Seven more to go!
As I explained briefly in the previous post, I started a new workout regimen at the beginning of the month. I actually created a hybrid calendar, using the two Beachbody programs I have (P90 and PiYo), here. It’s nice – I can enter how long I want to schedule this plan for, the programs I have, how often I want to workout, and if I want to build muscle mass, lose weight or focus on “total body.” When I did P90 last year, I was ecstatic that I lost ten pounds, but I wished that I had focused on developing muscle tone. This time around, I have more variety in my workouts, and can actually fine tune the schedule to be focused on strength and muscle. The other change is that I have scheduled myself a little more vigorously than before. I’m doing two days a week of 2-a-days (one workout in the morning, one in the evening), and two days have the workout + an ab workout too. Sundays are my days off! (though if I’m feeling up to it, maybe I’ll go for a walk or an easy run, because the weather has been so beautiful lately!)
When I made the calendar, I thought, “piece of cake!! 2-a-days? I did that in college on Mondays and Wednesdays! No problem.” You know, I don’t remember it being quite so hard!! (But I think that’s mostly because I’m not used to it yet) Now that it’s the end of the week, I feel pretty great, actually. Adding in that I just started a new full-time job, after a year of a part-time job and no planned out schedule at all, on Monday morning, I wasn’t feeling quite as excited as I was on Sunday night, printing out the schedule. I will say, crossing off each day when the workouts were finished felt awesome! Working out for me is a huge stress relief. I use it as a form of meditation; I don’t have to think about anything but the way my body is feeling and my breathing – exactly how you are guided in meditation.
Now, I will say that I don’t necessarily recommend doing 2-a-days unless you’re feeling particularly motivated. I did do some research about it, making sure I wasn’t going to be hurting myself. What I was finding was that two workouts of 30 minutes can be better than one 60-minute workout. The longer a cardio workout goes, the closer you get to burning muscle instead of fat. However, doing multiple workouts in a day isn’t necessary. Many people don’t have the time, and that’s okay! One 20-30 minute three times a week is enough to make a difference too. I want to do it because the holidays are coming up and I have the time again. Most importantly, I want to have an established workout plan because I know that I can very easily put on weight, not to mention my family is all about food during the holidays. (We even have our own family cookbook!)
The most important thing I’ve learned through this process is how to care for my body. I know I’m not in the best shape right now, and while I’m pushing myself in these workouts, I know when to stop so I don’t get hurt. There’s a saying I found when researching 2-a-days, “Don’t push yourself so hard that you go from 2-a-days to none-a-days.” The most important thing whenever you start an exercise plan is learning how to tell the difference between pain and strain. And if you decide to do 2-a-days, know that some days, you won’t get the second workout in. Rest is just as important as the exercise!
So tell me, how do you workout? Are you an exercise junkie like me? Or are you more moderate in your schedule? What kind of workouts do you do?
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