T25 - Day 27 (Beta Round)

Speed 2.0 is definitely a step up from 1.0.  I was doing this workout in the basement with my husband in the morning and as soon as minute one was going we looked at each other like "he's not wasting any time!".  A push for sure.  But after the 5 weeks of Alpha I think I've conditioned myself to like it already.  Plus every time I talk to someone that's doing the program too, they tell me how much they are loving it.  Cool! 

-In case you don't know, I am a Coach with Beachbody and I run weight loss test groups for this new program.  That's where the feedback is coming from.  Please contact me if you are interested in participating in one.  I have limited slots available with this new release.  And I am able to get my clients bonus dvds with their order -  email me at jenngibbs@fitfeelsgood.com
 

T25 - Moving on to Beta Round!

For simplicity's sake I will call this Day 26 instead of Round 2, Day 1 or something like that.  Very colorful right?  The regular T25 pack comes with the first two levels, Alpha and Beta.  Gamma can be purchased separately as an add-on later if you like.   Hmmm...

What is Beta like??  Well, not as scary as I had thought.  I know I'm stronger than when I started, but it's still nice to get to the end of the workout and feel encouraged to come back for the next day.  It's like Christmas - I wonder what the next workout dvd will be like!  Except instead of carols you get Shaun T. telling you you're not done yet and push harder!

T25 - Day 25!

So we had a big birthday in the family and celebrated at Lake Powell.  On day 25 I did not have access to a dvd player (stating the obvious!), but did still make sure to get a good core and strength workout for my fifth day of the week. 

Notice anything different about this picture?  How is it different from every other wakeboarding picture I have had taken in the past?  You guessed it - no board shorts!  Yes indeed, for the first time I am feeling confident enough about my bottom half that I am not compelled to keep it covered.  That was one of my goals - to be the cute Roxy-like girl who puts on a Tshirt as a coverup and leaves the board shorts off when she wants cuz she knows she looks that good. 

Still not quite to goal, but pretty proud.  My reward for completing my first 25 days of Focus T25?  A new swimsuit of course!  I'll be posting that one during the vacation to Mexico pics next week...

T25 Day 24 - Under the weather

Sadly, I caught something.  I am not happy about this.  I love my workouts and breathing in general, so I don't like not doing it whenever I want to.  I usually have a pretty stong immune system - I give credit to nutrition here - but the best nutrition cannot win if you never let your body rest and use it, and consistently getting 5-6 hours of sleep can only last so long.  My body forced me to take a rest. 

I didn't get hit too hard, thankfully.  But will take this as a rest day out of order...

T25 Day 23 - Ready for class?



The reason for my little sidetrack yesterday is that in lieu of my regularly schedules T25 dvd, a couple of times this week I did a practice run through of my entire Insanity class which is scheduled to debut tomorrow (Day 24).  I am counting it as a valid substitute, only because it is also a Shaun T workout of equal or greater length.  Plus I wanted to make sure I knew it and could do the whole thing through. 

I am amazed how quickly the body adapts!  It doesn't take much time at all to get stronger!  You feel more powerful, you walk taller, you know you are on track toward your goals and there is nothing like that feeling!  I hope my readers can pass quickly through the focus on "getting the workout done", to a focus on how good their body feels, both during and after these workouts.  The science is there, the results are there. The commitment to sticking to a program has helped me immeasureably.  For whatever reason, this Focus T25 program has been the magic for my consistency. 

I don't know if it's just because I feel like 25 minutes a day is reasonable and doable, or that I feel my body changing so quickly, or maybe it's because I have been super-consistent at developing a habit of exercising at the same time every day - 7:15am.  Maybe this is just the program that came along when I was ready.  But I am just having a great time with it.  I find myself looking forward to it and slightly deflated on the rest days.  It's like I crave it now.  Weird huh?  I didn't start this way.

T25 Day 22 - Shaun T. Academy

If you have read my profile or earlier posts, you will know that I teach Zumba classes.  When my longer term students started asking for more toning (I didn't love what Zumba had to offer), I started looking around.  I got a certification to teach PiYo which is a toning and core workout inspired by Pilates and Yoga.  I didn't love it as much as I had hoped though, and wasn't driven to put the class together.  Live Insanity is another story. 

I was very intimidated when I went to my first live Insanity workout.  It looks so intense on TV and I actually had a little ego at stake.  I have been teaching fitness classes for two years.  What if I can't do this workout?  I took a couple of my students with me just for fun, then realized what I had done!  I had a great instructor and really pushed myself.  At one point I had to take a walk so I wouldn't puke - man I felt like a real athlete then!  I had to modify many times during the workout, but it's set up so everyone can go at their own pace, not even with the music.  After just a few times I noticed it was getting much easier, OR I was getting stronger fast.  And that I liked.  Seeing muscle definition I liked.  This class did inspire me!

I like to pay it forward, so when I got the chance several weeks later to teach this format myself, I decided to take it. 

T25 Day 21 - Feeling Strong

Sweat in my mouth.  Ha!  Got so into the workout this morning that I forgot to wipe the sweat off my face (did swipe over my eyes with the back of my hand so I could see straight).  Salty evidence of all my work.

Today was Total Body Circuit.  Up and down and plank and sprint and pushup.  None of which I usually enjoy on my own, but somehow Shaun makes it a little more fun.  I am feeling ready for something more though.  I didn't imagine saying this in Week 1, but it is getting easier now and I feel like I'm much stronger.  I do still modify the pushups, but only sometimes (a little fear of a shoulder injury keeps popping up).  Next week I feel I will be ready for Beta round.  And I realized this morning I have been a little off on my days.  Today is actually Day 21 -  Monday of week 5.  I had been counting every day instead of the 5 workout days per week.  Which is ok since I skipped a couple of days here and there posting.  I did NOT skip the workouts on those days. 

I feel like I am doing a good job of representing the results of the workout, but not necessarily the Program.  My big plan at Day 1 was to do the entire program to the "T" (pun!) including the meal plan.  @#%$!  Didn't happen.  I was given advice though, to show vulnerability and so I am being truthful and hopefully that will connect with and help others that are on a similar path as me.  I think people often assume that because I teach fitness classes I also have my nutrition totally under control.  While I do know a lot about it, I still have my own vices and perhaps some of what I share can be helpful, along with letting people know they don't have to be perfect. 

If you are having trouble sticking to a plan (ANY plan), whether it is T25 or not, here are some tips.

1.  Focus on where you can have success.  Do a workout.  Even if your diet is totally out of control the entire day, let yourself have some success on the physical side.  Do something active - even if it is 5 minutes of walking 2 days of the week.  Make forward progress.  This you can succeed at if everything else you do you feel like a failure at.  You control this.

2.  Put something good in your body.  Set yourself a goal to eat one more serving of veggies than you normally would.  If you are eating drive-thrus all day, go to the store on purpose and buy one bag of baby carrots and eat one serving.  This you can succeed at even if your diet is junk the rest of the day.  Ideally it won't be, but celebrate doing something right.  Move forward.  One step at a time.  The best thing I put in my body every day is the superfood meal replacement Shakeology.  I'm not just saying this - you will feel a difference when you are getting protein and fiber and probiotics and superfoods and adaptagens into your body on a regular basis.  If you don't know about this awesome shake, go to www.shakeology.com/jenngibbs and take a look at the science.  It is one reason that despite my downfalls of diet, I haven't eaten plates of brownies or bowls of cookie dough in these few weeks.  It really has calmed and controlled my raging sweet-tooth, which I thought was impossible.

So I will put a mental checkmark on workout and feel great all day.  I wish you the same!

Back under the Bar - Day 19

When you are within that last 5-10 pounds to lose it can be tough.  For one thing, you aren't uncomfortable enough.  Your clothes fit ok.  You look pretty good.  You rationalize "I can eat that cuz I workout a lot".  People tell you that you look fine and don't need to lose any weight.  It is a different set of problems than someone who is trying to learn to eat right.  I pretty much have that down, it's what I eat on top of the good stuff that sets me back.  If I was happy there, that would be one thing.  But for once in my life I want physical excellence, and I have chosen now and this program to take me there.  My lucky readers get a peak into my inner workings here. 

I'm going to talk about specifics again.  Keep in mind I am 5'10" almost.  I remember in my early twenties feeling like I was pushing my limits of what weight was acceptable for me personally when I was in the 145 range.  Just so you know this was not a fit 140 pounds.  This was the point in my life when occasionally I would realize I hadn't exercised for three months at a time.  Then I decided 150 was my absolute high limit and if the scale ever went there I had to do a drastic diet.  Then I realized that I felt bad about myself and kind of heavy when I was in the 160's during a stressful time when I owned a business.  As 40 approached, I got some good exercise habits together but still didn't quite dial in the nutrition part.  My body had settled to around 150-158 as normal.  Insert frownie. 

So for me the 150 mark has been the one to conquer for a while.  Day 19 was where I came back down from the damage and saw 149.6 again.  Granted, I am putting on muscle with these workouts for sure.  But I still like the numbers to go right. 

Day 16 - Thank you Shaun T.

Thank you Shaun T for not beating me up too bad on my indulgences.  Thank you for making me work and push myself.  I appreciate you pointing to Tanya for modifications, though it is just mental at this point.  I can do the harder stuff by now for the most part.  Thanks for being there for me every day at 7:15AM and never showing up later than me.  You are always showtime ready and good to go.  Excellent workout every time.  What a great trainer!

Holiday Recovery - Days 12 to 15

The party's over.  I'm trying to stay positive and not get down on myself.  In genereal my food choices are stellar since I began this program.  Why do we focus on the rough spots?  Well, because I want perfection.  I want to make perfect choices and have a perfect body and be perfectly happy.  And now I feel like a toddler on a rant.  That's okay.  Perfection is not real life, and this is.  I can want it all I like, and I can have it if I choose better.  But apparently I was not ready to do that yet.

I did get my workouts in.  Like clockwork.  I am finding it's easier to control something you DO (i.e. exercise) versus something you DO NOT do (like eat the bowl of Sour Cream and Onion Lays at your neighbors BBQ so they have to open another bag).  It's all about decision.  When I decided I would have no more chips and physically removed myself from within 2 feet of the bowl, I had no more problems.  In general still made excellent choices aside from the chips.  No sweets, which I thought would be my biggest issue.  Yay!  But after two days in a row of making diet exceptions, I did the typical thing that dieters do and threw in the towel for the weekend.  Not crazy, just several rationalizations.  Like there are no Sunday morning waffles on the T25 meal plan...

So Monday came and I was to get back on track. Hmmm.  It really is so much better to stay focused.  That one stupid handful of candied nuts set me back five days in my eating.  And took away some of the progress I had worked so hard for on the scale.  Didn't I already learn this lesson over my anniversary?  Well here we go again, back to business.  Feeling good again. 

Happy 4th of July - day 11

Well I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.  Sigh.  Independence Day was on Thursday.  I didn't go anywhere.  I said I would not deviate from my T25 meal plan.  But then I thought, "I'll just have one handful of candied almonds".  They were made by a friend, and in general one literal handful is about the right serving size for nuts, right?  But then I knew where they were.  And I got just one more handful.  And I haven't had anything that sweet for 11 days now.  They were so good, and so I got just one more handful.  And as I was enjoying them along with the guilt that had fully settled in by that time, I realized I just needed to get them out of my house ASAP, so I put them on a bowl on the table and stayed on the other side of the kitchen until the company devoured them.  I staged my own little intervention, which might be considered progress from days past.  We move on right?

On the bright side, I didn't have any cookies or dessert (well, if you don't count the candied nuts), and I had some Sunchips, but not a crazy amount, and no white bun for my burger.  Yes on salad and beans.  I would give myself a C- for the day.  And I did do my workout, so A+ there.

Day 11 - My Numbers

I'm going to get very specific about my numbers.  I feel as if I should offer some kind of disclaimer here "your results may vary".  There.  That said, I appreciate the rare times that I can actually find someone willing to share their actual numbers.  I like to get a real idea of what's possible.  So I will share mine here.  Go bodly and all that.  Keep in mind that I am about 5'10'' so these may or may not be something realistic for your own profile.  Deep breath.  Here I go.  Focus on the progress, not where I am.

T25 Day 1 - 154.6 pounds
T25 Day 2 - 150.8
T25 Day 3- 150.2
T25 Day 4 - 151.8 (anniversary)
T25 Day 5 - 150.6
T25 Day 6 - 150.0
T25 Day 7 - 150.8
T25 Day 8 - 149.6 (yeah! broke 150!)
T25 Day 9 - 149.2
T25 Day 10 - 149.2
T25 Day 11 - 148.6 (down 6 pounds)

So that equals 6 pounds lost in 11 days from a pretty fit person to start with.  Really impressive results. 

Day 10 of my T25 transformation

Speed 1.0 is the dvd today.  I actually was looking forward to doing this again.  There are a couple of moves that are just really fun.  Like the Heisman crossword.  It's just fun.  I smile while I work.  It was measurably easier than last week.  It seems odd that I am getting conditioned that fast, but the body is amazing. 

Today I did the workout in my basement with my husband.  I like the team feel.  Some days we have to workout at separate times, but it's fun when we can together.  One thing that has helped me is planning my workout the same time every day.  7:15 seems to be the magic hour for me.  If I do it before other things start vying for my attention, I just feel better all day physically and it doesn't hang over my head. 

A caveat here - small breakfast before.  Usually I will get up and drink a big glass of water, and have a piece of fruit like a banana before the workout.  I want quick energy, easily digestible.  Then when I am done I make my real breakfast.  I know there are a lot of philosophies about pre-workout nutrition, but this seems to work for me.  I get my protein when the workout is over.  Protein is harder for the body to digest, and I want my energy going to Shaun T for those 25 minutes. 

On this day I was feeling hungry, so grabbed a bowl of brown rice with almond milk and some cut up peaches about an hour before.  I had pushed exercising a little later.  It made me nervous though, and I did get a cramp in the last two minutes.  So stick to the basics is my advice.

My T25 - Day 9 Total Body Circuit

Done.  Again, pouring sweat off my face, especially when I am down in plank position.  I love it.  What I also love is the countdown in the corner. 

If you have never used one of the Beachbody home workouts, one of the cool features they have is a little countdown graphic in the bottom corner of your TV screen the whole time your are doing the exercises.  In the Focus T25 dvds, it counts down your 25 minutes and right above it there is a bar that shows how much time is left in each segment.  In other words, if you are doing 30 seconds of plank push-ups, it shows the time going by with a yellow bar filling up.  Caveman easy encouragement when you are still trying to breathe and don't have much attention left for anything but continuing to move your body and do what Shaun T says.

For sure an intense workout.  I do as much as I can and find myself modifying certain segments just to keep moving.  I figure every time I do it I get stronger, but sometimes I have to take a quick stand-up out of the squats or take the jump out of the cardio for a few seconds, then hop back in.  I'm looking forward to being strong enough to do the entire workouts as they are.  I still have 3 1/2 weeks left in Alpha phase to lay that foundation.  On to day 10.

Day 8 of T25

Well the scariest part is over.  I have been through a whole week of T25 already, so it doesn't seem as bad as before starting.  Nothing killed me last week, so I'm feeling pretty good about the upcoming week.  I did the cardio again for Monday of the second week.  What I didn't realize is that it's not the same workout every Monday, Tuesday, etc.  They shift around.  Kind of better than getting bored. 

I poured off MASSIVE sweat, which I loved.  And even several minutes after the cool-down I was still dripping sweat profusely.  I heard a quote that "sweat is fat crying".  Yeah!  Take that stubborn hitch-hiker!

I took a photo (day 1, week2) which I will be posting soon.  I'm really looking forward to having something dramatic to compare.  I look like I have been body misted for the sake of the photo, but it's all the real deal, actual sweat.  On to Tuesday...