Fitness Diary #2

Hey there, #FitFam. It’s me, with another round of trying-to-get-into-some-kind-of-shape updates.

Here’s the scoop. Since last time, I was thrown off course (sorry to disappoint) by Halloween, followed by a super bummer of a time when we decided to cancel our trip to Nashville. Life happened, I was stressed and sad, and workouts were delayed for a little while.

And that’s okay.

Since taking some time off, I decided to mix things up again. I did a few structured Beachbody workouts here and there, but mostly focused on taking long walks and bumping up my daily step count to 10,000. This kept me feeling active, because I figure that 25% is better than 0%. Some movement and activity is far better than none. I focused on that until I was ready, especially mentally, to jump back into something more intense.

Enter: Beachbody’s T25 program. Intense cardio, 25 minutes a day.

Let’s go.

Fitness Diary

Starting 11/15

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Goals

This week, my primary goal is to be consistent, press play, and get it done. Every day, do it. (Bare minimum, lol.)

I also would like to get 10,000 steps every day.

Sunday

Somehow, on an otherwise lazy Sunday, I felt compelled to do day 1 of T25, Cardio. There are three different levels to T25: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, each lasting 5 weeks, and progressing in difficulty with each program.

Ummmm, this does not feel like any kind of level one workout. Oh my god, I struggled my way through. Cardio is HARDIO.

But, I did it. I took several short breaks and made these 25 minutes stretch out into 40, but it’s over. I’m proud of this one.

Note: I also went for a 40 minute walk earlier in the day, and got 10,070 steps.

Monday

The true test of starting a program, I think, is pressing play on day 2. I’m pumped to say that I did. I finished Speed 1.0, which was a very intense combination of short bursts of cardio with (very brief) active stretching breaks.

This was tough. I took many more breaks, for much longer. This did allow me to do all of the moves at a higher intensity, but I can’t say it was pretty. I was a sweaty mess by the end. I started looking forward to the end, by the way, at about 3 minutes in.

Note: I also went for a 30 minute walk this afternoon, and got 10,654 steps. I also made an egg white omelet lunch and a beautiful quinoa, veggie, and chicken dinner. Let’s not celebrate too hard, though, because I also ate some brownie batter lol.

Tuesday

Okay, I think I lied. Day 3 feels like the toughest to keep things going. Thankfully, soreness and exhaustion couldn’t keep me down! Total Body Circuit is in the books. This was the hardest one yet. I felt as though I was doing pretty well and not taking any breaks until a chunk of the way in, until the core work came into play. Then it was hell.

My core is definitely my wink link right now. I took breaks, modified practically everything, and felt like a sweaty imposter. Lots and lots and lots of room to grow and improve. Next week, I hope to be at least 5% better and 10% less frustrated at the end.

Note: Though I missed my daily walk (that dang time change makes it hard!), I still got 10,179 steps. There was also the Bachelorette, a bottle of wine, and some brownie batter thrown in the mix.

Wednesday

Well, I did it. Lol day 4 was Ab Intervals, and I kind of feel like a weak loser? Man, it was hard. The positive part is that I didn’t take a single break. But honestly, I didn’t really do all of the reps of most of the moves, either. Planks were hard, and so were the cardio breaks—mountain climbers! They’re my nemesis!

I hope that I improve and progress. I would hate to have to repeat or start over the “Alpha” part from the beginning instead of graduating on to the next, harder stage, “Beta.” You have to be able to do all of the moves, full intensity, and kick ass to be able to succeed in the next stage, and I really want that for myself.

But, for now, I’m trying to remind myself that doing it and going for it and pressing play is absolutely better than nothing. Small, baby steps are still steps in the right direction.

Note: I went on a walk with Wally, he was an absolute monster (sometimes he uncontrollably jumps and plays tug of war with his leash and won’t stop), so it wasn’t very productive. I did a lap on my own to get some frustration out and to get more steps. I got 10,046 steps.

Thursday

I went into today with grand plans of a double T25 workout, back to back, Lower Focus followed by Cardio, because that’s what the calendar suggests. It then says to take two days off.

Well, it didn’t happen that way. Legs and cardio are probably my two weakest areas, so I adjusted appropriately. I did the day 5 Lower Focus workout and decided I had enough gas in the tank to do a short cardio Country Fix video after.

Lower Focus was, as you can imagine, hard. Lots of squats and lunges and moves that made me have to shake out my legs violently in between. I felt stronger, though. It was a great workout with less breaks and more intensity on my part, and I’m actually pretty happy with what I did. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t horrible.

I then crushed Country Heat, which is practically for babies compared to the T25 program. I went at it hard, and didn’t feel a crushing exhaustion. Gains! I took this as an opportunity to get those steps in (since I didn’t go for a walk), fully expecting to do the real cardio tomorrow.

Note: I got 10,080 steps.

Friday

I feel a little bit like I cheated myself out of the two day weekend of no workouts that this program allows for, but I went ahead and did day 6—back to Cardio.

I felt a rush going through this one, because I had an appointment right after. So, 25 minutes to get this 25-minute program done, when the last time I took closer to an hour. Lol.

Well, I did it! No breaks, not a single one. Because of that, it wasn’t as solid of a performance. I was weak by the end, and not making it through all of the moves. But! I know that it was much better than last time. I was stronger, the moves were more familiar, and I pushed myself a little harder. I’m ready to keep improving and hopefully seeing some physical changes.

Note: I got 10, steps by the end of the day. I also went for a half-hour walk to boost my step count, which was a pitiful 600 when I went in, and 5k when I got home. Whew.

In Conclusion

Goals: met! Crushed! Annihilated!

This program is hard, and I’m really proud of myself for doing it every damn day, and also going for 10k steps each day. These are two significant improvements, especially since my last week of fitness. I’m excited to keep this momentum going and carry myself into week 2.

Cheers to the next few days and the challenges they’ll bring.