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!

Where Did My Motivation Go (aka I Have to Get into Bikini Shape)

You know what they say about the best laid plans, right?  Mine were to get back on my 5 am workout schedule after I finished physical therapy so that I could focus on teaching and personal training sessions in the evening.  How quickly things change.  The plan was to start last week and I managed to get up and exercise one day.  One measly day!  And to think I used to be up at 5am every day when I lived in Memphis.  I would like to blame the weather/snow/never-ending winter but I’m not going to lie.  That really has little to do with it.  It’s not like I’m going outside to run or that the weather impacts my ability to exercise indoors at all.  Nope.  It’s just sheer laziness on my part.  I mean who wants to get out of a warm, comfortable bed at the crack of dawn just to sweat?  Oh, that’s right.  I WANT to do that but that doesn’t mean I WILL do that. 

So all of this led me to coming up with ways of motivating myself to get out of bed in the mornings and thereby motivating YOU to get out of bed in the morning and workout!  I know, I know.  You would rather workout at night and there’s no possible way you could get up any earlier than you do.  Believe me, I feel the same way.  I’m so not a morning person.  If I hadn’t been able to make the transition myself a few years ago, I wouldn’t believe me either. 

However!  I will tell you that when I do manage to get up out of bed that early in the morning and get my workout out of the way, it really makes for a more stress-free day.  I’ve got those endorphins flowing.  I have more energy.  I can make plans at night and not stress out about fitting in a workout.  I mean there really isn’t any downside to working out in the morning.  Well, okay so maybe I go to bed a little earlier now.  But by maybe 30-45 minutes earlier.  I mean is there anything that you or I absolutely have to do during that 30-45 minutes late at night that can’t wait until the next day?  I’m guessing there probably isn’t. 

In the name of science (or perhaps this blog), I am going to commit to testing a few motivational tactics and report back my findings.  Then it’s your turn.  Try a few and see how they work, keeping in mind, of course, not every tactic will work for you.  That’s why we experiment.  I will admit to this not being a truly scientific experiment with controls groups, etc.  I don’t have patience for all that.  It’s just a try and see type experiment.  Here are the motivational tactics I am trying:

·         Sleep in my workout clothes – I have read/heard from numerous sources that this is a great way to motivate yourself when the alarm goes off.  You don’t have to worry about getting up and changing clothes.  You just roll out of bed and go down the hall/down the stairs/to the gym.  (I will post pictures of this and so should you!)

 

·         Set my alarm clock on the other side of the room – I know folks that do this every day anyway because they have such a difficult time getting out of bed at their normal time.  I’m not one of those people so I am guessing it will have the desired effect. 

·         Set up my workout equipment/cd player/yoga mat the night before – this may sound weird but it’s one less step I have to worry about in the morning.  I’m not 100% confident in this option but I am going to try it. 

 

·         Change my wake up tone on my alarm - I use my phone as my alarm so I have plenty of options here.  I think if I pick an upbeat song (may try Pharrell’s song “Happy”), I will spring out of bed ready to go.  Okay, maybe not spring out of bed but you get the picture. 

 

·         Post my plans on social media – I’m already doing that with posting here but I will also post on Facebook and Twitter.  If you follow me on one of those platforms, feel free to challenge me the next day and ask if I got up.  It holds my feet to the proverbial fire. 

 

·         Schedule the time – I schedule (and you probably schedule) everything else in my life, why wouldn’t I schedule my workouts?  I can even set the reminder to go off at a certain time so that will wake me up as well. 

 

·         Make a date – This one might be more difficult for me as I don’t really know anyone else that gets up early to workout.  If you do, though, I highly encourage this option.  That was one of the reasons I was able to get up at 5am in Memphis.  I had a running partner 3 days a week and a personal trainer the other 2.  So I was always accountable to someone.  Worked like a charm!

 

·         Reward myself – Okay this one is my favorite right now.  I mean I don’t generally need a reason to reward myself but this seems like a legitimate reason.  This will be the coup de grace if I successfully complete all 7 of the aforementioned tactics.  It’s a win/win really!

 

There you have it: my motivational tactics for waking up and working out for the next 7 work days.  I throw “work days” in there because I already know I won’t be getting up at 5am on a Saturday or Sunday.  But I will get workouts in as soon as I wake up!  That’s my other plan. 

Check back to see how I’m doing.  I will post daily updates if I can.  Otherwise I will post a summary of my experiment.  If you want to play along with me, I will be testing them in the order written. 

BE BOLD!  BE YOU!

Trying New Things (aka How I Fell On My Face at the Gym)

There’s something to be said for being a creature of habit.  I’m the first to admit that I am stuck in my ways.  Every weekday morning looks exactly the same.  Get up, shower, dress, brush teeth, makeup, eat breakfast and go to work.  It’s been that way for as long as I can remember.  It was that way even as a kid.  I often tell people the story of when I was younger and my mom was still making my lunch (man I miss those days!)  Every day she would ask me what I kind of sandwich I wanted and every day it was peanut butter and jelly.  All throughout grade school it was the same.  You would think I would get sick of PB&J but nope!  Not me!  And even when I started making my own lunches, I made PB&J every day.  Like I said, I’m a creature of habit. 

So what does this have to do with fitness?  Well, there are many ways in which being a creature of habit relates to fitness…eating habits, sleeping habits, workout habits, etc.  In an attempt to not let my creature of habit-ness sneak its way into my fitness classes and routines, I get different workouts and exercise moves from magazines like Self and Fitness.  Over the weekend, I went through my ever-mounting pile of mags and found a few new moves I wanted to incorporate into class.  They looked (relatively) easy in the pictures so how hard can they really be?  The first few were pretty good.  I managed to do them without looking like a complete buffoon. 

And then it got real.  Real ugly, real quickly.  “The Climb” happened.  I was foolish enough to believe that I have the core strength to do this.  And, sure, if I lead with my left hand I can do it with minimal foolishness.  However, if I lead with my right hand…THUNK right on the floor go my knees, hands and maybe even chin a little bit.  It wasn’t pretty.  I tried twice because I refuse to go down without a fight.  After the second time, I realized that is a good stretch goal for me to have!  Oh and when this happened?  I was in one of the fitness rooms at the Y with about 6 people in there.  I didn’t even bother looking around each time I fell.  I knew what I would find and it was best to just ignore them/their stares and keep on going. 

 

The Climb

Start in a plank, facing wall about 6 inches away. Walk left hand onto wall, then walk right hand onto wall to meet it (as shown). Reverse to return to plank for 1 rep. Do 20 reps.

As always, I share my self-deprecating story with you to remind you (and even myself) that sometimes you have to try new things to figure out what you need to work on.  If you just keep doing the same weight lifting, core workout, cardio workout or any other type of workout, you are going to hit a plateau and only work the same muscles in the same manner.  It really is important to switch things up.  Very rarely will I do the same workout more than twice in one week.  Prevent muscle memory where you really are not doing any work. 

I challenge you to try the workout (Self Wall Workout) and let me know how your “climb” goes!

BE BOLD! BE YOU!

 

Inspiration For Anyone

One of the frustrating parts of being a personal trainer/fitness professional is dealing with those who say "I can't..."  I fully understand that not everyone loves to workout.  Heck, I don't like doing it some days.  But I have yet to find someone who honestly "can't" workout. 

So when I started the Weigh To Go program as a coach, I learned I had a participant who was over 60 and had never worked out.  I don't mean never worked out in the past 10 years or anything like that.  I mean NEVER worked out in her entire 60+ years.  While she sounded gung-ho about working out and the program, every time we met and talked about what she eats and what types of workouts she should do, I was met with "I can't do that because I had 2 knee replacements"  or "I can't live without my Diet Coke" or even "I don't like drinking water."  Boy did I have a challenge in front of me.  I decided to take it one step at a time with her.  You know.  Rome wasn't built in a day and all.  The program has been going on now for about 5 weeks and each week she shows up for our meetings and with a more positive attitude than the week before.  The first change came with her not having 4 sausage McMuffins in a week and ending each night in bed with a 32 oz Diet Coke.  Then she started adding more veggies to her diet.  Last week, she told me she was up to 4 bottles of water a day.  Now, they aren't big bottles but it's 4 more than she had been doing previously so it is a HUGE step! 

Last night, though, she made me so proud to be her coach that I just have to share it with everyone.  We were having our meeting and talking about how far she had walked in the past week (proof is in the pedometer).  Then she tells me that she goes with her friend to the hospital in Milwaukee for her friend's checkups and when they went earlier this week, she was able to walk from the parking lot to the clinic without stopping at the cafeteria to rest.  Her friend even made a comment about her not having to stop to rest.  And the smile on her face while she told me this story was worth a thousand words.  She was so proud of herself and she realized that all her hard work was paying off.  Then she said that she wanted to go walk around the gym a few times!  WOW!!  I couldn't believe it and that's exactly what we did.  Not only was she able to do about 15 laps with just one quick break, she was walking at a faster pace than I'd seen her do before. 

The program ends in a few weeks but she has already told me she will stick with the walking because she is started to feel different/better.  What more could a coach possibly ask for?  I honestly am so proud of her! 

The point of sharing this with you is that you can do anything you set your mind to!  A 60+ year old woman has discovered the benefit of walking/moving and is surprising even herself so there is no excuse!  Get up and move!  Even if it's slow and just around the living room.  Take it one literal step at a time!  Who knows what you can do.

 

BE BOLD! BE YOU!

Change is Good

Happy Sunday!  I realized yesterday that it had been over a week since I posted anything.  That was definitely not my intention.  Life got busy with working at the YMCA and time slipped away.  But I'm back on track now!

Everyone is tired of winter and no one is more tired of it than I!  Even though I can't run yet, it would be nice to be able to walk a few miles outside.  Instead, though, I ended up going cross-country skiing on Saturday with one of my good friends.  Or at least I thought she was a good friend until she gave me defective equipment and tried to kill me :)  She claims she was "testing my balance" but I don't buy it.  Here's what happened (you decide if she was trying to kill me or not):

My dear friend was kind enough to loan me ski boots, poles and skis so that I wouldn't have to rent them.  So we get ready to go and go to put the equipment in her car and it turns out that one of the baskets of my pole was broken.  No big deal, right?  Well that should have been my first clue.  We got out on the trails and the basket on my other pole broke off.  After about a mile or so (halfway through our trip), I felt my foot lighten and I looked down and the tip of the boot that was clipped into the ski broke off the boot.  My dear friend stood there and laughed.  Didn't ask if I hurt my hip...didn't ask if I injured myself at all.  Luckily, for her, I didn't :)  So we start down the trail again, me carefully scooting my skis along.  A few minutes later, I felt a pop on the other side and my ski went sliding out from underneath me.  Yep.  That boot broke off in the clip as well.

So for the last at least 1/2 mile, I was scooting along on skis that were not attached to my feet.  Turns out, the equipment I was using is almost as old as I am!  But I made it, no worse for the wear. It was a beautiful day regardless!

So what do you think?   Do you think she was trying to kill me?  Or just help me work on my balance?  It was, actually, really funny and I'm sure we will be talking about it for years to come.  Next time, though, I might just rent skis so I know they are newer and, theoretically, shouldn't break. 

Have a great week!

BE BOLD! BE YOU!

Oh My Aching Muscles!

I was talking to a co-worker last week about her new fitness regimen and she kept talking about how she needed exercises for her hamstrings because her quads were on fire and she wanted to work other muscles in her legs.  I gave her some ideas of hamstring exercises, of course.  More importantly, though, I told her why her quads felt that way and how to help alleviate the pain.  I decided that there are probably more than a few of you out there that either don’t know why this pain occurs or think you know why but perhaps don’t know the real reason.  In fact, I’ve been known to give the incorrect answer in the past so I wouldn’t fault you if you did as well. 

As any of us who have started a new fitness program can attest to, the muscles that have been worked typically don’t really start to hurt until two days after the workout.  Some people feel the pain 24 hours post-workout but for the majority it’s usually 48 hours post.  This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).  DOMS is said to be the result of microtrauma (or microscopic tears) to the muscles and that microtrauma is caused by eccentric exercises/muscle action.  Eccentric means that the muscle is lengthened while force (weight) is applied ie: lowering action of the bicep curls, dead lifts and running.  The pain or soreness that you feel during and/or immediately after exercise is different that DOMS and is called acute muscle soreness.  With DOMS, the muscle is adapting to prevent future damage if the exercise is repeated.  Many people (myself included) used to think that this pain was due to lactic acid but it has been proven that lactic acid is not involved in this process. 

Can you prevent DOMS from occurring when you start a new fitness program?  Absolutely, though it’s not 100% preventable.  If you start your fitness regimen with lighter weights, you are less likely to cause those damaging microtraumas.  Start light and gradually increase the weight amount.  This is the best way to prevent DOMS. 

Because it’s the eccentric contraction that causes these tears, you can avoid trauma by focusing solely on concentric and isometric contractions.  However, it is often difficult to avoid these contractions during normal exercise and eccentric contractions are important to a well-balanced workout.  Stretching does not reduce the likelihood of DOMS as it is the force applied to a lengthened muscle that causes the tear and stretching does not typically include force. 

So you have DOMS but how can you help alleviate the pain?  There are several schools of thought on this but many just mask the pain.  The only sure-fire cure for DOMS pain is time.  Time for the muscle to recover and health those microscopic tears and adjust to the new demands being placed on it.  However, things like massage, hot tubs, stretching and the like will help reduce the pain.  It is important to note, though, that reduction in pain does not mean the muscles are recovering.  Again, the only thing that helps muscles recover is time.  Unfortunately, there’s not really a way around that fact. 

In short, make sure you are challenging yourself but not doing serious damage.  It’s a thin line and often you don’t realize what is “too much” until it’s too late.  If you do overdo it, I promise the pain will go away and you WILL be able to walk normal or grip a pen within a couple days!

BE BOLD! BE YOU!