Yay I made it! Today is Wednesday, which means it's rest day!
I'm feeling great today! Even though I'm still sore from the previous few days, I am energized and feeling proud of myself for pushing through these first few days.
Last night, I mentioned eating healthier and being a little more conscious of my diet. With the way I normally eat, I think that could be more of a challenge for me than these exercises. However, I think I will attempt to eat cleaner during this next month or so in hopes of really making a difference in my body and health. Completely cutting out all unhealthy foods would mean changing my entire diet, so I think I will start small and at least eat healthier snacks. I usually eat fairly healthy meals, so snacking is where I need the most improvement.
From now on, rather than grabbing a cookie or some other sugary snack, I will attempt to be more conscious of what I am eating and choose some fruit, vegetable, or other healthy snack instead.
Not only does BodyRock provide many exercises and challenges like the one I am doing, but it also provides healthy eating tips and recipes. I have provided their Food & Diet page here which provides a variety of information on healthier eating.
My first goal with my diet will be to conquer my unhealthy snack addiction and switch to healthier snacks throughout my day. From there I will look further at their diets and incorporate those into my everyday living.
Like I have said from the beginning, this journey is all about bettering myself. If I put all of this energy into working out but I still eat honey buns and ho-hos all day, the exercises will not pay off. It is time for me to take responsibility for the things I put into my body and see what wonderful results might occur!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Feeling Fantastic
Day 4 is done! Do you know what that means?? TOMORROW IS REST DAY!!
I am so glad that I pushed myself through these past few days. I just finished Day 4, which can be found here.
I'm not sure why, but today's workout seemed to be the easiest for me. There were no weights involved and the moves were a little simpler than some of the others. The part that gave me the hardest time was during the Crunches. The actual move wasn't too bad, but my wrists were hurting pretty bad while holding myself up. I think part of the pain came from the fact that I have to have my wrists slightly bent since I'm using the Gazelle instead of a dip station.
Since I don't have a dip station, I had to modify when doing the Push-Up + Knee-Ins. I simply turned a chair on its side and leaned onto the legs of the chair while doing this move.
During some of the previous workouts, I had to take a break for about a minute during the middle of the video to catch my breath and get a drink of water. Tonight, however, I was able to keep pushing through the entire video without any break. I even kept up with the instructor throughout the video.
After tonight's workout, I am feeling very optimistic about the rest of this challenge. The fact that these videos only last for 12 minutes makes it easy to fit them into any schedule. The pain that these exercises have caused is incredible, especially for how short the workouts are. I am feeling fairly confident that I will be able to complete the next 26 days, and I am excited for the challenge ahead.
Although I am proud of the commitment I have put into this challenge so far, I would like to work on my diet more. Anybody that knows me knows that I am a total junk food junkie. I am always surprised by the fact that I am not super overweight because of the way that I eat. I understand that a healthy diet is just as important as exercise, so I think I will start watching what I eat more closely and avoiding all of the usual junk food that I tend to go for. Since tomorrow is rest day, maybe I will take that time to look up some healthy meals and diet tips.
After a long few days of school, work, and exercise, I am exhausted. I'm going to get some sleep now and I'll blog about some healthy food choices tomorrow! Goodnight!
I am so glad that I pushed myself through these past few days. I just finished Day 4, which can be found here.
I'm not sure why, but today's workout seemed to be the easiest for me. There were no weights involved and the moves were a little simpler than some of the others. The part that gave me the hardest time was during the Crunches. The actual move wasn't too bad, but my wrists were hurting pretty bad while holding myself up. I think part of the pain came from the fact that I have to have my wrists slightly bent since I'm using the Gazelle instead of a dip station.
Since I don't have a dip station, I had to modify when doing the Push-Up + Knee-Ins. I simply turned a chair on its side and leaned onto the legs of the chair while doing this move.
During some of the previous workouts, I had to take a break for about a minute during the middle of the video to catch my breath and get a drink of water. Tonight, however, I was able to keep pushing through the entire video without any break. I even kept up with the instructor throughout the video.
After tonight's workout, I am feeling very optimistic about the rest of this challenge. The fact that these videos only last for 12 minutes makes it easy to fit them into any schedule. The pain that these exercises have caused is incredible, especially for how short the workouts are. I am feeling fairly confident that I will be able to complete the next 26 days, and I am excited for the challenge ahead.
Although I am proud of the commitment I have put into this challenge so far, I would like to work on my diet more. Anybody that knows me knows that I am a total junk food junkie. I am always surprised by the fact that I am not super overweight because of the way that I eat. I understand that a healthy diet is just as important as exercise, so I think I will start watching what I eat more closely and avoiding all of the usual junk food that I tend to go for. Since tomorrow is rest day, maybe I will take that time to look up some healthy meals and diet tips.
After a long few days of school, work, and exercise, I am exhausted. I'm going to get some sleep now and I'll blog about some healthy food choices tomorrow! Goodnight!
Time for some Modifications
Day 3 was a huge challenge for me. After giving these first two workouts my everything, I was extremely sore yesterday. I was in so much pain walking up and down the stairs, and I had difficulty moving the entire day. For that reason, I waited until late at night to do my workout.
Here is the link for Day 3. Due to my sore muscles, I made quite a few modifications to the workout, but I still pushed my way through the entire video.
The first modification to this workout that I made was during the Elbow Ups. I attempted to do these the regular way, but I could not push myself up. I did the rest of them with my knees on the ground, which was still intense for my lower abs but I was able to lift myself the rest of the time. I actually really liked this move because I could really feel the burn in my stomach, which is the area that I want to work on the most.
The Double High Knees are extremely tiring, but not nearly as difficult as the other moves. When I found myself getting tired from these, I would stop for a moment to catch my breath or continue with regular high knees for a few seconds. It is helpful and encouraging to see that even the instructor gets winded and tired from these exercises.
The next exercise combines a few different moves. It is the Burpee + 2 Push-Ups + 2 Knee-Ups. I found this move a little difficult for the simple fact that I am a wimp and can't do push-ups. I have tried so many times but for some reason I have never been able to master the push-up. I never lower myself completely and I end up with these sad little moves that don't do anything for my body. So instead, during these 50 seconds I found it more beneficial for myself to just do knee-ups the entire time. I got really sore really fast from doing this, but it seemed like it was doing more for me than push-ups.
Now would be a good time for me to mention that I do not own a dip station like they use in these videos. To substitute, I use a Gazelle that I have in my basement, shown below. I simply hold myself up on the sides of the Gazelle instead of the dip station.
The next moves, Superman Swings, are possibly the most difficult things I have tried to do- no joke. I tried my hardest to do these without falling over, but I was very unsuccessful. The strength required to balance during this move is incredible. After a few failed attempts, I decided to do the modified move and do these on my knees. This was doable, but by no means easy. Even on my knees, it required great balance and I was already exhausted from the previous moves.
After this video was done, I felt the burn but was nowhere near as sore as I thought I would be, considering how sore I was before I began. I'll admit that I did feel a little disappointed in myself, but I had to remind myself that I pushed myself without hurting myself. Today I can say that I am very happy that I modified some of the moves because I can actually walk today. My legs, butt, and abs are still burning, but I'm able to move more easily than I did yesterday.
I am surprised that I have not been discouraged and given up yet. (Yes, I known it has only been three days but after the pain I was in yesterday, I was close to calling it quits!) Each day I just tell myself that I am one day closer to my goal. Tonight I will continue my challenge with Day 4, and I am looking forward to rest day tomorrow!!
Here is the link for Day 3. Due to my sore muscles, I made quite a few modifications to the workout, but I still pushed my way through the entire video.
The first modification to this workout that I made was during the Elbow Ups. I attempted to do these the regular way, but I could not push myself up. I did the rest of them with my knees on the ground, which was still intense for my lower abs but I was able to lift myself the rest of the time. I actually really liked this move because I could really feel the burn in my stomach, which is the area that I want to work on the most.
The Double High Knees are extremely tiring, but not nearly as difficult as the other moves. When I found myself getting tired from these, I would stop for a moment to catch my breath or continue with regular high knees for a few seconds. It is helpful and encouraging to see that even the instructor gets winded and tired from these exercises.
The next exercise combines a few different moves. It is the Burpee + 2 Push-Ups + 2 Knee-Ups. I found this move a little difficult for the simple fact that I am a wimp and can't do push-ups. I have tried so many times but for some reason I have never been able to master the push-up. I never lower myself completely and I end up with these sad little moves that don't do anything for my body. So instead, during these 50 seconds I found it more beneficial for myself to just do knee-ups the entire time. I got really sore really fast from doing this, but it seemed like it was doing more for me than push-ups.
Now would be a good time for me to mention that I do not own a dip station like they use in these videos. To substitute, I use a Gazelle that I have in my basement, shown below. I simply hold myself up on the sides of the Gazelle instead of the dip station.
The next moves, Superman Swings, are possibly the most difficult things I have tried to do- no joke. I tried my hardest to do these without falling over, but I was very unsuccessful. The strength required to balance during this move is incredible. After a few failed attempts, I decided to do the modified move and do these on my knees. This was doable, but by no means easy. Even on my knees, it required great balance and I was already exhausted from the previous moves.
After this video was done, I felt the burn but was nowhere near as sore as I thought I would be, considering how sore I was before I began. I'll admit that I did feel a little disappointed in myself, but I had to remind myself that I pushed myself without hurting myself. Today I can say that I am very happy that I modified some of the moves because I can actually walk today. My legs, butt, and abs are still burning, but I'm able to move more easily than I did yesterday.
I am surprised that I have not been discouraged and given up yet. (Yes, I known it has only been three days but after the pain I was in yesterday, I was close to calling it quits!) Each day I just tell myself that I am one day closer to my goal. Tonight I will continue my challenge with Day 4, and I am looking forward to rest day tomorrow!!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Day 2: I need a reality check
I just finished the second workout from this 30 day challenge. Right now I'm sitting at my kitchen table and I would much rather be sitting on my comfy couch, but I am way too sore to walk to the next room. Where do I begin?? I guess I'll start where I left off with my last entry...
After my last ramble of a post I decided to head to Walmart to purchase a kettlebell and some sand. The workouts included in this challenge require only a few pieces of equipment, but of course they're items that I don't already own. For instance, the workouts regularly involve a sand bag. It's a modified duffle bag that holds small bags of sand inside. You can purchase these here on their website, but I didn't want to spend that much on something I could make myself.
So I headed to Walmart, and of course they don't have sand there. How does Walmart carry literally everything you could ever need except for sand?? Anways, I went to Home Depot and found the sand. I was just a little bit surprised by the fact that sand doesn't come in bags less than 40 lbs. I'm sure the associates got a kick out of watching me struggle to lift that into my cart that kept rolling away. And then I faced another adventure of attempting to lift it out of the cart and into my car. At least I provided some entertainment for onlookers.
Long story short, I decided to make some modifications to the workout equipment that the instructors use. I went home and filled some ziplock baggies with sand, put those inside of a plastic bag in case they open, and put that inside of an old duffle bag. (One recommendation I have is to use a duffle bag with handles or something to grab onto- mine kept slipping out of my hand today.) I weighed my duffle bag and it was 17.8 lbs. Their website shows that they only fill their bags to 20 lbs, so I figured a little less was fine for a beginner (later I found out this was way too heavy- I'll address that soon). I included a picture of my "homemade sand bag" below and the bottom left picture shows the completed bag next to my shoe for size.
Day 2 was much more difficult than Day 1, partially due to the fact that I was already sore from the first day. But I pushed myself and did all of the moves along with the instructor. I will admit that I took a short break for about 3 minutes between the first and second rounds. Keep in mind that the video provides no time for a break, so there's no chance to even take a sip of water. I stretched and complained and drank some water during those 3 minutes and then I was back to it. By no means was any part of this workout easy, but I pushed myself very hard and tried keeping up with the instructor, Rita, to the best of my ability.
After today's workout was finished, Rita took a moment to say a few motivational words about the next 28 days and modifications for beginners. This part of the video was critical for me to hear. Rita said that beginners should be working at their own pace and doing what they are able to do. She said that beginners can begin without weights at all and just going through the motions without the sand bag or other equipment is still beneficial. The last thing she said was to keep in mind that she didn't just start doing this; she has been doing this for 6 years and slowly working up to where she is today.
Rita = 6 years. Brittney = 2 days. Hmm...
I need to SLOW DOWN. The one thing I can say about these workouts is that they are definitely effective. You can feel the burn right away and they get your heart pumping hard. But I really need to keep in mind that these instructors have been doing this for much longer than I have. They are stronger and more capable of doing these intense moves. I need to slow down a little and do the moves at my own pace.
So please, for anyone who might be reading this and wanting to attempt the videos- be careful. Don't push yourself too hard or hurt yourself. I definitely don't want to get hurt because I won't be able to complete the challenge, and then these last two days (even though it's only been two days) will be for nothing. I want to see a change in myself for the better, not worse. This is a process, and I have to start small before I can do such advanced moves. It will take time, but I'll get there.
After my last ramble of a post I decided to head to Walmart to purchase a kettlebell and some sand. The workouts included in this challenge require only a few pieces of equipment, but of course they're items that I don't already own. For instance, the workouts regularly involve a sand bag. It's a modified duffle bag that holds small bags of sand inside. You can purchase these here on their website, but I didn't want to spend that much on something I could make myself.
So I headed to Walmart, and of course they don't have sand there. How does Walmart carry literally everything you could ever need except for sand?? Anways, I went to Home Depot and found the sand. I was just a little bit surprised by the fact that sand doesn't come in bags less than 40 lbs. I'm sure the associates got a kick out of watching me struggle to lift that into my cart that kept rolling away. And then I faced another adventure of attempting to lift it out of the cart and into my car. At least I provided some entertainment for onlookers.
Long story short, I decided to make some modifications to the workout equipment that the instructors use. I went home and filled some ziplock baggies with sand, put those inside of a plastic bag in case they open, and put that inside of an old duffle bag. (One recommendation I have is to use a duffle bag with handles or something to grab onto- mine kept slipping out of my hand today.) I weighed my duffle bag and it was 17.8 lbs. Their website shows that they only fill their bags to 20 lbs, so I figured a little less was fine for a beginner (later I found out this was way too heavy- I'll address that soon). I included a picture of my "homemade sand bag" below and the bottom left picture shows the completed bag next to my shoe for size.
Day 2 was much more difficult than Day 1, partially due to the fact that I was already sore from the first day. But I pushed myself and did all of the moves along with the instructor. I will admit that I took a short break for about 3 minutes between the first and second rounds. Keep in mind that the video provides no time for a break, so there's no chance to even take a sip of water. I stretched and complained and drank some water during those 3 minutes and then I was back to it. By no means was any part of this workout easy, but I pushed myself very hard and tried keeping up with the instructor, Rita, to the best of my ability.
After today's workout was finished, Rita took a moment to say a few motivational words about the next 28 days and modifications for beginners. This part of the video was critical for me to hear. Rita said that beginners should be working at their own pace and doing what they are able to do. She said that beginners can begin without weights at all and just going through the motions without the sand bag or other equipment is still beneficial. The last thing she said was to keep in mind that she didn't just start doing this; she has been doing this for 6 years and slowly working up to where she is today.
Rita = 6 years. Brittney = 2 days. Hmm...
I need to SLOW DOWN. The one thing I can say about these workouts is that they are definitely effective. You can feel the burn right away and they get your heart pumping hard. But I really need to keep in mind that these instructors have been doing this for much longer than I have. They are stronger and more capable of doing these intense moves. I need to slow down a little and do the moves at my own pace.
So please, for anyone who might be reading this and wanting to attempt the videos- be careful. Don't push yourself too hard or hurt yourself. I definitely don't want to get hurt because I won't be able to complete the challenge, and then these last two days (even though it's only been two days) will be for nothing. I want to see a change in myself for the better, not worse. This is a process, and I have to start small before I can do such advanced moves. It will take time, but I'll get there.
What am I getting myself into?
Good morning! Or should I say sore morning...
I have decided to make a blog that follows my experience during a 30 day workout challenge. Why, you may ask? Well for one, I have to make a blog for my journalism course at school. The topic is pretty open ended so I decided to make it about something that will push me to better myself. Also, I think I might be crazy.
I am not usually one to be a hardcore workout/health enthusiast, but I always seem to find myself going back to the same website with workout videos. The instructors are intense and their bodies are incredible! I have tried a video or two here and there, but I have never done it regularly. However, lately I have had a bit more free time and I've decided I would use that time to better my body and mind.
Between going to school full-time and working, I like to keep myself pretty busy. But lately my usual friend-filled weekends have been a little emptier due to some falling out with close friends. I am hoping to take this time to reevaluate what I want in life and get my priorities in order. While I hope to improve my body physically, I am looking forward to the time to myself to think and reflect. That is why I named this blog "A Better Brittney".
Well that's enough about my pathetic reasons for wanting to blog about working out.
Before we get started, I should preface this blog entry with the fact that I am in no way overweight or in need of a body transformation. I am a tiny 22 year old, barely hitting 5'1" and weighing about 104 lbs. Like most young girls my age, I just want to tone my body and lose a little flab around my midsection. Woohoo!
The workout that I have decided to follow involves HIIT workouts. This means high intensity interval training. Back in January I signed up for a 30 day challenge, but I could never bring myself to do it. I saved all of the videos and now is the time! I figure that blogging about this will also push me to keep going and not give up. I have provided the link to the video for Day 1 here. I am pretty proud to say that I completed Day 1 training last night and I tried my hardest to push myself through the entire workout without being a baby like usual and giving up. Now before you look at the video or attempt the workout, you are probably going to laugh at me when you see that the workout is only 12 minutes long. But the thing with HIIT training is that you do short workouts and push yourself to the extreme during that short amount of time.
To say that I am sore this morning after my workout last night would be an understatement. I really wanted to give up when I was hurting but I kept telling myself "it's only 12 minutes- keep pushing". I am glad I did. I love the burn of a good workout the next day. But now I have to do the second day... Yikes. I'll put up another post later when I finish Day 2!
I have decided to make a blog that follows my experience during a 30 day workout challenge. Why, you may ask? Well for one, I have to make a blog for my journalism course at school. The topic is pretty open ended so I decided to make it about something that will push me to better myself. Also, I think I might be crazy.
I am not usually one to be a hardcore workout/health enthusiast, but I always seem to find myself going back to the same website with workout videos. The instructors are intense and their bodies are incredible! I have tried a video or two here and there, but I have never done it regularly. However, lately I have had a bit more free time and I've decided I would use that time to better my body and mind.
Between going to school full-time and working, I like to keep myself pretty busy. But lately my usual friend-filled weekends have been a little emptier due to some falling out with close friends. I am hoping to take this time to reevaluate what I want in life and get my priorities in order. While I hope to improve my body physically, I am looking forward to the time to myself to think and reflect. That is why I named this blog "A Better Brittney".
Well that's enough about my pathetic reasons for wanting to blog about working out.
Before we get started, I should preface this blog entry with the fact that I am in no way overweight or in need of a body transformation. I am a tiny 22 year old, barely hitting 5'1" and weighing about 104 lbs. Like most young girls my age, I just want to tone my body and lose a little flab around my midsection. Woohoo!
The workout that I have decided to follow involves HIIT workouts. This means high intensity interval training. Back in January I signed up for a 30 day challenge, but I could never bring myself to do it. I saved all of the videos and now is the time! I figure that blogging about this will also push me to keep going and not give up. I have provided the link to the video for Day 1 here. I am pretty proud to say that I completed Day 1 training last night and I tried my hardest to push myself through the entire workout without being a baby like usual and giving up. Now before you look at the video or attempt the workout, you are probably going to laugh at me when you see that the workout is only 12 minutes long. But the thing with HIIT training is that you do short workouts and push yourself to the extreme during that short amount of time.
To say that I am sore this morning after my workout last night would be an understatement. I really wanted to give up when I was hurting but I kept telling myself "it's only 12 minutes- keep pushing". I am glad I did. I love the burn of a good workout the next day. But now I have to do the second day... Yikes. I'll put up another post later when I finish Day 2!
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