I’m two weeks into Body Back and I’m already seeing results. The biggest one being that I’m able to wake up at 4:30 a.m. again. I’ve become so lazy over the past few months and I forgot how much I enjoy working out in the early morning and having the rest of the day to myself.
For week one in Body Back, we focused on nutrition. While I’m pretty familiar with the horrors of processed foods, MSG and other additives, it was a nice refresher. Christen, our Body Back fitness instructor, encouraged us to follow the menu plan and journal our foods. (Follow me on MyFitnessPal to see my food journal. I’m stretching out of my comfort zone by tracking by food!)
When I participated in Body Back two years ago, I didn’t follow the meal plan as closely as I should have, however, this time, I wanted to follow it more closely to really reap the benefits of the program. The meal plan includes recipes for REAL food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and many of the menu options are foods I eat and enjoy. There are some new to me recipes, such as edamame dip which is delicious.
Body Back Turkey Wrap made with Applegate Turkey, mixed baby greens, tomato, roasted red peppers, onions and edamame dip instead of hummus.
While I love to plan healthy, low calorie, lean meat meals for my family, portion control has always been my biggest struggle. I just love food and I really love to eat; hence, why I work out and run.
Another hurdle for me is my alcohol consumption. At the beginning of January, I attempted to cut back my drinking significantly. Although it hasn’t been a true “dry January”, I have managed drinking only 1-2 glasses on Saturday. Last week, I drank a bit more with back to back celebrations, but I went back to a dry week on Monday.
Like I’ve said, I’ve already seen some results. Here are my measurements from the first Body Back class compared to the measurements I took at the beginning of January (19 days apart).
Being completely honest and transparent about my weight loss journey, at the beginning of January I weighed 158 lbs. Before beginning Body Back, I lost two pounds. Into week two, I lost another two pounds. (We don’t weigh ourselves every week in Body Back, but my clothes were starting to feel loose and I was curious.)
Last week, Christen also encouraged us to fit in a new workout besides Body Back and I chose to go cycling with my hubby. With a ten mile ride, we bonded and redfined an “afternoon delight” and felt so good to be back on the bike again after almost TWO YEARS! Wow. That’s what happens when you’re focused on marathons and working!
This week, I braved Body Pump at the YMCA after almost a year away. With heart rate training, I had to put weight training on hold and I really missed the strength training. While I felt so weak and out of shape, it felt fabulous to lift again. Plus, I saw these beautiful smiley faces there. #MomsWhoLift
Joined the Denise at the YMCA for Body Pump and bumped into some Suncoast Striders too.
As for the two-days a week Body Back sessions, they are chock full of WODs (workout of the day) with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – lots of cardio reps to get your heart rate up with rests in between. Again, I’m super out of shape, but I’m progressing. It’s not getting easier, however, things are slowly toning up and I’m starting to find my muscles that were missing for so long.
Today’s WOD and session reminded us of the importance of accountability, another area of my fitness that has fallen to the wayside. When I ran with a group or a running partner, I had people keeping me accountable and encouraging me to get up and run. Over the past few months, I began blogging less and less about my workouts and especially while nursing an injury. Body Back will force me to be accountable to a group again and it will get me back into blogging my fitness journey here on Run DMT.
As for my running, it’s also progressing nicely. I’ve bumped up my distance to one mile, but still only running two to three times a week. It all depends on how my foot is feeling. If I’m in pain, I don’t run. Instead, I focus on a very low impact workout with strengthen exercises and core work.
For the one mile run, I’m showing steady progress by slowly shaving seconds off my pace.
Ideally, I’d like to be at a mile and a half by the end of the month. We’ll see. Follow me on Instagram @run_dmt to follow my #BodyBack journey and see how my running is progressing as I heal.Track my running on Garmin Connect.
What hurdles and struggles did you overcome in January? How is your fitness journey progressing?
Disclosure: I am participating a Body Back fitness program provided by Fit4Mom Tampa Bay in exchange for my opinions. All opinions shared are my own.
