I've been mucking through the grief process slowly. Haven't lost weight but I've resolved to get back on a stricter calorie budget this week. My muscle tone has improved as usual and the skin tightens up a bit but the 40 pounds extra makes sure it has nowhere to go at the moment. Gotta get that BMI down to normal and work from there. Even if I'm being ambitious, I'm looking at 5 months AT LEAST of vigilant eating. I'm not being hard on myself here; I needed some comfort eating to deal with the depression and grief and then to get through a cold, but now that my body can handle a stricter regimen, I'm getting right back on that.
I'll also be updating my Exercise Calendar blog post to reflect my PiYo challenge, leaving an entry for P90X to start following that. Both programs are going to be essential to both physical improvement and calorie burning in the next four months.
I do have some new impressions of PiYo. I may or may not have included my original impressions of PiYo in an earlier blog post, but when I had first attempted it, it was a real struggle. I had gotten through the first week of the challenge with some difficulty, mainly in wrists that were still rife with carpal tunnel symptoms, but the second week had done me in. The Core workout in particular was my undoing-- I had needed to wear wrist braces and revert to doing basic cardio workouts like Debbie Sieber's Slim in 6 while healing.
This round of PiYo I've gone into after two full rounds with P90X3, so I was in better shape to handle it but two big things remain: 1)There are a LOT of down-dog splits in PiYo, which is one move that is held far longer than I can handle still. I end up in child's pose a lot when I just can't even. 2) My wrists are still screaming. This could be due to still carrying too much body weight, but things like side planks and push-ups can be a monumental pain in the ass when your wrists are giving you hell.
That being said, PiYo does often decide to throw in some leg torture on workouts like Buns and Sculpt, but I feel like it too often goes after my wrists. My ankles are adapting far better. My advice to anyone who hasn't done PiYo before is push VERY carefully. You will hear Chalene more often telling you to push than to remember there is a modifier (Michelle) to be mindful of if you're feeling seriously overwhelmed, but this is the downside to fitness videos rather than having a personal trainer. They are usually far above you physically and they do forget to remember the little guy in those pre-recorded pep talks. I find that Tony Horton does a far better job of engaging you with the science and the reality of your fitness levels, and this is even with him being competitive and showing off at times. He often gives me the sense of what I can work for without making me feel I'm just not trying hard enough.
But this is about PiYo... That being said, there were four more contenders as I branched into Weeks 3 and 4 that I feel are worth a mention: Drench, Strength Intervals, Buns and Sculpt.
Drench was an upgrade to Sweat and when I say upgrade, I mean this is a time hungry workout that immediately sells itself as being an upgrade. You go into this one blasting for the warm up and it runs you pretty ragged in the first half before slowing down into solid but still challenging stretch routines you would be familiar with from the Lower Body routine. Huge relief there, let me tell you because by the time it got to that round, I was ready to call it quits if it didn't change up. I was not only drenched, I was completely out of power.
Strength Intervals is a short blast series, but it's definitely a short one because it doesn't take prisoners. This one definitely focuses on squats and lunges out of the gate, but then brings the interval work to your core and upper body once your legs are out of power. I will say this is one aspect of PiYo that I do like. Even Chalene admits that, at any fitness level, there is only so much a muscle can take, which is why the intervals are stacked as they are. Time under tension is the name of the game in the more advanced workouts.
Buns is a lot like Strength Intervals in the squats and lunges department, but it also takes the focus specifically to the lower body here. I was definitely feeling that the previous week was taking a bigger toll on my upper body (Core is guilty of that with the roll-up side plank sets especially) so this was definitely the balancer. I find that I really liked the bowler squats and the standing ab/core work actually feels good while doing it, definitely not just in the afterglow of a workout. I find this one is actually less punishing, but mostly because my lower body just seems to be in overall better shape.
Sculpt takes a lot of sets from previous workouts but does a lot more in focusing on targeting groups of muscles. The time under tension thing is so emphasized here that she actually does hold you with pep talks (just a little bit longer, you should really be feeling it but not much more). I liked the chair work with the tricep dips and the hip bridges at an elevation. I've mastered hip bridging from P90X3 (no mean feat, I assure you... I struggled for months with getting my quads, glutes and lower back muscles to cooperate for that stability), so it was a nice added challenge to change that up. Again, my lower body seems to be far more advanced in fitness, so this won't go for everyone.
I didn't want to go on and on and on about these reviews, just put out the gist. One thing you PiYo newbies really need to know is if the first week kicked your ass, keep repeating it. Workouts like Core and onwards can do some real damage at the intermediate stage, let alone advanced. You really have to train yourself to look at Michelle and, in case you forget, Michelle is pretty ripped. Sometimes you will have to realize things like that. Take Chalene's 'gift' of child's pose any time you're feeling it to heart. If you feel you're doing it too often, make friends with the pause button too. I know some people are crunched for time and have to let it run its course, but if that's the case, let it run without you and catch up when you can. Even after 8 months of doing this, I am still finding there are days where I have to admit I'm just not up to my usual game. It's cool, it's normal-- every trainer will tell you, just aim for your personal best. Not in comparison to any other day either-- that personal best is something you determine in that moment. Keep records for that very reason!
Yeah, I'm still battling the bulge. I've been on a long plateau after losing 40 lbs and having 40 to go. I'm not okay with it, but yet I am, if that makes any sense. I am definitely rising above some of the hardest times of my life and not giving up. My skin is better, my mind is clearer and I doubt I would have handled any aspect of my life so well if I hadn't started this. We're all around healthier when every aspect is balanced, but we don't live in a damn bubble. Focus your energies where life allows, never letting EVERYTHING go down the toilet. Keep one or two things going to avoid the guilt of slipping up, let something bring you pride and pleasure in the hardest times. Choose wisely.
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