Moving On

I've finished 6 weeks of Slim In 6 and I have to say I am not thrilled with my results.  I lost some inches, but not nearly as much as I was hoping for and I only lost three pounds.  I exercised everyday but rather than follow the recommended food plan, I stayed on Weight Watchers.  I'm not saying that kept me from losing weight, after all Weight Watchers is a proven weight loss method.  But I really thought watching what I ate (in accordance with the WW plan), and working out, fairly intensely, six days a week, should have had better results.

But on to more exciting news.  I JUST ordered Power 90, another Beachbody workout plan.  It's the predecessor to P90X (did you know the "P" actually stands for Power) and was developed by Tony Horton.  Needless to say, it's 90 days long.  From what I've read, you rotate days between Cardio, Resistance and Ab workouts.  

It will take about a week to get here, but when it does, maybe I'll start a new Blog.  I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, I'll continue to do Burn It Up and Slim In 6-Pack, which is where I'm heading now.

Day 42 - Re-Inspired to Burn It Up

It's almost midnight and I just finished Slim & 6 Pack.  I've been debating what to do once my 6 weeks of Slim In 6 are done.  Why do I have to do something different?  Why can't I just continue with Slim In 6?  Granted, I haven't lost any weight (I was hoping to lose 13 lbs. in 6 weeks), but I have lost inches.  My clothes fit a lot better and I think I look better.  Of course there's still room for improvement, but why does it have to be with a different routine?

I have to admit that since starting Burn It Up, I haven't been fully invested.  I don't particularly like Amber & Jonathan (the people working out on the video).  Debbie doesn't seem quite as encouraging as she's been on the other DVD's.  It also bothers me that it takes more than an hour.  And it's difficult!  Because of all this, I'm not jumping up in the morning and immediately starting to work out like I was in the beginning.  Once, I think it was near midnight before I forced myself to exercise.  Another day, I did Cardio Express rather than Burn It Up.  And this morning I went back to Ramp It Up.  I talked to my sister about it and asked what difference it makes if I just continue with Ramp It Up?  It's still a really good workout and no one is keeping score.  She agreed, although I don't think she was really paying attention.  Then I asked my husband (looking for more confirmation that it didn't matter if I took the easy way out).  Surprisingly, he totally disagreed!  He said it was like quitting before I was done and that I wouldn't be completing "Slim In 6".  So, today, I spent quite a while on the internet reading peoples' stories about their transformations and I got re-inspired.  So, I am going to continue with Burn It Up for at least another 14 workout days before I think about moving on.  Next week I will be away for 4 days and I won't be able to exercise or blog.  But I will complete all my workouts when I get back.

I've also decided that Power 90 is going to be my next step.  There were so many positive transformation stories about Power 90 and many of the people had started with Slim In 6 and moved on.  So, when I'm ready, I'll move on to Power 90.  But for now I'm dedicating myself back to Burn It Up.

Day 41 - Could Power 90 Be Next?

It's almost 10:00 PM and I haven't started my workout yet.  I plan to begin in 10 minutes, right after America's Got Talent.  I've been researching my next workout routine and I think I'm leaning toward Tony Horton's Power 90.  I read a detailed review from Lori Harden at Extremely-Fit.com and it sounds like it might be a great next step.  I think it's a little more varied than Slim In 6, you do cardio one day, strength training the next, back to cardio, add an Ab routine, etc.  Also, the workouts are only 30 - 40 minutes long.    And the Ab routine is 6 minutes.  Slim In 6, as you know, is the same routine every day and it's over an hour long with an additional 15 minute Ab work out.  As I'm winding down on my six weeks, I decided to start looking for something new.  I still don't think I'm ready for P90X but Power 90 (it's predecessor) might do the trick.

That's it for tonight.  I've got to go exercise!

Day 40 - Cardio Core Express

So, the thing about today was, there just wasn't enough time to do my whole Burn It Up routine.  But, on the Start It Up video, there is a 30 minute routine called Cardio Core Express, so I figured what the heck, I'd give that a try.  It was only 30 minutes long, about 2 - 3 minutes devoted to warm up and another 2 or 3 for stretching at the end.  But the 24+ minutes in the middle were a pretty good workout.  Now, don't get me wrong, it was no Burn It Up, but it was quick and it was thorough.  It got my heart pumping right off the bat and kept it up almost the entire time.  It focuses on the core (midsection).  I really need more work on my thighs, but my waist can still use the help.  I had to use hand weights (5 lbs.) for parts of the routine, I really like the resistance bands, but, they weren't an option.  I have a feeling it is one of the DVD's that are included with the Slim Series Express package, so I think I'll give it another try (as I have been thinking that might be my next step).

I also did the Slim & 6 Pack tonight.  It seems like it's been a while since the last time I did that one.  It really is a great routine.  The perfect workout for me would be a complete workout in 30 minutes followed by the Slim & 6 Pack and then the Slim & Limber.  Maybe I can find something to fill the bill.  I'll let you know.

Day 39 - Down To The Wire

I know, it's been days and days since my last blog.  I don't want you think I haven't been thinking about you, I have been.  My wireless router died in a thunder storm last week and it took me a few days to replace it.  But don't worry, I have been doing my Slim In 6 workouts.  I'm down to the wire now.  Today was Day 1 of Week 6, the last week of my program.  I haven't lost the weight I was hoping to lose, but I have changed how my body looks and feels.  My clothes are much looser and I've been able to get into things I haven't worn in a long time.  I'm also much stronger than I was 6 weeks ago -- I can perform real push-ups, not the modified kind.  I can do squats forever, and there are some abdominal exercises that I never would have believed I'd be able to do.  But I'm doing them!
 
I've noticed since starting Burn It Up, I've been having a more difficult time staying motivated.  I think it might be the length of time the video takes, just over an hour.  Then another 15 minutes later in the day for either stretching or the Ab. workout.  When I'm doing the workout, I'm into it, but getting started in the morning is taking me forever.  I can find a million other things I'd rather be doing other than exercise.  To cut down on the total amount of time, I've been replacing the final few minutes of stretching & yoga with the 15 minute Slim & Limber video.  Basically killing two birds with one stone.  And my resolve has really been out when it comes to the Ab. routine.  I think I only did  it twice last week, not three times like I'm supposed to.  This week I'm going to try to do it every night.

I don't know what I'm going to do once I finish Slim In 6.  On the Start It Up video there's a routine called Cardio Express.  I think I'll give it a try and maybe look into buying the Slim Series Express work outs.  From what I understand, they're only 30 minutes long so that may be more to my liking although I don't know how effective the workouts will be.  I should finish with Burn It Up on Saturday and then maybe alternate between Burn It Up and Cardio Express.  At least until I make up my mind as to what I'm going to pursue next.  Who knows, maybe I'll attempt P90X.  I'll keep you posted on what I decide.  

Day 32 - Getting Ready To Do My Workout

It's almost 7:30 PM and I'm only now getting ready to work out.  We're still having trouble with my computer so this blog is going to be short & sweet.  I just want to say that I feel like I'm doing really well with the Burn It Up DVD.  It's considerably harder (and longer) than the others, but I think I'm considerably stronger than I was.  After the first day, I had a bit of a muscle ache in my calves, but that only lasted a few hours.  Also, I've managed to complete 15 REAL push-ups!  Not the modified version I've been doing.  Tonight I'm going to go for 30.  That's about it.  I'm logging off to go work out and I'll let you know about the push-ups tomorrow.

Day 31 - Burn It Up!

Okay, I can see what all the hoopla is about.  I did my first Burn It Up today, and did it ever!  The video is just over an hour long.  It starts with a warm up and then a very long squat sequence (it felt like a thousand).  Or maybe it was lunges.  I can't remember.  I think by the time I was finished I was delirious.  Then it moves onto the waist and core then onto lunges (or squats) whichever one was left.  Of course there was a resistance band section (longer and with more variety than in the past) then down to the mat for floor exercises to continue to work my legs and butt because they weren't completely exhausted, yet!  Then on to the Abs.  Oh, and let's not forget the push-ups.  I'm up to 30 now.  Not bad considering only 4 weeks ago I was at 8.  Debbie suggests trying the regular style push-up.  All along I've been doing the modified.  I think I'll wait a few days until I feel more comfortable with the workout before I attempt them.  There were a couple of spots where I couldn't keep up with the pace and one exercise where I felt absolutely out of sync.  But, I didn't have to pause the DVD to catch up and I didn't have to keep my hands on my hips.  So I think that's progress.  There were a few times (mostly during the lunges) when my knees hurt, so I lightly held onto the arm of the sofa for balance.  My shoulder bothered me a bit, as well, but I pushed through.  Immediately following the workout, I did the stretching video.  I thought that might help to ease any aching muscles and so far, so good.

I'll let you know how I feel in the morning.