T25 Take 2, Day 1

Let’s start with yesterday: Measurements and scale. Ack! The scale wasn’t actually as bad as I imagined, but the measurements were worse. And this, my friends, is why the scale doesn’t tell the whole story.

This morning I took “before” pictures… I will show those only alongside the “after” ones in a few months. Bleck. I’d rather not show them at all. Ever. But, this is the price of not working out and eating like garbage. It really didn’t help to have the Halloween season fall during the “not working out” season.

As much as I was dreading it, waking to the alarm this morning to a silent house was refreshing. And everyone was still tucked in their beds with their bedroom doors closed when I finished my workout. I really couldn’t have asked for a better morning to get back to routine.

I am SO GLAD that I decided to restart this program. The first Alpha workout did me in. I stopped to catch my breath several times and was pretty happy that I never felt the urge to puke. I’m ready to feel the sore muscles tomorrow!

And I’m really really ready to see changes.

Let's get Real. Real real.

Humanity. I’ve fallen. Off the blog. Off the working out. Fallen hard.

I had one week left of T25. I loved the program. I plan on loving it again. I was feeling great and seeing improvement. Then I got a head cold. And the kids stopped sleeping good at night. And my back hurt from yard work. And then over a month passed without a workout.

And then I was tired all the time. And pants became too tight. And I grew apathetic.

Now I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of the two pairs of pants I can comfortably wear. I’m tired of excuses.

Monday morning I begin T25 again. I don’t know that I can call it “round two.”  I think I’ll call it “redo.” Only this time I’ll finish. This is the first time I’ve stopped a program before finishing. I’ve had hiccups in programs before, but I always pushed through. I don’t like how quitting feels.

And as if I need more motivation, I’ll be taking “before” pictures and measurements over the weekend. I know I’m not going to like what I see. I want to change it.

Will you join me? Start a program of your own. Dedicate yourself to something bigger than yourself.

Alpha Phase Complete

T25 is broken into two phases, much like the other Beachbody workouts. Only, Shaun T names them: Alpha and Beta.

Friday completed the Alpha phase of T25. Unfortunately I was sick for the beginning of the last week, so I didn't push the final five workouts as much as I'd have liked to. I completed them, but can't say that I "nailed it."

I'm excited for the Beta phase. I'm up for the challenge and excited to see improvements... as well has just how much sweat I can produce in a mere 25 minutes. So far it's been a pretty impressive amount and I expect it to increase.

Now if I can get back to any sort of "healthy eating" I can start seeing some results!

Focus T25

Only on day 2 of this adventure and already blogging!

I'm excited to see how this goes. So far I love the 25 minute workouts. Nice to be done that quickly. Not to say that it's easy. Both days I've been amazed at how much sweat is dripping when I'm done.

I enjoy Shaun T as an instructor, so that's a bonus. I also enjoyed how today's workout incorporated crazy amounts of cardio (the workout is called Speed 1.0) with 30 second increments of balance/stretching. It's hard to balance after going all out!

LesMills Combat - DONE!!

I loved this workout! The punching. The kicking. And especially the HITT (high intensity interval training). Being a 60 day program there was less variety than some of the longer workouts, but the HIIT workouts were vastly different from the more combat style workouts and that added a feeling of variety.

The instructors used a lot of catch phrases and clichés. So, much so that my husband said that he liked to think about them brainstorming phrases and betting who could say the most. That being said, most of them were pretty encouraging. There's a reason the clichés exist.

I also have to give props to Rach, as my favorite female instructor with Beachbody. No overly enthusiastic "fitness instructor I'd hate at a gym" vibes from her. That was appreciated. This was also tied to my happiness of not having to string together moves or exhibit coordination.

Results weren't as good as I'd hoped for. But with the shoulder problem (see previous blog) I did a decent amount of modifying. Hard to work the arms when certain punches hurt and push ups are impossible. Partially due to the shoulder frustrations I let myself find comfort in poor eating habits I had previously eliminated. So, I'm happy to come out of the 60 days as well as I did.

Next up Focus T25. Looking forward to only working out 25 mins a day for 5 days a week. Also looking forward to trying the 5 ingredient recipes. Hooray for a workout designed for busy people who still want results!

Every time I try to upload my picture the internet stops working, so apparently I'm not meant to share it.

LesMills Combat

Holy cow! I'm on Day 58 of this journey and realize that I haven't blogged once. Whoops!

Sadly, this journey is reminding me a little of the P90X "ineffective" time when I ate like a pig and managed to gain weight. It hasn't been that bad, but it hasn't been the overwhelming success it could have been. Let's face it, the food we eat is a daily choice and one that is easy to stumble on. And once one stumbles it's easy to slide and tumble.

My other stumbling block has been my shoulder. It's been bothering me for months. I was near the point of seeing a doctor when I took 3 weeks off of working out to do the Ultimate Reset. I reasoned that 3 weeks without working out would heal me. It did not. In hindsight, choosing to do Combat with a sore shoulder was not the best choice. But, I knew I couldn't do P90X2 (my favorite) with all of its push-ups and balance. And I wanted to try something new. I broke down and saw a specialist for my shoulder last week and learned that it's my rotator cuff, as I suspected. They gave me a shot and told me to only do lower body for 2 days. Now I'm back to my usual routine plus some rehab exercises. It still hurts but it's not excruciating. In September we'll decide if surgery is needed.

Anyhow, What is LesMills Combat?
A. A lot of fun
B. A lot of work
C. ALL OF THE ABOVE

And "C" it is. For someone already in good shape, it leans more toward fun. But it's one of those workouts that how hard you push yourself determines how much you sweat and how much you succeed. (Really, aren't all workouts like that?) It's another (RevAbs being the other) workout that would be a great pre-curser to Insanity. It won't kill you, unless you want it to. Workouts range from 30-60 minutes, though the "60 minute" ones actually start the countdown with about 52 minutes.

LesMills Combat has two energetic leaders and a fun cast. I specifically like the blond who does a lot of "smiling uncomfortably though pain." Like all Beachbody workouts, there is a modifier. She does a less intense version. Unfortunately she didn't help me modify for my shoulder; of course the disclaimer at the beginning makes it clear that this isn't a workout for someone with shoulder injuries. But, I only have 2 days left and "rest" was not a doctor recommendation.

Next up, T25. Looking forward to having to workout only 25 minutes a day for 5 days a week! On the other hand, I'm sure Shaun T will make it crazy hard. I'll try to update this more regularly. After all, T25 is another 60 day journey.

After the Ultimate Reset

My Ultimate Reset journey ended rather abruptly, as I knew it would. I made some attempt to still eat minimal meat and carbs, but still found myself literally sick to my stomach due to the change. Eye opening how much better the body functions when nourished properly. And how quickly toxins upset that balance.

I've been surprised that when I get lured by junk I actually find myself wanting the Alkalize supplement as a cleanser.

We've also mixed more vegan dishes into our regular meal planning; recently getting a vegan slow cooker book. Eating more tempeh, which we learned that we liked during the last Reset. Finding additional ways to prepare it. I always felt that I couldn't be a vegan due to the lack of cheese and dairy in general. However, we rarely eat dairy anymore. I've become a fan of various other "milks" from soy to almond (my favorite) to coconut to rice. I still enjoy cheese, but more as an accent or treat than a dietary staple. What I really can't handle about the vegan diet is the lack of eggs and honey. This is especially true since I get farm fresh eggs from a guy at work. Nothing beats local fresh eggs and local fresh honey!

Nutrition remains a journey. The Ultimate Reset is a good travel guide.

Oh yeah, the AFTER picture: