Hey y'all...haven't updated in a while on here, but I am actually starting a new
Beachbody program called
Body Beast and I wanted to share my journey with it on here. I hope you'll follow along over the next few months.
First of all, I want to start with how I came to even order it in the first place.
We went to Myrtle Beach over Thanksgiving with my husband's family. It was Black Friday and all the adults had gone with my sons to the beach play park near our rental while I stayed back for Farrah to finish her nap. I was just channel surfing when I came across the infomercial. I am no stranger to Beachbody programs as we own Insanity, P90X, Insanity: Asylum I & II, Turbo Jam and more. I am a believer in their programs because if you've ever done any of them, you know they are not a gimmick, you are definitely torching calories! The hard part is staying consistent and finishing the programs. Well, so I started watching the infomercial and what I liked about it was that it is a muscle building program. Weight training, pure and simple...the tried and true method for a rock hard body. The idea of it didn't intimidate me because I have been lifting for years and I do enjoy it. But I love that this program offered a no-guesswork way of doing it to build lean muscle mass and burn fat, ultimately shaping and sculpting your body. If you see the infomercial, it is definitely marketed more toward men who want to gain muscle and get "big". However, being a woman, and knowing what I know about fitness, I know that I would never gain that bulky appearance that I don't want, as I simply don't have the genetic makeup and testosterone to do so. What I do know is that muscle burns fat, muscle increases RMR {resting metabolic rate} and muscle doesn't jiggle. I want to replace a lot of the fat I've accumulated in my 3rd pregnancy with muscle. I definitely thought this program was the way to go.
And the real reason I was so inclined to order was that I feel the infomercial happened upon me at the right time. There I sat, the day after the big feast that is Thanksgiving, 6 1/2 months postpartum and still having 13 lbs to lose to get to my pre-baby weight. I think I finally had that mental "snap" that I needed...the one that made me think to myself, "
OK, I am truly OVER this shit and I want it GONE. I'm ready to go full force." Yes, of course I have been working out hard since I had Farrah...I know a loss of 44-ish lbs in 6 months is nothing to balk at. But have I been strict? Have I really been doing all that I can? Short answer: No. I've enjoyed maybe a little too much wine. I've had bad eating days. Other than all the exercise I do, I haven't been doing much else in the way of shedding the weight. I knew it was time to make an all-around change.
I had to wait for the program to arrive {so I used last week to accumulate all the supplies I needed - dumbbells in increments I didn't already have and a weight bench}.
It arrived last Friday, so this morning I officially started my 90-day journey. My ongoing plan is to carve it into the time I have after I take my oldest son to the bus stop in the early AM and before my other two kids wake up {roughly a 6:30-7:30am window}. It's a no-excuses time of day because there's nothing else to hold me back or distract me from getting it done.
In addition to the program, I will also still be getting some work in at the gym. I have a couple barre classes and a few HIIT classes {i.e. Cardio Craze and Insanity} to take each week there and will use any other days to get my cardio in on the treadmill or elliptical. Sundays of course will be the Sabbath {rest, my friends}. The reason I wanted to keep up with other things in addition to the program was to speed up fat loss and overall cutting/toning. Plus, I do pay for a gym membership so I can't just not go for 90 days!
So yes, I also did a barre class at 10:30 this AM. And I feel great...I wonder what my muscles will feel like tomorrow. Today was chest and triceps day for Body Beast. Tomorrow is legs - which I'm actually looking forward to {it's my fave muscle group to work}.
Last, but not least, the most humbling part of the journey I can't just skip over. These are my official "before" pictures taken the other day. I plan to post updated pics and stats on days 30, 60 and 90. I do hate this part because I hate seeing myself like this...yes, I'm postpartum, but it's still hard to see it. However, for the sake of being real about this process, here they are:
 |
| 158 lbs / 5'7" |
So definitely I feel like my "real" body is just swimming under an overall 1-2" layer of baby fat and my belly still looks a little "postpartum". I also just generally need to tone up. I mean, you can see from my profile pic what I looked like in this exact outfit {which, believe me, I don't wear right now, just wanted to use it as my progress pic outfit} just over a year ago! {Amazing what pregnancy does to a woman - ugh!} So there you have it...I look forward to seeing changes by Day 30! Hope you'll follow along my journey!
