21-day Check-In

Sometime back in September or October, I purchased the Beachbody 21-day Fix program.  (Note:  I am absolutely not trying to advertise the program; just wanted to provide a link that could give info on the program.  Unfortunately, Beachbody is one big commercial.)  I took it out of the box, I washed the containers and nothing.  Oddly enough, you actually have to USE the contents of the box.  *gasp*

As part of my "New Year" goals, I wanted to take back some control and put my body back into a  healthy state.  January 1, I popped in the DVD and started in on the first ~30 min video along with tracking my calorie intake.  For the first round (21 days), I focused on making a routine of working out.  I did not even bother with the meal plan.  I felt like it would just be way too much work and change for me to take on.  Really, this is knowing myself and everything else I have going on.  

The workouts were perfect.  No, I didn't enjoy every move.  I still find burpees to be torturous and side dip planks (or whatever they're called) just suck.  What I like was they were only about 30 minutes start-to-finish and each exercise was only for a minute before a brief rest.  This meant, the activity changed before I became overly bored or discouraged.  I didn't feel like I was being yelled at Jillian Michaels style.  Yes, Autumn pushes you, but in a way that really puts the accountability on you.  "Don't cheat; the only one you are cheating is yourself."  "Just be better than you were yesterday."  Each time I did a workout, I did better; more reps, less modification, less stopping in a set.  As much as there were days I was tempted to skip, I sucked it up and put in the 30 minutes.  

My actual numbers really aren't important for anybody aside from my physicians and myself.  That said, I will share, my starting body fat was 32% and BMI was 29.  After 21-days, they are now down to 31% and 28, respectively.  (I used the calculators on Active.com.)  The was after a loss of 9.4 lbs and 6-3/4 inches.  This is the first time I have any sort of tracking other than weight (and how my clothes fit!).  

I'm starting a second 21-day cycle.  This time, will try to follow the meal plan and see if it makes a difference.  I'm also trying to use heavier weights for some of he exercises.  I'll report back how it goes.