Helllooo out there. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but still felt I should post a brief update.
Things are going well. I'm still following the CYWT plan. Feeling great, still eating my usual favorite healthy foods and, duh, enjoying the day of food-freedom each week. Physically, I'm looking better too. My arms, abs and chest (gasp! tee-hee) are all toning up nicely.
Still not ready to post weigh-ins yet though, and for a couple of reasons: A) I want to wait until I've been on the plan longer to make better sense of my overall progress and B) I'm FINALLY reaching a point where I just don't give a shit about numbers anymore. I've reached a size that I'm happy with, so as long as I'm feeling awesome AND looking awesome in my size 8's, I can't really be bothered with the scale too much. It made me crazy for a lot of months (moving from weekly to daily weigh-ins sure as hell didn't help) and that craziness went on to have negative effects on my diet and workout routines (i.e., over-exercising to make up for overeating).
I think I've finally reached a new level of balance this week. Feels like it, anyway. I've only been working out 3-4 days a week (instead of the usual 6-7) and since I've pretty much done away with counting Weight Watchers points since Thanksgiving (and of course following the CYWT program instead), I'm much more conscious of my food choices and feel like I'm finally treating myself better, instead of feeling like I was constantly being watched by the All Powerful WW Points Gods.
Don't get me wrong- following WW and losing all that weight was awesome, but it feels liberating to eat more mindfully as opposed to constantly asking myself "do I have enough points left to eat this?" It was making me insane during those last 20 pounds to goal and as I tried to move into maintenance.
I'm still tracking everything on The Daily Plate though, just for sanity checks and to see my macronutrient breakdown, which is something that I kinda need to monitor throughout CYWT. And I'm cool with that.
Anywho. I'm finally killing my anxiety toward food and finally starting to see what this maintenance thing is all about. It's sucking a lot less these days, actually. I've fully acknowledged and made peace with how I need to eat and exercise for the rest of my life. I think I used to have a general idea, but hadn't yet fully grasped the concept until now.
Speaking of exercise, I've been doing a mix of sprint intervals at the gym (alternating between the treadmill, bike, elliptical, stairmaster and sometimes, rowing machine), Tae Bo (with Body Bands) and I've re-kindled my love affair with lifting this week. I'm not gonna lie- I'm loving my arms these days. I mean, I'm feeling some serious toning all around, but my arms totally turn me on, haha. Shoulder presses & deadlifts FTW.
I think that covers everything for now. I'm not even fretting over the holidays and the clichéd weight gain. So far, I'm making December my bitch, thanks to the Holiday Calendar Joel made for the CYWT program. I know, I keep plugging it over and over, but it really has made things so much more relaxed and fool-proof for me. Definitely a change I needed to try. Hooray for progress! Hope everyone is doing well.
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Obligatory Survival Post
Well, the interwebs have been flooded the past few days with blog updates, tweets and articles all about Thanksgiving and post-Thanksgiving eating and recovery. That said, I guess I might as well add to the pile. I wasn't going to at first because of the low points I experienced, but I've made some awesome progress the past few days, so I felt the need to share.
But first, let us back up to Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Oh man. I had just started that time of the month and I was just plain HUNGRY. Insatiable. Well, between PMS cravings and the bottomless pit that was my stomach, Thanksgiving Eve did indeed turn into an all-out junk fest. And I will be honest, knowing that the next day was Thanksgiving, I totally used that as an excuse to overeat. It was a bad move in retrospect, but one positive that came out of it all was that I wasn't guilt-ridden. I just didn't care. No, I shouldn't have ate all of that crap mindlessly and with complete abandon, but the fact that I didn't completely hate myself afterward was kind of a big deal. I'd like to think of it as major progress, with regards to my binging issue.
Thanksgiving Day: Yeah, I felt kinda crappy, but I did some cycling, Tae Bo and weight training anyway. Felt better and was still excited for the big meal. Even though I was still digesting Wednesday's nonsense, my goal was to keep a positive attitude and enjoy the next round of mucho food.
And I did. Everything was delicious and rich. But leftovers later that evening proved to be a mistake. That night, I really packed it in to the point where I felt kinda miserable.
Even though I felt like crap, I was determined not to hate myself and start entering that cycle where I beat myself up, both mentally & physically. At the same time though, I needed to regain focus and control. That's where Cheat Your Way Thin comes in.
Yes, it sounds like a total fad diet. Yes, the information page gives off kind of a cheesy, questionable vibe. Yes, it costs money and therefore poses a risk factor.
So why the hell did I pay for this program? Well, I had been signed up on Joel Marion's (the program's creator) mailing list for about a month or so already, so I had grown familiar with who he was and some of his general fitness/food tips. I think I originally came across him through another personal trainer blog I follow...
ANYWHO. In the newsletters, Joel spoke more and more about his program and I was intrigued. When I found out it cost money, I told myself "No way." I'm not sure what caused me to change my mind that Thanksgiving Day... Perhaps it was desperation... All I know is that the more I read and the more I heard about the program on other personal trainer blogs that I do indeed trust and respect, the more convinced I became. I made a few clicks, paid and downloaded the program materials.
Since I paid for this, I'm not going to go into every last little detail, but so far, I'm soooo pleased. The program is basically built around carb-cycling with a "cheat" day worked into every week. There are of course specific guidelines to keep you from screwing yourself over and making bad decisions (i.e., binging), but not so many that it's not feasible. And the big selling point for me was that Joel created a special Holiday calendar where he basically maps out your whole first month on the plan, starting with Thanksgiving, which is indeed the first "cheat" day. He works in the rest of the month's "cheat" days around other upcoming holidays and potential holiday parties and it's just awesome. Talk about a ton of pressure and anxiety being lifted from my chest almost instantly.
As I read through more of the program material, I discovered that YES!, there is indeed a maintenance phase. After I jumped into buying the program, I worried that maybe there wasn't a maintenance phase and that doing this program would defeat the purpose of making lifestyle changes for the past 2.5 years. But Joel did not disappoint; he breaks everything down to the point where it's basically fool-proof and sustainable for a long period of time (i.e., the rest of your life).
When I finished reading everything, I said to myself, "yes, I can do this." And it all makes sense, really. Perhaps I could have developed a similar approach on my own, but I simply hadn't read the right combination of research to figure it out. (And Joel does indeed do his research; a lot of the science-type stuff he writes about matches up with a lot of articles/books I've read about certain hormones, how they impact your weight and how they're impacted by certain combinations of food and exercise.)
Bottom line: I feel pretty damn great today. Still eating healthy and still tracking what I eat on the Daily Plate, but moving away from tracking Weight Watchers points on top of that. I'm slowly breaking away from OCD-like food tracking methods that were making me insane. This weekend I noticed, probably for the first time ever, that I am indeed capable of making good food choices on my own, without chanting in my head "I'm on Weight Watchers, I must watch my weight, I must stay in control, etc."
I'm not sure if that made sense, but essentially, it's the closest to weight-loss maintenance that I think I've ever been. I was eating for fuel, I was enjoying what I ate and I had subconsciously picked the right combination of foods to make sure it was all balanced and beneficial to my health. And I wasn't freaking out about points or calories the whole time. I wasn't freaking out about anything. I felt, dare I say it, normal.
Moving on- I'm down to 155.8 today, over two pounds less than I was pre-Thanksgiving. Between PMS bloat and binging bloat, I totally saw the 170s on Friday. Yes, I know I didn't actually gain that much in such a short period of time, but it feels soooo good to be back to my "happy" range.
I'm TOTALLY ranting here, I'm sorry. I just feel so much better and so much more optimistic than I have in a really long time. I don't want to be cheesy and say "And I owe it all to Cheat Your Way Thin!", but I'd be lying if I said it hasn't helped put a lot of things into perspective. Just goes to show you that it is possible to become burned out on a certain tried-and-trusted routine, and that it's ok to poke around and find something new to give you a boost and a better chance at success. I'm feeling empowered and much more sure of myself than I have in a long time. (And no, I didn't get paid or receive any free swag for plugging CYWT.)
I'm NOT saying "Oh go out and buy this program because it's only been a few days and I feel awesome and you will too!" Who knows what kind of results I'll have after the first month? (I'll update here, of course.)
I guess I just felt compelled to share my recovery plan and how good it feels to finally give myself credit for how strong I've become. The past few months have seen waaay too much self-hatred and guilt, so it's been awesome to have some moments of clarity the past few days. I will NOT regain 90+ pounds (in a week, in a month or ever) and I WILL live a happy, healthy and balanced life. No freaking out required.
But first, let us back up to Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Oh man. I had just started that time of the month and I was just plain HUNGRY. Insatiable. Well, between PMS cravings and the bottomless pit that was my stomach, Thanksgiving Eve did indeed turn into an all-out junk fest. And I will be honest, knowing that the next day was Thanksgiving, I totally used that as an excuse to overeat. It was a bad move in retrospect, but one positive that came out of it all was that I wasn't guilt-ridden. I just didn't care. No, I shouldn't have ate all of that crap mindlessly and with complete abandon, but the fact that I didn't completely hate myself afterward was kind of a big deal. I'd like to think of it as major progress, with regards to my binging issue.
Thanksgiving Day: Yeah, I felt kinda crappy, but I did some cycling, Tae Bo and weight training anyway. Felt better and was still excited for the big meal. Even though I was still digesting Wednesday's nonsense, my goal was to keep a positive attitude and enjoy the next round of mucho food.
And I did. Everything was delicious and rich. But leftovers later that evening proved to be a mistake. That night, I really packed it in to the point where I felt kinda miserable.
Even though I felt like crap, I was determined not to hate myself and start entering that cycle where I beat myself up, both mentally & physically. At the same time though, I needed to regain focus and control. That's where Cheat Your Way Thin comes in.
Yes, it sounds like a total fad diet. Yes, the information page gives off kind of a cheesy, questionable vibe. Yes, it costs money and therefore poses a risk factor.
So why the hell did I pay for this program? Well, I had been signed up on Joel Marion's (the program's creator) mailing list for about a month or so already, so I had grown familiar with who he was and some of his general fitness/food tips. I think I originally came across him through another personal trainer blog I follow...
ANYWHO. In the newsletters, Joel spoke more and more about his program and I was intrigued. When I found out it cost money, I told myself "No way." I'm not sure what caused me to change my mind that Thanksgiving Day... Perhaps it was desperation... All I know is that the more I read and the more I heard about the program on other personal trainer blogs that I do indeed trust and respect, the more convinced I became. I made a few clicks, paid and downloaded the program materials.
Since I paid for this, I'm not going to go into every last little detail, but so far, I'm soooo pleased. The program is basically built around carb-cycling with a "cheat" day worked into every week. There are of course specific guidelines to keep you from screwing yourself over and making bad decisions (i.e., binging), but not so many that it's not feasible. And the big selling point for me was that Joel created a special Holiday calendar where he basically maps out your whole first month on the plan, starting with Thanksgiving, which is indeed the first "cheat" day. He works in the rest of the month's "cheat" days around other upcoming holidays and potential holiday parties and it's just awesome. Talk about a ton of pressure and anxiety being lifted from my chest almost instantly.
As I read through more of the program material, I discovered that YES!, there is indeed a maintenance phase. After I jumped into buying the program, I worried that maybe there wasn't a maintenance phase and that doing this program would defeat the purpose of making lifestyle changes for the past 2.5 years. But Joel did not disappoint; he breaks everything down to the point where it's basically fool-proof and sustainable for a long period of time (i.e., the rest of your life).
When I finished reading everything, I said to myself, "yes, I can do this." And it all makes sense, really. Perhaps I could have developed a similar approach on my own, but I simply hadn't read the right combination of research to figure it out. (And Joel does indeed do his research; a lot of the science-type stuff he writes about matches up with a lot of articles/books I've read about certain hormones, how they impact your weight and how they're impacted by certain combinations of food and exercise.)
Bottom line: I feel pretty damn great today. Still eating healthy and still tracking what I eat on the Daily Plate, but moving away from tracking Weight Watchers points on top of that. I'm slowly breaking away from OCD-like food tracking methods that were making me insane. This weekend I noticed, probably for the first time ever, that I am indeed capable of making good food choices on my own, without chanting in my head "I'm on Weight Watchers, I must watch my weight, I must stay in control, etc."
I'm not sure if that made sense, but essentially, it's the closest to weight-loss maintenance that I think I've ever been. I was eating for fuel, I was enjoying what I ate and I had subconsciously picked the right combination of foods to make sure it was all balanced and beneficial to my health. And I wasn't freaking out about points or calories the whole time. I wasn't freaking out about anything. I felt, dare I say it, normal.
Moving on- I'm down to 155.8 today, over two pounds less than I was pre-Thanksgiving. Between PMS bloat and binging bloat, I totally saw the 170s on Friday. Yes, I know I didn't actually gain that much in such a short period of time, but it feels soooo good to be back to my "happy" range.
I'm TOTALLY ranting here, I'm sorry. I just feel so much better and so much more optimistic than I have in a really long time. I don't want to be cheesy and say "And I owe it all to Cheat Your Way Thin!", but I'd be lying if I said it hasn't helped put a lot of things into perspective. Just goes to show you that it is possible to become burned out on a certain tried-and-trusted routine, and that it's ok to poke around and find something new to give you a boost and a better chance at success. I'm feeling empowered and much more sure of myself than I have in a long time. (And no, I didn't get paid or receive any free swag for plugging CYWT.)
I'm NOT saying "Oh go out and buy this program because it's only been a few days and I feel awesome and you will too!" Who knows what kind of results I'll have after the first month? (I'll update here, of course.)
I guess I just felt compelled to share my recovery plan and how good it feels to finally give myself credit for how strong I've become. The past few months have seen waaay too much self-hatred and guilt, so it's been awesome to have some moments of clarity the past few days. I will NOT regain 90+ pounds (in a week, in a month or ever) and I WILL live a happy, healthy and balanced life. No freaking out required.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I must be losing it.
So for the past week or so, I've been giving more and more thought to early morning workouts. As it stands now, I've been getting up at 5 am on Mondays & Fridays (and sometimes Wednesdays) to work out so I won't have to worry about it after work and can actually enjoy my evenings.
Before I started doing this, I fought the idea really hard because I'm just not a morning person, at all. And for a while, I was trying to fight my natural sleep pattern. I've tried so hard for the past couple of years to try to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep every night, but you know what? My body just isn't cut out for that. It likes to cap out at about 6 hours. And I'm actually ok with that, finally. I think any complaints I've had of tiredness were mostly psychological. Most days, I'm actually pretty well rested. I avoided morning workouts because I thought I would be tired at that hour (and I am a little, during those first few minutes out of bed), but I'm pretty much ready to go. In fact, I'm a little more alert by the time I get to work around 8 am. And if not, it's nothing a little coffee or green tea can't handle.
And lately, I've been dreading my post-work exercise plans more and more. I'm so mentally drained from work (whether it's busy or dead-slow), that I reeeeally have to pump myself up to either drive to the gym afterward or pop in a DVD when I get home. At 5 pm, I just want my day to be over and it gives me kind of a bad attitude toward working out when I know it'll be closer to 7pm by the time I'm home, changed and have dinner on the table. Some days I try to leave work early just for the sole purpose of getting to the gym earlier (and thus getting home earlier), but I can't do that every week.
SO, my point here is, I think I'm going to try and commit to just getting up early every morning (weekends excluded, of course) and working out, either at the gym or at home, before heading to the ol' job.
I used to think that I would have to get up even earlier (like 4:30 or so) in order to make it to the gym and back and still make it to work on time, but I don't think that will really be an issue anymore (it was probably more of an excuse than an actual issue, to be perfectly honest). I just did some estimating in my head and I can still get up no earlier than 5, make it to the gym (less traffic at that time too), get about 40-60 minutes in and still make it home by about 6:20 more or less. Really, all I need to do is make my lunch/snacks and maybe pick out/iron my clothes for work the night before. With that stuff out of the way, I should still have plenty of time to get ready. Plus I recently chopped off my hair, so that saves me 15 minutes already, heh.
It feels like kind of a "duh!" moment, but I suppose it's better late than never. When I'm up that early, there's really no time for me to dread much, heh. And I've never been the type to hit the snooze and go back to sleep; once I'm up, I'm up. And the past few weeks, I've gotten pretty used to it.
So tomorrow, the plan is to head to the gym for more incline training (I kind of struggled with it last night since I hadn't done it in a while). Still not sure about Friday... I suppose a run on the trail will be in order, but with a light this time so I don't freak out in the dark, heh.
I still want to do some P90X, but I think I'll save that for the weekend at this point.
Before I started doing this, I fought the idea really hard because I'm just not a morning person, at all. And for a while, I was trying to fight my natural sleep pattern. I've tried so hard for the past couple of years to try to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep every night, but you know what? My body just isn't cut out for that. It likes to cap out at about 6 hours. And I'm actually ok with that, finally. I think any complaints I've had of tiredness were mostly psychological. Most days, I'm actually pretty well rested. I avoided morning workouts because I thought I would be tired at that hour (and I am a little, during those first few minutes out of bed), but I'm pretty much ready to go. In fact, I'm a little more alert by the time I get to work around 8 am. And if not, it's nothing a little coffee or green tea can't handle.
And lately, I've been dreading my post-work exercise plans more and more. I'm so mentally drained from work (whether it's busy or dead-slow), that I reeeeally have to pump myself up to either drive to the gym afterward or pop in a DVD when I get home. At 5 pm, I just want my day to be over and it gives me kind of a bad attitude toward working out when I know it'll be closer to 7pm by the time I'm home, changed and have dinner on the table. Some days I try to leave work early just for the sole purpose of getting to the gym earlier (and thus getting home earlier), but I can't do that every week.
SO, my point here is, I think I'm going to try and commit to just getting up early every morning (weekends excluded, of course) and working out, either at the gym or at home, before heading to the ol' job.
I used to think that I would have to get up even earlier (like 4:30 or so) in order to make it to the gym and back and still make it to work on time, but I don't think that will really be an issue anymore (it was probably more of an excuse than an actual issue, to be perfectly honest). I just did some estimating in my head and I can still get up no earlier than 5, make it to the gym (less traffic at that time too), get about 40-60 minutes in and still make it home by about 6:20 more or less. Really, all I need to do is make my lunch/snacks and maybe pick out/iron my clothes for work the night before. With that stuff out of the way, I should still have plenty of time to get ready. Plus I recently chopped off my hair, so that saves me 15 minutes already, heh.
It feels like kind of a "duh!" moment, but I suppose it's better late than never. When I'm up that early, there's really no time for me to dread much, heh. And I've never been the type to hit the snooze and go back to sleep; once I'm up, I'm up. And the past few weeks, I've gotten pretty used to it.
So tomorrow, the plan is to head to the gym for more incline training (I kind of struggled with it last night since I hadn't done it in a while). Still not sure about Friday... I suppose a run on the trail will be in order, but with a light this time so I don't freak out in the dark, heh.
I still want to do some P90X, but I think I'll save that for the weekend at this point.
Trying new things.
FOOD:
breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ peaches- 2
kashi cereal- 1
snack:
cantaloupe- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1
lunch:
leftover teriyaki pork/shrimp/veggies/couscous- 9
snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1
dinner:
two 98% f.f. hot dogs- 2
corn tortillas- 1
f.f. cheese- 1
green beans- 1
sour cream- 1
wine- 2
post-dinner:
sliced strawberries/peaches- 1
total points used: 24/24 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all three levels- 3
WAPs: 8/35 remaining
Dinner was good last night; looking forward to leftovers for lunch. Since we're going to quiz tonight, I'll probably end up having something quick for dinner. I'm thinking hot dogs and some sort of side veggie.
Also, because I'm getting desperate to see some changes on the scale, I've decided to finally put some changes into action that I've been pondering over the past couple of weeks. I'm going to try ('try' is the key word here, people) to cut back on my Splenda intake. I'm not a complete maniac when it comes to using it (I think?), but sometimes it seems like I add several small amounts to various things over the course of a week. I always add it to my PB2, greek yogurt, cottage cheese and oatmeal. Well, starting today, I'm going to stop adding it to those things since I eat them all pretty regularly throughout the week.
This morning, I didn't add it to my PB2 or yogurt. Definitely an adjustment taste-wise, but I think it's for the best. Now, I'm not promising to eliminate it completely, because I know there are few things I eat/drink that already have some sort of artificial sweetener mixed in. Also, when it comes to certain recipes, I'd rather swap out sugar for Splenda if I can. And since I don't make very many recipes like that to begin with, I think that should be ok.
I just want to rely more on natural sweetness from things like fruits and grains when I can. We'll see how it goes.
I'm also going to keep watching my sodium breakdown each day (via The Daily Plate) and try to make changes where I can. Most days, even if I have a frozen entree, I still stay within my recommended daily intake, but it wouldn't hurt to cut back a little more. After last week's weird gain and accompanying bloat, I feel like I'm retaining a lot more water than I should be, even with all of the exercise I do.
EXERCISE:
This morning, I did all three levels on my new Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. From a 'boot camp' perspective, I was really disappointed. After doing all 3 workouts (which is considered advanced), I only burned 290 calories. I had to jog in place for a bit, just so I could burn an even 300. There wasn't nearly as much cardio throughout all three levels, like I was expecting. My heart rate stayed pretty low, overall.
However, from a strength building/resistance standpoint, it's definitely a great option. LOTS of moves with weights. Also lots of squats and lunges. It was just nice to do some stuff that was different from the No More Trouble Zones DVD. And the pace is a little more manageable too. I mean, there aren't any breaks but you don't feel like you're going to die either.
It was nice to use my old resistance bands too (which I just found in a box last week after missing them for like, 3 years, haha). Mixing things up is important to me.
Overall, it's a decent workout. I did sweat a lot, but again, it's not really designed to be a big calorie burner, even if you do all three levels (which takes about an hour, including warm-up/cool-down). I'm going to continue to keep it in my routine though, because I don't dread the strength building moves so much. They were actually kind of fun, and I NEED fun when it comes to doing anything with weights and resistance. And seeing Ali Vincent in all three levels is great motivation. She's in such great shape, it's ridiculous.
breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ peaches- 2
kashi cereal- 1
snack:
cantaloupe- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1
lunch:
leftover teriyaki pork/shrimp/veggies/couscous- 9
snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1
dinner:
two 98% f.f. hot dogs- 2
corn tortillas- 1
f.f. cheese- 1
green beans- 1
sour cream- 1
wine- 2
post-dinner:
sliced strawberries/peaches- 1
total points used: 24/24 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all three levels- 3
WAPs: 8/35 remaining
Dinner was good last night; looking forward to leftovers for lunch. Since we're going to quiz tonight, I'll probably end up having something quick for dinner. I'm thinking hot dogs and some sort of side veggie.
Also, because I'm getting desperate to see some changes on the scale, I've decided to finally put some changes into action that I've been pondering over the past couple of weeks. I'm going to try ('try' is the key word here, people) to cut back on my Splenda intake. I'm not a complete maniac when it comes to using it (I think?), but sometimes it seems like I add several small amounts to various things over the course of a week. I always add it to my PB2, greek yogurt, cottage cheese and oatmeal. Well, starting today, I'm going to stop adding it to those things since I eat them all pretty regularly throughout the week.
This morning, I didn't add it to my PB2 or yogurt. Definitely an adjustment taste-wise, but I think it's for the best. Now, I'm not promising to eliminate it completely, because I know there are few things I eat/drink that already have some sort of artificial sweetener mixed in. Also, when it comes to certain recipes, I'd rather swap out sugar for Splenda if I can. And since I don't make very many recipes like that to begin with, I think that should be ok.
I just want to rely more on natural sweetness from things like fruits and grains when I can. We'll see how it goes.
I'm also going to keep watching my sodium breakdown each day (via The Daily Plate) and try to make changes where I can. Most days, even if I have a frozen entree, I still stay within my recommended daily intake, but it wouldn't hurt to cut back a little more. After last week's weird gain and accompanying bloat, I feel like I'm retaining a lot more water than I should be, even with all of the exercise I do.
EXERCISE:
This morning, I did all three levels on my new Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. From a 'boot camp' perspective, I was really disappointed. After doing all 3 workouts (which is considered advanced), I only burned 290 calories. I had to jog in place for a bit, just so I could burn an even 300. There wasn't nearly as much cardio throughout all three levels, like I was expecting. My heart rate stayed pretty low, overall.
However, from a strength building/resistance standpoint, it's definitely a great option. LOTS of moves with weights. Also lots of squats and lunges. It was just nice to do some stuff that was different from the No More Trouble Zones DVD. And the pace is a little more manageable too. I mean, there aren't any breaks but you don't feel like you're going to die either.
It was nice to use my old resistance bands too (which I just found in a box last week after missing them for like, 3 years, haha). Mixing things up is important to me.
Overall, it's a decent workout. I did sweat a lot, but again, it's not really designed to be a big calorie burner, even if you do all three levels (which takes about an hour, including warm-up/cool-down). I'm going to continue to keep it in my routine though, because I don't dread the strength building moves so much. They were actually kind of fun, and I NEED fun when it comes to doing anything with weights and resistance. And seeing Ali Vincent in all three levels is great motivation. She's in such great shape, it's ridiculous.
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