work that day and the celebration won't really be happening until the weekend, so I should be able to stick with it until then.
In terms of the workouts, I did incredibly well at workouts 5 and 6 this week. Some of the moves were still a bit of a struggle, but I modified when needed and feel that overall, I got some great workouts in this week. Cardio 2 is still a struggle for me, but I'm finally able to get through it without stopping. Now it's about picking up the pace so I can keep up with the athletes in the video.
I can't believe I've made it halfway. Honestly, I've never stuck to ANY diet or weight loss program for this long on a consistent, regular basis as I have this one. I'm so determined to prove to myself that I can be strong, carry on and do this. I'm incredibly proud of myself because I haven't missed a workout yet! I've made this a top priority in my life and it's really paying off. I feel better, have more energy and feel myself getting stronger.
What I've learned this week is not to doubt myself or my progress. I'm doing this the healthy way--by eating better and exercising regularly. This is a sustainable lifestyle change that I'm making, and I'm thrilled with it! I CAN do this and I WILL finish it, and eventually the results will speak for themselves.
I'm halfway through the program, and I have lost 10 pounds! Since I started dieting and exercising in January, I have lost 19 pounds. I'm anticipating a plateau for next week because it is my birthday and I already know I'm going to want to go out for dinner, eat what I want and have many cocktails, but I'm thrilled with the progress I've made so far and I look forward to making more.
Have a great week everyone! I'm on to workouts 7 and 8 this week. After previewing them, I'm a little scared, but I was scared of 5 and 6 too. I'll let you know how they go next post...
xo, Sarah
To begin with, I lost 3.5 pounds this week! I was amazed. Yesterday I had a little bit of a rough day. I was feeling like I should be farther along than I am and like I wasn't seeing the changes that I wanted to. After talking to a few fantastic and supportive friends, I felt much better. I have to remember that weight loss isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. This program is a great way for me to start exercising more regularly and living a healthier lifestyle, but I'm not going to reach all my goals through this program alone. It's going to have to continue after I'm through with it. Seeing that 3.5 pound weight loss though really helped me and it's motivating me to start the second half of this program stronger than ever.
I stuck to my diet this week, too. I consumed all my daily Weight Watchers points and used some of my cheat points on Sunday. I've decided that if I'm going to cheat, my weigh-in days are the good days to do it because then I have the whole week to get back on track. This week, however, is my birthday so my cheat day is going to be Friday night when I celebrate. My birthday is on Tuesday, but I have to work that day and the celebration won't really be happening until the weekend, so I should be able to stick with it until then.
In terms of the workouts, I did incredibly well at workouts 5 and 6 this week. Some of the moves were still a bit of a struggle, but I modified when needed and feel that overall, I got some great workouts in this week. Cardio 2 is still a struggle for me, but I'm finally able to get through it without stopping. Now it's about picking up the pace so I can keep up with the athletes in the video.
I can't believe I've made it halfway. Honestly, I've never stuck to ANY diet or weight loss program for this long on a consistent, regular basis as I have this one. I'm so determined to prove to myself that I can be strong, carry on and do this. I'm incredibly proud of myself because I haven't missed a workout yet! I've made this a top priority in my life and it's really paying off. I feel better, have more energy and feel myself getting stronger.
What I've learned this week is not to doubt myself or my progress. I'm doing this the healthy way--by eating better and exercising regularly. This is a sustainable lifestyle change that I'm making, and I'm thrilled with it! I CAN do this and I WILL finish it, and eventually the results will speak for themselves.
I'm halfway through the program, and I have lost 10 pounds! Since I started dieting and exercising in January, I have lost 19 pounds. I'm anticipating a plateau for next week because it is my birthday and I already know I'm going to want to go out for dinner, eat what I want and have many cocktails, but I'm thrilled with the progress I've made so far and I look forward to making more.
Have a great week everyone! I'm on to workouts 7 and 8 this week. After previewing them, I'm a little scared, but I was scared of 5 and 6 too. I'll let you know how they go next post...
xo, Sarah
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Week 5-Building Some Momentum
Good morning! I hope you're all having a fantastic Sunday.
I can't believe I'm another week down! This one seemed to fly by. It seems the further along I get in this process the faster it goes. Next week, I'll be halfway done!
This week was a transition week for me, both for this program AND in my professional life. I began a new job, which was incredibly exciting, as well as entered Phase 2 of the program. My first week at my new job went very well, and my first week in Phase 2 went MUCH better than I was expecting, but it wasn't without its challenges.
The strength workouts for weeks 5 and 6 are much harder than they were in weeks 3 and 4. There's a lot more plyometric training involved, which is just another word for jump training. Workout 5 is known by the people who do Body Revolution for being tough, and they're right. It is. It is, however, doable. This one almost brought me to tears Wednesday. In weeks 5 and 6 Jillian introduces "supersets", which are circuits that hammer away at the same muscle groups over and over. So instead of doing triceps, then quads, then shoulders in the same circuit, each exercise will hammer away at the same muscles throughout the circuit, even in the cardio intervals interspersed halfway through each circuit. This means that when your quads are on fire after doing jump squats, they'll hurt even more when you go in to a deep lunge and start doing tricep pulses. It definitely sucks, but I also know that it'll be effective. I can already see a change in my physique this week.
Workout 6 is slightly less painful than 5, but it involves a lot more balancing and several sets of single leg squats. For tall people like me, those are miserable! There are supersets targeting the back of the body in this workout, and there's one circuit where Jillian just hammers at your abs. I'm thankful for that because my stomach has always been my biggest problem area and this will help shred it. Overall, I love Workout 6! It's tough, and the cardio intervals are a bit more high-impact than what I'm used to, but it's fun! The one thing I wish she'd eliminate from it is the Running Man. I was hoping to see that one put to bed after Cardio 1 and was NOT happy when it popped up again. Oh well. Only two more times of doing it.
Cardio 2 is a LOT harder than Cardio 1. The exercises are much more high-impact and you have less "rest time." The first time through I literally thought I was going to die I was so exhausted, but the second time yesterday went much better. It is a fun DVD, it's just a lot more jumping around. Overall, I really like the workout. It pushes me and it'll be great for building up my conditioning. If I can get through this one without pausing the DVD even once, I'll be thrilled!
I stuck with Weight Watchers for my diet this week and saw ANOTHER loss! I lost 1.5 pounds this week, which is a great way to start phase 2. Even more exciting is the fact that I went shopping with my Mom for my birthday gifts yesterday and was able to buy clothes that I KNOW I wouldn't have been able to fit into a month ago. My legs are more toned my arms are skinnier, and my waist is shrinking. It's such an amazing feeling, and it's the motivation I need to keep going throughout this process.
As always, thanks to all of you who have been reading this. Some people think it's weird or awkward that I'm sharing my journey this way, but I think it's a great way to hold myself accountable for finishing this and sticking to my plan that I made for myself. If I need to post a blog each week and discuss my results, then I'll want to have POSITIVE results to share!
Until next week! xo Sarah
I can't believe I'm another week down! This one seemed to fly by. It seems the further along I get in this process the faster it goes. Next week, I'll be halfway done!
This week was a transition week for me, both for this program AND in my professional life. I began a new job, which was incredibly exciting, as well as entered Phase 2 of the program. My first week at my new job went very well, and my first week in Phase 2 went MUCH better than I was expecting, but it wasn't without its challenges.
The strength workouts for weeks 5 and 6 are much harder than they were in weeks 3 and 4. There's a lot more plyometric training involved, which is just another word for jump training. Workout 5 is known by the people who do Body Revolution for being tough, and they're right. It is. It is, however, doable. This one almost brought me to tears Wednesday. In weeks 5 and 6 Jillian introduces "supersets", which are circuits that hammer away at the same muscle groups over and over. So instead of doing triceps, then quads, then shoulders in the same circuit, each exercise will hammer away at the same muscles throughout the circuit, even in the cardio intervals interspersed halfway through each circuit. This means that when your quads are on fire after doing jump squats, they'll hurt even more when you go in to a deep lunge and start doing tricep pulses. It definitely sucks, but I also know that it'll be effective. I can already see a change in my physique this week.
Workout 6 is slightly less painful than 5, but it involves a lot more balancing and several sets of single leg squats. For tall people like me, those are miserable! There are supersets targeting the back of the body in this workout, and there's one circuit where Jillian just hammers at your abs. I'm thankful for that because my stomach has always been my biggest problem area and this will help shred it. Overall, I love Workout 6! It's tough, and the cardio intervals are a bit more high-impact than what I'm used to, but it's fun! The one thing I wish she'd eliminate from it is the Running Man. I was hoping to see that one put to bed after Cardio 1 and was NOT happy when it popped up again. Oh well. Only two more times of doing it.
Cardio 2 is a LOT harder than Cardio 1. The exercises are much more high-impact and you have less "rest time." The first time through I literally thought I was going to die I was so exhausted, but the second time yesterday went much better. It is a fun DVD, it's just a lot more jumping around. Overall, I really like the workout. It pushes me and it'll be great for building up my conditioning. If I can get through this one without pausing the DVD even once, I'll be thrilled!
I stuck with Weight Watchers for my diet this week and saw ANOTHER loss! I lost 1.5 pounds this week, which is a great way to start phase 2. Even more exciting is the fact that I went shopping with my Mom for my birthday gifts yesterday and was able to buy clothes that I KNOW I wouldn't have been able to fit into a month ago. My legs are more toned my arms are skinnier, and my waist is shrinking. It's such an amazing feeling, and it's the motivation I need to keep going throughout this process.
As always, thanks to all of you who have been reading this. Some people think it's weird or awkward that I'm sharing my journey this way, but I think it's a great way to hold myself accountable for finishing this and sticking to my plan that I made for myself. If I need to post a blog each week and discuss my results, then I'll want to have POSITIVE results to share!
Until next week! xo Sarah
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Week 4-Finding What Works For Me
Good morning! Welcome to that Sunday where everyone loses an hour of their day. This is always one of my least favorite days of the year. It's so disorienting, don't you think?
This week marked my last week of Phase 1. I ended up switching back to my Weight Watchers PointsPlus system for my diet. It's just easier for me to keep track of what I eat this way. It also allows me to eat the amount of calories I want to eat for each meal. Having to calculate exact calorie breakdowns for each meal just got way too annoying. Overall, I just feel that Weight Watchers is a more sustainable diet plan. Some of Jillian's recipes are delicous, and I will certainly include them in my diet, but I found myself obsessing over what I was eating when I was following her meal plan and, quite frankly, I have one life to live here. I should be able to live my life day to day without harping on whether or not I ate around 400 calories for lunch. It's much easier for me to calculate points and allot for meals out, cheat points, etc.
The workouts were also interesting this week. Workout 3 was such a struggle for me on Monday, but I managed to kick ass at it on Thursday, the last time I was to do that workout. Sure there are still a few moves I struggle with, but everyone has those. I was debating whether or not to move up but was given advice to do so, and I'll be beginning Phase 2 tomorrow. I've heard awful things about Workout 5, namely that it's one of the hardest in the program, but I'll just keep in mind that I'll only have to do it 4 times and then I'm done. I did really well at Workout 4 this week and I'll be sad to see it go, along with Cardio 1. I grew to love doing this cardio workout over the 1st month, but it's time to move on to something harder. I won't be sorry to say goodbye to the Running Man exercise though. I'd rather Jillian have just given us an extra minute of suicides! ;)
This week, I FINALLY saw a loss again! Looks like switching up my diet a bit paid off. I lost three more pounds, making my Phase 1 results:
Weight Loss: 5 pounds
Inches Lost: About 10
I took more pictures today to see the progress from the beginning to Phase 1, and I could see a difference in my physique! I've heard Phase 2 kicks up the volume on the body transformation and weight loss, so I'm excited. I'll be looking to lose more than 5 pounds next month, but hey, that makes about 14 pounds since January when I started dieting. I'll take it!
Encouraging words always welcome! I struggle sometimes with bad days or insecurities and you guys are the ones who help me through. Thanks again!
xo, Sarah
This week marked my last week of Phase 1. I ended up switching back to my Weight Watchers PointsPlus system for my diet. It's just easier for me to keep track of what I eat this way. It also allows me to eat the amount of calories I want to eat for each meal. Having to calculate exact calorie breakdowns for each meal just got way too annoying. Overall, I just feel that Weight Watchers is a more sustainable diet plan. Some of Jillian's recipes are delicous, and I will certainly include them in my diet, but I found myself obsessing over what I was eating when I was following her meal plan and, quite frankly, I have one life to live here. I should be able to live my life day to day without harping on whether or not I ate around 400 calories for lunch. It's much easier for me to calculate points and allot for meals out, cheat points, etc.
The workouts were also interesting this week. Workout 3 was such a struggle for me on Monday, but I managed to kick ass at it on Thursday, the last time I was to do that workout. Sure there are still a few moves I struggle with, but everyone has those. I was debating whether or not to move up but was given advice to do so, and I'll be beginning Phase 2 tomorrow. I've heard awful things about Workout 5, namely that it's one of the hardest in the program, but I'll just keep in mind that I'll only have to do it 4 times and then I'm done. I did really well at Workout 4 this week and I'll be sad to see it go, along with Cardio 1. I grew to love doing this cardio workout over the 1st month, but it's time to move on to something harder. I won't be sorry to say goodbye to the Running Man exercise though. I'd rather Jillian have just given us an extra minute of suicides! ;)
This week, I FINALLY saw a loss again! Looks like switching up my diet a bit paid off. I lost three more pounds, making my Phase 1 results:
Weight Loss: 5 pounds
Inches Lost: About 10
I took more pictures today to see the progress from the beginning to Phase 1, and I could see a difference in my physique! I've heard Phase 2 kicks up the volume on the body transformation and weight loss, so I'm excited. I'll be looking to lose more than 5 pounds next month, but hey, that makes about 14 pounds since January when I started dieting. I'll take it!
Encouraging words always welcome! I struggle sometimes with bad days or insecurities and you guys are the ones who help me through. Thanks again!
xo, Sarah
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