Morning Nap

I got an extremely slow start this morning but I’m finally up, worked out and fed. It’s a start!

I woke up to Brian’s 7:30 a.m. alarm and only made it out of the bed and around the corner to the couch. I’ve been feeling like I have a cold coming on for the past couple of days now and this morning all I wanted to do was go back to sleep – so my day started off with a nap.

Workout

When I finally pulled myself from the couch, I had no desire to head outside for a run so I popped in a workout DVD to get my sweat on.

I guess since finishing Body Revolution, I’m going through withdrawal from hearing Jillian Michael’s annoyingly motivating voice so my workout of choice was her No More Trouble Zones DVD.

Still my favorite workout DVD ever. Absolutely love the way it pushes me…especially when I do the whole workout with 5-8 lb. weights instead of the recommended 3 lbs. My shoulders = sore!

Breakfast

Since I had already had a nap and a workout on the morning, by the time I finished with NMTZ, I was beyond ready for breakfast.

I couldn’t decide exactly what I wanted but I knew three things I wanted to incorporate into the meal so that made my decision a little easier.

• A blueberry bagel from the bakery at Emart
• Laughing Cow strawberry creamcheese
• (Homemade) Greek yogurt

I was so excited to find the strawberry creamcheese wedges yesterday and absolutely loved the flavor on the toasted blueberry bagel!

Now I’m even more anxious to find the other flavors that were released as well. I’m not sure if I will come across them here in Korea (I was surprised to find the strawberry) but I’m on the look out!

Along with the bagel and creamcheese, I had a bowl of homemade Greek yogurt with banana slices and agave nectar.

I haven’t been able to find Greek yogurt here in Korea but went off of a suggestion to strain regular plain yogurt to get thick, creamy Greek yogurt on my own. After being so used to the texture of Greek yogurt, I find regular yogurt way too runny and liquid- like, almost more like gogurt!

But wow! I’m so happy I tried the process for straining my own Greek yogurt! It was beyond simple and turned out amazing – more on that to come later!

Now that my day is off to a little bit better of a start, I’m off to study another NASM chapter!

Question:

Have you ever made your own Greek yogurt?

Body Revolution – Weeks 11 & 12

With the conclusion of weeks 11 & 12 of Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution, I am officially done with the complete 90 day workout program!

Workout 11

The description of Workout 11 on the Body Revolution guide is:

“A gold medal workout jam packed with athletic moves, weights and a resistance cable to inspire you to give it all you’ve got and get what you came for.  It puts the finishing touches on “front of the body” muscles.”

Like the previous odd-numbered workouts, Workout 11 is focused on the front of the body and actually works your chest, shoulders and arms in a crazy way!  If pushups are your thing, this workout is for you!!  It features pushups with different twists added in along with planks that challenge your core and shoulders.

Example moves in this workout are:

• Scorpion Push Ups
• Push Ups with Resistance Cable
• 3 Tiered Push Ups
• Dragon Pose with Shoulder Raises
• Jumping Lunges with Shoulder Press
• Jumping Statue of Liberties
• Plank Twists

Workout 12

The description of Workout 12 on the Body Revolution guide is:

“This is it!  An all-out, pedal-to-the-metal blur of body sculpt moves for “back of the body” and wicked cardio bursts that max out your calorie burn and fat melting potential.”

Like the prior even workouts, Workout 12 is focused on the back of the body.  A lot of jumping and stabilization is put into use in this workout along with moves that definitely require flexibility and core strength.

Example moves in this workout are:

• Crab Kicks with Alternation Toe Touches
• Bridge Push Ups
• Heavy Bicep Curls
• Single Leg Weighted Squat Jumps
• Bent Row
• Alternating Plank Rows

Cardio 3

The description of Cardio 3 on the Body Revolution guide is:

“Bang out this fast-paced, high energy, high impact, plyometric workout by burning more calories per minute than you ever thought possible to complete your total body transformation.”

The Cardio 3 workout that was used throughout all of Phase 3 of the program (weeks 9-12) was similar to that of Phases 1 & 2 in that it consisted of three 8-minute circuits of cardio exercises.

However, instead of eight exercises, each performed for one minute in each circuit or 16 exercises, each performed for 30 seconds per circuit, Cardio 3 contains 24 exercises – each lasting for 20 seconds.  This cardio workout contained a lot of jumping, plank position moves and full body involvement.  A complete metabolic workout!

Every time I completed Cardio 3, I found myself sweating like crazy when I was finished!  It really got my heart racing and provided a kick-ass, quick workout.  Even though the moves were challenging, and the jumping (cannonball jumps, alternating lunge jumps, squat jumps, rock star jumps) was intense, the quick changes from exercise to exercise made this workout fly by.

And don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking the second circuit is a tad bit easier than the other two…two crucial exercises are skipped in the line up but you can’t not be relieved when one of those is squat jumps! 😉

Week 11 Schedule

Day 1: Workout 11
Day 2: Workout 12
Day 3: Cardio 3
Day 4: Workout 11
Day 5: Workout 12
Day 6: Cardio 3
Day 7: Off

Week 12 Schedule

Day 1: Workout 11
Day 2: Workout 12
Day 3: Cardio 3
Day 4: Off
Day 5: Workout 11
Day 6: Workout 12
Day 7: Cardio

Weights Used

For most of the exercises throughout Weeks 11 & 12, I used either 5 lb or 8 lb weights.  Jillian recommends light (3 lb) weights for a few exercises but they were nothing that I couldn’t do with the 5 lb weights, therefore pushed myself to use the heavier weights.  A few of the exercises that she recommended 5 lb weights, I upped to 8 lb weights at my own discretion.

Summary

In summation, Workouts 11 & 12 were definitely challenging.  Workout 11 pushed my chest, arms and shoulders more than any other workout in the program with a ton of plank and pushup moves.  I vowed to never do these workouts again as I was swearing like crazy while doing them but I’m positive I will break them out in the future to challenge myself on given days!

Body Revolution Weeks 1 & 2 Review
Body Revolution Weeks 3 & 4 Review
Body Revolution Weeks 5 & 6 Review
Body Revolution Weeks 7 & 8 Review
Body Revolution Weeks 9 & 10 Review

The Conclusion

This morning marked the final day of Jillian Michaels’ 90 day program, Body Revolution, for me.

When I bought this program, my intentions were to stick with it for the full 12 weeks and complete every workout in that time period and my goal was completed. Even though I had to switch up some off days here and there and had to double up two workouts on one day to keep on schedule, I did it!

When I first got to Korea and jet lag was kicking my butt, I still let Jillian in on the fun and let her get a few kicks in too. And when I was sick and need a couple of days in a row off, I managed a double workout to get me right back on track.

Overall, I definitely have seen improvement in my body over these 12 weeks. Even though I didn’t stick to the nutrition plan that came with the program, I definitely shed pounds from my mid section and toned my arms and legs to right where I want them to be.

If you are looking for a workout program that doesn’t take much time on a daily basis and one that you are planning to fully commit to, I recommend Body Revolution for sure!

Workout

Body Revolution, Phase 3, Cardio 3.

Done and Done!!

Breakfast

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted for breakfast this morning and was going back and forth between something cold and refreshing or hot and cozy. With all the deliberation, I ended up just going for something quick and easy.

The last blueberry waffle toasted with peanut butter, frozen banana slices and cinnamon.

The perfect mix of a hot breakfast with the cold banana slices to give it a refreshing touch. I know it won’t hold me over as long though so I’m expecting my morning snack time to come a little early today.

Along with my waffle, I also had a Bombshell Spell from Tone It Up. Gotta keep that metabolism going from my workout and jump-start digestion on the day!

Question:

Have you done a set workout program for a dedicated amount of time? What did you like about it? What did you not like? My favorite part of this workout was not having to worry about coming up with my workouts on my own – basically, no thought process was needed. Pop in the DVD and you are good to follow along and go!

Pushup Overload!

Workout

The last time through Body Revolution, Phase 3, Workout 11 this morning! Wooooohooooo!! My arms and chest are not going to miss the variety of push ups done in this workout.

While I was doing my last set of push ups with the resistance band, Brian made a comment about how ripped my back is getting so I guess I appreciate all of the sets in this workout for that reason. But I still vowed to never put this DVD back on my TV or computer ever again.

We will see how long that lasts! 😉

I’m taking the day off of running after getting in 10 miles yesterday morning but surprisingly enough, for not having run double digits for a long while, my legs feel great today except for a slight bit of tightness in my right hamstring. Can’t complain there!

Breakfast

I guess yesterday’s waffle brunch wasn’t enough for me because I woke up craving waffles again.

Good thing we had two blueberry ones left in the freezer! I snatched one to be the base for an egg, turkey and cheese open waffle-wich.

Love when the egg yolk opens and adds extra flavor and gooey-ness to an egg sandwich!

This was definitely no waffle with fruit, whipped cream, ice cream and jam but it still did the trick!

I’m off to break out the books and get some studying in for the day while B is at practice. Have a great one everybody! 🙂

Question:

Does hearing compliments about your strength, muscle tone or endurance make you feel even better about working out? Does it encourage you to push even harder?