March 2016 Goal
So this month, it's back to an exercise goal for me! (in My Healthiest Year Yet Challenge)
I have been feeling the need (again) to get my literal rear-in-gear in that department. It could be that swimsuit season is inching closer (ack! Insert all my shallow-and-superficial-but-very-real-panic here!). Could be that my posture keeps getting worse and worse, making my back a little grouchy. And also could be all this spring-like sunshine reminding me that there are fun, outside, active things in my future (hiking, and swimming, and sportsing, oh my!)...things I don't want to have to avoid because I'm not physically ready.
Whatever the reason, I'm to feel the burn, baby!
My goal this month is kind of hard to put into specific words. The bottom line is to exercise. The more elaborate version is to workout according to the Sweat With Kayla app on my phone. I'll tell you more about that in a sec, but I guess when it's all put together, my goal is:
To follow Kayla Itsine's workout program for the month of March, via the Sweat With Kayla app....(and, honestly, longer than that...but I'm just framing it in "monthly goal" words.)
Ta-daa!
It feels a little cheesy to me to use a work-out program but I'm feeling like I need someone else to be the boss of me right now to get me started. There's also a ready-made eating plan on there, too! Complete with recipes and shopping lists...AMAZING, right!?
Anyways, I'm sure I could make my own workout plan, and meal plan, etc. etc....but the energy I'm saving by letting her do all the work for me sounds SOOoo much more attractive at this point in my life. Maybe someday when I'm an Australian Health Guru (like Kayla Itsines) with oodles of time, it'll just be easier to do it myself. But not now, not yet. SO...I'm just letting Kayla tell me what to do.
And just as a side note: I just chose this app/program because...well, I wanted to. Ha! I needed the motivation of a structured program that will guilt me into using it because I spent good money on it. BUT! there are so many other routes I could have taken. I love Jillian Michael's workouts. Training for a race is good motivation! Even just going on a daily walk. Anything is better than nothing. So it's not really all-about-the-app. It's just about the exercise. I'll tell you more about the app in case you're curious, but the bottom line here is EXERCISE.
So, the app. It's a monthly subscription one, so kind of like paying for a cheap gym membership. There is a free week-long trial, though, so you can test-drive it before you commit for the long-term.
So far, it's been three 28-min HIIT (high-intensity interval training) resistance workouts a week. Those are the ones that make you sweat and hurt. Then somewhere in that week you also do three LISS (low intensity steady state) sessions of about 30-40mins (like walking or steadily jumping on the mini-trampoline while watching Fuller House...ha!). There are also recovery sessions (stretching, cool-downs, etc.) to help with sore muscles. It sounds like a lot! But it's actually been just the frequency and variety that I need to keep me from getting bored too quickly (which is totally what I would risk if I decided my workouts myself). It changes as you go through the weeks, and I'm just in the beginner training sessions, so I haven't really gotten into the true HIIT workouts yet. It's also designed to be done in the comfort of your own home, which I appreciate since I live out in the country at the moment and nowhere near a gym.
The app's eating plan is based on the Australian food guide. The food is good! And you can switch your meals between standard, vegetarian, and vegan plans if need be. I might try the vegetarian recipes since I'm trying to increase my whole plant food intake and seriously decrease my meat intake...but so far the regular eating plan has been just fine (not crazy amounts of animal protein or anything), and easily adaptable if I want to switch out the meat for beans or leave out the cheese or whatever. So we'll see whether I officially switch over or not.
So there it is. I took before pictures, and will take after pictures, but you will never see them! Maybe. Probably. It's embarrassing to be half-naked on the internet. Happy March-so-far!
My goal this month is kind of hard to put into specific words. The bottom line is to exercise. The more elaborate version is to workout according to the Sweat With Kayla app on my phone. I'll tell you more about that in a sec, but I guess when it's all put together, my goal is:
To follow Kayla Itsine's workout program for the month of March, via the Sweat With Kayla app....(and, honestly, longer than that...but I'm just framing it in "monthly goal" words.)
Ta-daa!
It feels a little cheesy to me to use a work-out program but I'm feeling like I need someone else to be the boss of me right now to get me started. There's also a ready-made eating plan on there, too! Complete with recipes and shopping lists...AMAZING, right!?
Anyways, I'm sure I could make my own workout plan, and meal plan, etc. etc....but the energy I'm saving by letting her do all the work for me sounds SOOoo much more attractive at this point in my life. Maybe someday when I'm an Australian Health Guru (like Kayla Itsines) with oodles of time, it'll just be easier to do it myself. But not now, not yet. SO...I'm just letting Kayla tell me what to do.
And just as a side note: I just chose this app/program because...well, I wanted to. Ha! I needed the motivation of a structured program that will guilt me into using it because I spent good money on it. BUT! there are so many other routes I could have taken. I love Jillian Michael's workouts. Training for a race is good motivation! Even just going on a daily walk. Anything is better than nothing. So it's not really all-about-the-app. It's just about the exercise. I'll tell you more about the app in case you're curious, but the bottom line here is EXERCISE.
So, the app. It's a monthly subscription one, so kind of like paying for a cheap gym membership. There is a free week-long trial, though, so you can test-drive it before you commit for the long-term.
So far, it's been three 28-min HIIT (high-intensity interval training) resistance workouts a week. Those are the ones that make you sweat and hurt. Then somewhere in that week you also do three LISS (low intensity steady state) sessions of about 30-40mins (like walking or steadily jumping on the mini-trampoline while watching Fuller House...ha!). There are also recovery sessions (stretching, cool-downs, etc.) to help with sore muscles. It sounds like a lot! But it's actually been just the frequency and variety that I need to keep me from getting bored too quickly (which is totally what I would risk if I decided my workouts myself). It changes as you go through the weeks, and I'm just in the beginner training sessions, so I haven't really gotten into the true HIIT workouts yet. It's also designed to be done in the comfort of your own home, which I appreciate since I live out in the country at the moment and nowhere near a gym.
The app's eating plan is based on the Australian food guide. The food is good! And you can switch your meals between standard, vegetarian, and vegan plans if need be. I might try the vegetarian recipes since I'm trying to increase my whole plant food intake and seriously decrease my meat intake...but so far the regular eating plan has been just fine (not crazy amounts of animal protein or anything), and easily adaptable if I want to switch out the meat for beans or leave out the cheese or whatever. So we'll see whether I officially switch over or not.
So there it is. I took before pictures, and will take after pictures, but you will never see them! Maybe. Probably. It's embarrassing to be half-naked on the internet. Happy March-so-far!
Good for you! Kayla's program is tough, but in a good way!! :) Nothing like feeling the sweat drip off your elbows, hehee.
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