The Final Stretch

HEY! I'm back!

Starting with a BIG thanks to Beth for my shirt! I won that sweet shirt from Beth for tracking my exercise and diet! WOO! I love it. 

SO, here's where I am with life. I'm still in law school and struggling through my FINAL semester. Go figure, this is the absolute worst semester I've had in three years. It is BRUTAL. I'm relying on exercise more than ever to keep me sane. Add in the fact that we are moving in a little over two months (and I still don't have a JOB) and my brain goes completely haywire.

I've been pretty consistent - 4-5 days a week, which isn't bad. I've found myself getting bored with my workouts, so I've been trying to mix it up, but more on that in a minute.

I went to the doctor last week for a check-up and had to jump on the scale. I had a minor panic because the number is a bit higher than what I'm used to. REALITY CHECK! I jumped on my scale when I got home and again the following day, and I think I was having an off day, but even so, it was a scale punch in the face. 

My exercise has been solid, but my eating habits have slipped. I've found myself turning to food during this stressful period (read: gluten free pasta, cheese, frozen yogurt) and that's not great. I will be refining my food habits over the next few weeks, so I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime, I've returned to Jillian Michaels Body Revolution for her strength videos. I LOVE this program - it's worth the money.

I started with weeks 5/6 and have been going to the next level every 2 weeks (or after 4 times with each video). I'm now on 9/10 and I'm feeling good! Her strength videos are a HUGE challenge, but I love them. I never loved the cardio videos, so I've been mixing it up with my cardio.

For cardio, I have been using a Chris Freytag tabata dvd that I mentioned in a previous post. I also rediscovered my TurboFire dvds. 

I like Chalene Johnson and I like the TurboFire program, but I never made it all the way through for a couple reasons. It's all plyometric (jump) training, which means (1) it's pretty much all cardio, which is NOT what you want for weight loss - you need some strength; and (2) plyometric hurts my shins after awhile. BUT, every so often? This is a great way to mix it up. She has a 30 minute HIIT workout (high intensity interval training) that I LOVE. 

Some mornings, I'll just go for a run. It's one of the few things that really clears my mind. I love my Running for Weight Loss app. It has intervals for jogging, walking, and sprinting. It is really awesome.

And that's it! I'm working hard, trying to stay motivated, and most of all, trying to stay positive. I'm in a little rut right now with how I feel about my body, but it's SO important to give yourself credit. I'm working my ass off, and while I may not have the exact results I want, I should still feel proud (and I do!). Give yourself credit. It doesn't do you any good to be down on yourself.

SMILE! Be happy and healthy! I will talk to you all soon!

From Beth:

Just to add to what Madeline is saying above, in a time of life change and turmoil, just moving your body is a win.  Be volcano eruption level proud of yourself for that.  Madeline exercises for health and mental health, although often put in it's own category, is just as key to optimal living as low blood pressure and other health markers.

Thanks for sharing this Madeline!  Good luck in these next few months!

Also check out her foodie blog!

Phase 2 Workout 8 - AKA Legs it's your turn!

Phase 2 Workout 8  of Jillian Michael's 90 day Body Revolution

Holy Moses are my arms SORE from Workout 7!!! Anything I lifted today made my biceps scream (possibly due to workout 8 as well), and the front of my shoulders…I can’t even tell you. I’m aware of them when I’m just sitting on the couch. BUT, I LOVE feeling that soreness – it lets me know I definitely gave my body a good workout.

Workout 8 wasn’t awful. That’s my general feeling about Workouts 7 and 8. Workouts 5 and 6, particularly 5, felt impossible initially. Workouts 7 and 8 do not feel impossible. Challenging? Absolutely. But I manage to get through it without feeling like I need to pause.

I liked Workout 8 more than Workout 7 because it hit lower body a lot more. I love how Jillian incorporates so many balance elements into these workouts – it really makes me feel like my core is getting a great workout. 

Overall, this one wasn’t terrible. She actually recommended using 3 pound weights a few times in this dvd, and initially I did, but for a few of the exercises I found I could use my usual 6 pounds. 

I’m really trying to push myself with weight. I’m trying to go heavy with my weights as often as possible, and only using lighter weights if absolutely necessary. The cardio intervals in 7 and 8 are more challenging, but again, not impossible.

I won’t mind these next two weeks! I’m back to Cardio 2 tomorrow (I’m starting to get a LITTLE sick of it). I will let you know how I’m feeling soon!

ALSO check out Madeline's latest foodie goings n at her cooking blog!
http://thelawsofthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/chicken-enchilada-pasta-made-wgf-corn.html

Phase 2 Workout 7 AKA “Hold Plank Until You Collapse” of Jillian's 90 day!

Phase 2 Workout 7 AKA “Hold Plank Until You Collapse”

I am officially halfway through this program – woo! Unfortunately, I had to take a few days off last week due to traveling, but I am back on track! I do not anticipate any other delays moving forward, so I am set to finish off the program 2 weeks before my wedding. I am planning to repeat some of the workouts during the final 2 weeks, and then I will be wedding-ready. I just need to stay focused and stay on my diet (there has been some serious diet cheating due to Easter).

Here are my thoughts on Phase 2 Workout 7:

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I do not like resistance bands. I still don’t like it, and that was emphasized in this dvd. Jillian uses the band for 3 exercises, and I ended up using dumbbells for all 3 because I felt like it was more challenging with the weights. It’s totally up to you – some people LOVE resistance bands. I’m just not one of them. My form was sloppy when using the band, so I switched to weights. Listen to your body.

The first circuit and cardio drill is ALL plank/push ups. It’s BRUTAL. My arms were shaking so hard I could barely hold myself up. She takes a few points where she will joke around/talk before starting an exercise, and even the athletes in the video will take those moments to shake their arms out, so I didn’t feel that bad about struggling. I had to PUSH through the first 2 circuits. I found myself mentally coaching myself “just get through ONE more before doing the modification.” Those mantras definitely help me.

My heart rate was up through the whole dvd, but I didn’t feel like I was going to collapse like I did the first time I did Workout 5 (SO glad to be done with that one!!). The cardio drills are DEFINITELY harder – she’s incorporating more plyometric (read: jumping). 

Overall, this was a KILLER on my arms and shoulders. As much as I want toned arms/shoulders, I am hoping that she focuses more on legs in future videos – I want to feel the burn in my quads/buns!

I’m moving on to Workout 8 tomorrow, so I’ll be back soon. 

Jillian Michaels: Not Messing Around In Month 2!

If your tuning in for the first time, I have recruited my friend, workout buddy, and neighbor, Madeline, to take on a 90 day program recently put out by JM and report back on difficulty, enjoyment, challenge, and value.  It is a 12 DVD program that provides 6 days a week of exercise, 2 cardio, and 4 circuit based exercises.  This program wraps up right before Madeline's wedding in May so there is a great little crescendo at the end! 

Madeline has reviewed her experience so far and continues to give us the insider info on Jilly M's latest video plan!  Madeline is not a rookie to the exercise scene having danced and yoga-sized in college.  She had not specifically lifted weights or performed circuit style workouts until she began her own weight loss journey.  See her intro post for details.

http://gotrainingwithbeth.blogspot.com/2013/02/hi-all-my-name-is-madeline-and-i-am.html

Madeline also shares her search for healthy (and also relatively healthy comfort food after semi-traumatic weeks of law school) noms noms at:
http://thelawsofthekitchen.blogspot.com

From Madeline: 

Onto Month 2!

Phase 2, Workouts 5 and 6 and Cardio 2

Sorry I have not been updating frequently! Life has been so busy, BUT I have not strayed off schedule ONCE since I was sick – woo! This week, I transitioned into Phase 2. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m going to go through each workout and Cardio 2 to let you know what I think.

Phase 2, Workout 5:

This was a HUGE challenge. In some ways, it’s VERY frustrating because I was always able to complete each exercise during Phase 1. In workout 5, I found myself struggling to push through some of these circuits. This was a HUGE jump from Workouts 3 and 4 into Workout 5. It went from somewhat challenging to incredibly challenging.

I’m glad I did this workout for the first time with Beth. Beth pointed out that if these dvds were NOT getting more challenging, I wouldn’t be progressing. All the circuits are difficult, but the third one is BRUTAL. She focuses entirely on shoulders/triceps and it HURTS. As of this morning, I’ve gone through this workout twice. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard. While I was going through this workout this morning, I kept telling myself to push a little harder – just get through as many repetitions as possible. It was definitely an effective mantra – I think I did better the second time than I did the first.

Phase 2, Workout 6:

This one is equally as challenging, but my muscles were not dying the way they were in Workout 5. While my muscles were not feeling like they were going to fall apart, I was losing my breath. I think it was by the end of the second circuit (maybe the third) that I felt like I was going to pass out. I actually had to pause the dvd to catch my breath for a couple minutes. The circuit right after I paused, however, gave me a chance to catch my breath, so I will remember that the next time I do this workout (tomorrow!). 

Overall, I like both Workout 5 and 6. They are very difficult and force you to push your body. I will say this: it scares the living daylights out of me that the strength dvds increase in difficulty by three more levels. What on EARTH are workouts 11 and 12 going to look like?!

Cardio 2:

I liked Cardio 2 WAY more than I liked Cardio 1 – Cardio 1 got really boring. Cardio 1 repeated 8 exercises, each done for 1 minute, three times. Cardio 2 repeats 14 exercises, each done for 30 seconds, three times. Somehow, this constant change of exercise made it more interesting. Right when I started to feel like I couldn’t do an exercise, we switched. It was a great pace. 

I was out of breath, but I could get through the entire 30 minutes without pausing. I think I will enjoy doing this Cardio dvd over the next month way more than I enjoyed doing Cardio 1 for a month.

I’m feeling good, I can see a little more definition in my arms (I think). Despite my frustrations, I’m loving this program.

Just a quick note – I’m heading out of town for an entire week. I’m planning to bring the dvds, but I might not be able to do them every day, so I might get a little behind again. I’m going to do my best to stay on top of it, and as soon as I’m back (one week from Thursday) I will jump back in (if I have to stop at any point).

Everyone have a great, healthy week!

Guest Blogger Madeline - Return of the Jillian

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for such a long hiatus. I was sick for an entire week last week, so I was not able to do my dvds for a week! This puts me one week behind, but I am still feeling motivated.

When I started to get sick (it was one week ago this past Monday – February 25), I took the day off from Jillian. In my mind I thought, “okay, I’m just one day behind, so tomorrow is usually my rest day, so I’ll just squeeze in a workout then so I can catch up.”

Tuesday I felt worse. As each day passed, I found myself trying to figure out how to catch up so I could stay on the same schedule. After a few days, I realized how ridiculous these thoughts were! I needed to take the time to rest and let my body recover from being sick – there is no shame in that. Ultimately, by taking an entire week to recover (I really needed it), I took better care of my body. My point: listen to your body! If you aren’t feeling great, don’t get discouraged. This past Monday I picked up right where I had left off with Jillian, and while I’m one week behind, I’m still feeling great.

Next Friday I will graduate to month 2 of the dvds, and I am SO excited! I am LOVING Phase 1 Workouts 3 and 4 – they are solid workouts and I really enjoy them. However, I am excited to progress into Phase 2!

One other observation when I was sick: I am a BIG wine drinker. I love my wine – it’s the only thing I drink that isn’t water (I don’t really like soda and juice). Wine is something I grew up with and it became a habit for me to pour myself a glass when I got home from school/work every day. While I was sick, I was wine-free for 10 days and WOW! I am SUPER health conscious, and somehow I totally missed how many calories I was putting into my body by having wine every day!  I could tell at the end of the 10 days that my stomach was flatter (YAY), I had an easier time getting up in the morning, and I just felt better. If there was one positive to getting sick, it’s that it gave me a wine wake up call! Now, I’m only letting myself have wine 3 days per week. 

I hope things are going well with everyone! I will check in next Friday when I start the new dvds. 

TWO CENTS TANYA - that's me...SO I had the pleasure of joining Madeline with workout number 4, and I am so pleased with the challenge.  I am pretty fit and I get an awesome workout in every time.  

Madeline versus Jillian, 90 day Body Revolution Week 3 continues...

Phase 1 Workout 4

Sunday, February 24, 2013

I have really similar feelings about this dvd and Phase 1 Workout 3, so this post won’t be particularly long. I was not gasping for air throughout the entire thing (just during the cardio intervals – wow!), but it was still a REALLY challenging workout.

One thing I really like is that Jillian is taking some of the moves from Phase 1 Workouts 1 and 2 and building on them, so you can actually see your strength improve.  I also love all the coreshe incorporates into Workout 4. You are in plank for almost every circuit, which is a killer for your core.

These dvds are definitely more difficult than 1 and 2. My muscles were screaming by the end of Workout 4, which is not the worst thing in the world. Oh, and you don’t need your resistance band for this one (workout 4), so that made me happy (why do I hate that thing so much?).

So far, so good. I’m actually looking forward to doing each of these dvds 3 more times!

Guest Blogger Madeline Update on NEW VIDEO from Jilly B's 90 DAY BODY REV!

Madeline sent me this goodness yesterday!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Phase 1 Workout 3

I graduated to new dvds! I was so excited to try out a new dvd today. 

I am SORE. My arms are killing me, and I did this workout about 3 hours ago. I cannot imagine what they will be feeling like tomorrow. My overall thoughts about this workout: it’s REALLY tough, but you don’t realize how difficult it is until you are about halfway through. 

Positives: She begins to incorporate a little more plyometric (jumping) moves, and she does a lot of upper/lower body at the same time. She also incorporates a lot of yoga into this one – downward dog, plank, and crescent lunge. The cardio intervals were a LOT more difficult, I was panting at the end of each one, but for the most part, I was not gasping for air throughout the workout. It was a serious challenge. I also like that she uses new moves I’ve never done before – it really kept me interested through the whole 37 minutes (a little longer than her promise 30).

Negatives: There are a couple moves that I just did not feel like I was doing properly, particularly the one move where she uses the resistance band (which honestly, I hate). The other negative thing has to do with something she says. At one point, she’s trying to motivate you to push harder, and she says “I don’t want you losing just 1-2 pounds per week – I want to see you losing 5 pounds a week!”

I’m sorry, but I’m 130 pounds. If I’m losing 5 pounds per week, we have a serious problem and I should probably go see a doctor. I think she forgets that some people may use these dvds just to stay in shape or tone up a bit, not lose a ton of weight. I don’t know why, but that comment threw me off for a second.

Overall, this is a arm and quad KILLER. And it only gets harder from here.

I can’t wait!!

WEEK 2 = DONE! Guest Blogger Madeline sums up her first 14 days!

WEEK 2 = DONE!

I have officially completed week 2 of Body Revolution! 10 more weeks to go!!

How I’m feeling: Really good! As I progressed through the strength dvds, I realized I was becoming less sore each time I went through them. Can’t wait to feel the burn when I start Phase 1 Workouts 3 and 4 tomorrow and Sunday.

DVD observations: I’m starting to get a LITTLE sick of the Cardio 1 video (which I have to do throughout the next two weeks as well), but it’s only 26 minutes, and it’s a KILLER workout in only 26 minutes. Plus, with the 2 new strength dvds over the next 2 weeks, I think I will be just fine with the Cardio.

Body observations: Nothing too obvious. I’m sticking to my diet as best I can (though my fiancé brought home GIRL SCOUT cookies the other day! I’ve been resisting the temptation), and I’m feeling my core getting stronger.

Overall: Loving it so far. This is the first time in several months I’ve worked out 6 days per week, and I think it’s because the dvds are only 30 minutes, and the schedule is organized REALLY well. See you tomorrow for my thoughts on Phase 1 Workout 3!

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I am gonna two-cents it again!  I have done all three workouts making up phase one and I would like to throw in some pros as well.

Jillian uses simple moves that are challenging but give you room to grow.  Initially, you can do a lot of these moves with lower poundage weights, but there is endless potential to really push by adding heavy weights or trying the advanced version.

I feel like J-monies gives lots of alignment cues and continually goes over do's and don'ts for form!

INSPIRATION!

Madeline is a guest blogger tracking her experience as she takes on Jillian Michaels 90 day program, Body Revolution.  Enjoy her latest entry below.

Also check out her cooking blog, http://thelawsofthekitchen.blogspot.com, for interesting and creative kitchen adventures!

From Madeline:

This morning I did Phase 1 Workout 1 for the LAST TIME! I am 2 workouts away from being DONE with week 2!!

Phase 1 Workout 1 is TOUGH. I had to really push this morning to get through it, and I wanted to share what did get me through it:

In one of the dvds, Jillian says something to the extent of “if you constantly remind yourself of the ‘why?’ then you can get through any amount of the ‘how?’” Basically, she’s saying if you have an end goal and you constantly remind yourself of it, how you get there will be less of a struggle. With a goal in mind, you can push yourself through these tough workouts because you know where you want it to lead you.

My “why?” is twofold: 1. I want to look great on my wedding day – those pictures last a lifetime – and; 2. I want to reach my ultimate size/weight goal that I have been hovering near for almost 2 years. Those “whys?” are all I need to push just a little harder through these workouts.

Just wanted to share! Hope everyone is having a great week.

GUEST Blogger Madeline has completed Week One: 11 More to Go!

Week One: Done! 11 More to Go!

I have officially finished the first week of Body Revolution. So far, so good! I’m not sick of the videos yet, which is good. I think by the end of next week, I’ll be ready for a change, which will be perfect because I move on to Phase 1 Workouts 3 and 4. 

Overall, I’m loving it so far. I think if you had never worked out before, these dvds would be VERY difficult. I’m working up a good sweat, and I feel great when they are done. I love having a schedule to follow – it keeps me on track!

I’ve been tracking my diet as well. I post a lot of really tasty things on my blog (thelawsofthekitchen.blogspot.com), but I have the same breakfast every morning (2 scrambled eggs, 1 apple) and usually the same lunch every afternoon (spinach salad with onion, tomato, cucumber, pine nuts, reduced fat feta cheese and red wine vinegar with a little olive oil). Between that, healthy dinner choices, and this workout series, I think I will be looking great on wedding day!

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I am going to jump in here and mention that Madeline and I back to backed the 2nd strength video and the cardio and we had a great workout. I agree that 2-3 of the cardio moves would be a really great challenge for the beginner exerciser and would add that there is no shame in utilizing the pause button or taking a ten second breather if you cannot catch your breath.

These videos just cruise by too, it reminds me somewhat of how I like to train clients. No breaks, lots of variety.

Thanks again to Madeline for test driving JM's bod-DAY revolution!

GUEST BLOGGER! Madeline versus. Jillian Michaels

Hi All!

My name is Madeline, and I am Beth’s friend/neighbor. I am definitely NOT a personal trainer – just your average law student who loves staying in shape. Beth asked me to try out Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution program and blog about it, which I am happy to do as I am getting married in less than 4 months!

A little about me: 2 years ago, I was 40 pounds heavier. I lost all my weight with a serious diet change and exercise videos. The book that changed my food perspective is called “French Women Don’t get Fat,” which sounds really awful, but it’s all about eating clean, healthy foods with no additives or preservatives. I started a cooking blog (thelawsofthekitchen.blogspot.com) that features ways to make (mostly) healthy and delicious foods at home. 

Exercise videos are a must for me. For some reason, if I have to go somewhere to exercise, it seems a million times harder. Working out at home is a great way to save time, and if you can find videos you like, it’s even better. Through workout videos, I’ve gotten into pretty good shape. I promise to be honest about what I find difficult in these videos, and what I do not.

Enough about me and onto Jillian! Full disclosure: she is NOT my favorite workout video person. She can be really abrasive and sometimes it seems that she forgets that people are watching these videos over and over again. That being said, I’m really excited to try her new program.

Body Revolution is a 90-day program that goes through 3 phases. Basically, you do 2 strength videos twice a week, and 1 cardio video twice a week. Your cardio video changes once a month, and your strength videos change every two weeks! I LOVE this idea – I get bored with workouts really quickly, so I think changing it up every two weeks will be perfect for me (and hopefully you, too!). The best part: each video is only 30 minutes. For some reason, 30 minutes once a day 6 days per week sounds super reasonable to me. I’m crazy busy, but I can squeeze in 30 minutes a day, and so can you!

Today I did Phase 1 Workout 1. To be honest, I was expecting it to be a breeze for me. It’s the beginning of the series – how hard could it be?

Um, really hard. 

I was able to get through the entire 30 minutes without stopping, but my muscles were shaking pretty hard by the end. She uses free weights (I used 6 pound weights throughout), and focuses on your abs, shoulders, and quads. She managed to make me feel like I got a GREAT workout in 30 minutes. My shoulders were screaming by the end, which I love. Isn’t it great to feel the muscles you’re working?! 

Cons: I really do not have anything bad to say about this one! Jillian is way more aware that people have to do this video over and over again, and she’s way less annoying than usual. 

Pros: This video hits some great problem areas, particularly the front of the shoulder. She gives great modifications throughout – ways to make the exercise harder, and ways to make it easier. I also love that she incorporates some yoga poses – she has you hold plank for about 30 seconds and warrior 2 for about 30 seconds. Both are very challenging, but it’s a great way for you to catch your breath mid-circuit without taking a break. 

Overall: loved it! This video really made me look forward to the rest of the program. If she starts this hard, I can tell I’m only going to get stronger over the next few months. Can’t wait!