My 21-Day Fix Review

As many of you know, I decided about a month ago to try a new Beachbody program called 21-day Fix.  For those of you not familiar with Beachbody, they are the company that brought you P90X, Insanity and T-25.  I did P90X back before it was the thing to do and really did like it.  The workouts were tough and the recipes were pretty tasty.  I eventually quit doing it because I ran out of space in my living room.  Since then, I hired my own personal trainer, began running again and lost 25 pounds without any of those fancy programs.  As a result, I haven't had much use for Beachbody or any of the other companies that put out those videos. 

However, as a personal trainer, I get asked about those programs a lot so I decided to give one of them a try.  I also figured that it would kick-start my return to healthy living post-op.  Several of the women in a Facebook group I am part of were doing 21-day fix so I figured I would give it a whirl.  My 21 days ended on the 19th but I was out of town so I am just getting around to my review. 

The program was designed by a bikini model which initially turned me off to the program but ever the open mind, I proceeded.  The way the program is set up is that you get 7 DVD workouts as well as several colored containers for your food.  The whole premise is that you get a certain amount of servings for each colored container based on your current weight and your caloric intake.  Here's the breakdown of the number of servings of each container you get per day (and what each color container represents):

Green = Vegetables

Purple = Fruits

Red = Protein

Yellow - Carbs

Blue = Fats

Orange = Other

 

 

I was using the 1200-1499 calories which meant I got 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 4 protein, 2 carbs, 1 fat and 1 other.  I will admit that when I first saw that list, I thought there's no bloody way that will keep me full all day.  And, for the first two or three days it didn't.  But then I got the timing right and rarely was very hungry before it was time to eat.  The main issue I have though is that I don't normally eat 4 servings of protein a day and in my professional opinion (as both a certified personal trainer and certified fitness nutrition coach), veggies are "free" meaning you can have as many servings of those as you want.  Because of that, I struggled to get 4 servings of protein (I usually got 3) and when I would get hungry I'd snack on veggies.  That generally helped.  And I managed to cut back on my Diet Coke consumption.  I won't lie...I still had them despite what the plan says about drinking soda.  But, it really was in the best interest of everyone for me to have a soda when I felt I needed it.  It made everyone happier :) 

So I wasn't thrilled with the eating plan.  However, I will say that these programs are generally designed for those who don't already eat healthy.  Since I do, it wasn't that much of a change but it was interesting to force myself to stick with that plan. 

The workouts, though, I highly recommend.  I really did enjoy the workouts as they were very challenging and I found that I had to modify the exercises sometimes.  I definitely got stronger through out the program as well.  And I am much better at keeping my abs tight regardless of what type of workout I am doing.  Better yet, I have taken many of the exercises and incorporated them into my classes and my personal training sessions.  The best part of the workouts, though, is they are only 30 minutes.  At the beginning of the 21 days, that 30 minutes seems to last FOREVER.  But by the end, they were flying by. 

I don't have any post 21-day pictures to share because when the 3 weeks was over, I was in L.A. and was NOT eating according to the meal plan so I decided it was best not to share.  I will share, however, a picture of me last week in Las Vegas riding a mechanical bull.  Normally, I wouldn't share a picture such as this but a friend of mine commented on how good my triceps look so that's why I am sharing. 

If you want a pre-set plan to help you kickstart your fitness and you don't have time or money for a personal trainer, I would recommend 21 day Fix.  However, I must fully declare that this was not the only workout I was doing for the 21 days so I can't honestly say what type of results you will get.  If you have poor eating habits, this will definitely get you in the right direction as will the workouts.

BE BOLD! BE YOU!

The Results are In (aka Did the Motivation Work?)

The unofficial experiment is officially over and the results are inconclusive.  I was able to drag myself out of bed most mornings during the experiment (actually, every morning) but two days after it ended, I opted to exercise my eyelids by covering my eyes with them for an additional 45 minutes.  I only did it once (yesterday) and I have a VERY good reason.  Anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about my Memphis Grizzlies.  They have been struggling a bit this year but have really made a run for the playoffs as of late.  Well, Wednesday’s game was at home against the defending World Champion Miami Heat (insert copious amounts of boo’s and hiss’s here).  I missed the first half of the game as I was at the Y working but I made it home for the 2^nd half and boy was it a great game!  My boys ended up pulling off the win with a great 4^th quarter and some clutch shots from downtown and the whole place went crazy.  By whole place you would think I meant the FedEx Forum, where they play, but I mean my house.  Yep.  I got crazy.  Maybe not as cray cray as I get when I’m actually at the games but it was loud. 

Of course, by that time it was well past my bed time and I really tried to go right to sleep.  Well, that didn’t happen too quickly so when my alarm went off at 5:15am, I just couldn’t do it.  I had good intentions and just hit snooze once and fell back into a ridiculously good sleep.  Then the alarm went off again and that was when I decided I needed to exercise my right to sleep for a bit longer.  It all worked out, though, because I had time for a run after work before my appointments at the Y.  So really…it’s all good. 

Alas, in the name of science (or something) here is the breakdown of how my motivational tools worked for me. 

·         Sleep in my workout clothes – I promise you I actually did this.  Here’s the proof. 

      

       I actually wasn’t uncomfortable other than I got a tad warm during the night.  This is predominantly because my gym is a bit chilly right now and my bedroom is a perfect temperature so I had to sleep in yoga pants since that’s what I wear to workout on the chilly mornings.  But wearing a sports bra and running singlet was quite comfortable.  I might try this again when my gym gets a bit warmer (aka the weather warms up) and sleep in running shorts rather than yoga pants.  If you struggle to get up early to workout, this really is a great option.  The only thing I had to put on when I woke up were my shoes.  I give this option a 6.5 out of 10.  Rating would be higher if I hadn’t gotten hot. 

 

·         Set my alarm clock on the other side of the room – Not only did I set my alarm/phone on the other side of the room and crank up the volume so I was sure to hear it, the other side of the room is my bathroom so the alarm echoed which really motivated me to get out of bed and shut it off.  This, of course, may have had more to do with not pissing off my neighbors but the end result was the same.  My suggestion if you try this is to not put the alarm on 100% volume J  Just a small suggestion.  I give this option an 8 out of 10. 

 

·         Set up my workout equipment/cd player/yoga mat the night before – I mentioned in my previous post about this experiment that I wasn’t 100% confident in this option.  My workout stuff is ready every morning since it’s set up in my gym so I didn’t really have to do anything extra.   However, knowing that I don’t have to do anything extra in the mornings really does help with the whole getting out of bed thing.  I give this a 4 out of 10 just because I couldn’t fully evaluate it. 

 

·         Change my wake up tone on my alarm – True to my word, I downloaded “Happy” and set that as my alarm tone.  I tell you what.  It definitely is a great way to wake up.  I might not exactly booty shake like this baby did Baby Dancing but I did wake up in a much better mood and humming a little tune.  I give this an 8.5 out of 10.  I strongly recommend using this song or another song that gets your spirits lifted. 

 

·         Post my plans on social media – Again, as I mentioned in my previous post, I was already held accountable via blogging about this experiment so posting on Facebook and Twitter didn’t have the full effect it would probably have otherwise.  However, I will say that it did hold me accountable to all those people that follow me that *gasp* don’t read my blog (they know who they are).  I rate this option as a 7 out of 10 – again if I didn’t have the blog holding me accountable it would probably rate higher.    

 

·         Schedule the time – This really did help.  And that morning I slept in??  Didn’t have it scheduled.  ‘Nuff said… 

·         Make a date – As I suspected, I had difficulty finding a workout buddy (she knows who she is) but I really tried.  Despite not having a workout buddy, I was able to get up and do my workout on time.  My rating for this is based on my previous experience having a workout buddy and I give it a 9 out of 10. 

 

·         Reward myself – Well, how could this NOT be a successful tactic?  I haven’t decided yet what to get but you can be assured it will be workout related.  And probably workout clothes or running shoes because, I am me after all. 

 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will also add that I started a new workout plan at the same time so that may have added to the motivation.  It’s the new Beachbody workout called “21 Day Fix” and I am trying it with an open mind and will post my review of it after I complete it.  Though, those of you who I talk with regularly know how I feel about the meal plan portion but I will share with everyone at the end. 

In other news, Be True Health & Wellness will be up and running on April 15^th so look for more information on social media and our website (under development).  I will continue to blog under this site for a while but will transition to a blog for BTH&W in the near future.  Thanks for your continued support of Beckley Fitness and your future support of BTH&W. 

BE BOLD! BE YOU!