I've been reading this link up since it started...and finally got in the groove to participate.
Where do I begin? Just like my About section describes...I tend to be a perfectionist and make things more difficult than they need to be. In the area of health and fitness I will say that I am making huge progress in the way I tackle working out.
Who do I credit? This lady.
Yes...we've all heard how amazing the 30 Day Shred is and that Jillian Michaels is "TVs thoughest trainer"...yadi yadi yada. What connected for me was one of her trademark sayings, "...spend hours phoning it in at the gym..."
OMG!
That is me!
I would tell myself, "Okay you are going to the gym. You are burning 500 calories before you leave. If that means you spend an hour and a half on the elliptical machine then by golly that is what you're doing!"
What was the result = A lot of sweat, feet that were falling asleep, and incredibly slow results.
Holy Heck! How counter productive. I'm working out more and seeing less results.
That is until I started doing the 30 Day Shred. The hour and a half elliptical workout had nothing on those 20 minutes.
I use 5lb weights for all strength training exercises (except for the anterior raises with a side lunge...my shoulders kill me during this exercise so I currently use 3lb weights).
I've also incorporated the treadmill into my routine. Again...no phoning it in.
I do a 20 minute treadmill workout that has my heart wanting to literally beat out of my chest by the end of the second minute.
I rotate the following incline:
2 minutes at 3.5 mph and a 5% incline
2 minutes at 3.5 mph and a 9% incline (working on getting to 10%)
...until I reach 20 minutes (I'm working toward a goal of 30 minutes)
This not only gets your heart pumping, but it is giving your lower body an amazing workout.
I'm not the type of person who likes to switch up her daily exercises...I'm routine all the way...so I do the same thing everyday...and after a total of 40 minutes I've had an amazing workout that is giving me the results I want to see.
Am I near my goal? No. Thank goodness it is only March.
Good job Katie! I am also guilty of phoning it in sometimes. Back when I was running long distances, I liked to listen to Jillian's podcasts. I found them to be super motivating and I love her! Glad you joined the link-up, looking forward to reading more! :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea she had motivating podcasts. I guess you learn something everyday! Thanks for the info! I'm definitely checking that out.
DeleteI contribute a lot of my initial weightloss on 30 Day Shred! I have been slacking in the doing anything with weights category lately, so maybe I need to bust that bad boy out again!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a butt-kicker! I haven't really been on the "weights bandwagon" until recently. I like it because you can feel and see a difference with muscle tone much quicker than you can feel with only cardio. :-) I need that type of motivation.
DeleteYay!!! I'm so happy you've joined in on the linkup Katie!!!! I am seriously in love with Jillian and all of her workouts and i'm dying over the similarities of our posts today :) I'm a girl likes routine and having a plan, so that's probably why I'm really digging Ripped in 30. Such a great workout in only a fraction of the time I uses to spend on the elliptical. I'm looking forward to your posts each week!!!! Thanks for joining us!!
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