Well my friends, Operation Beach Bod is fully underway. I’m into my third week of personal training sessions, and while I pretty much want to die after each workout, I’m starting to see some (small) results.
A few of you have asked me for details of the workout, so I thought I would share.
It’s basically a mix of a lot of weights and a lot of stretching – especially my legs. I’ve learned that a lot of my back and shoulder problems are actually a by-product of my excessively tight calves and hamstrings. Who would have thought? As I venture along on this journey of getting back into shape, I’m continually amazed by how connected each part of the body is… if you are neglecting even the tiniest part, it could have huge implications on the rest of your body.
We start out with the resistance band. He has me do shoulder mobility exercises (years spent behind a desk have done terrible things to my posture,) chest work, and shoulder exercises. The resistance band is great because it’s just one tiny piece of equipment, but you can do so many exercises with it, and make it harder and harder as you get better.
Then, it’s loads of lower body work. To keep me on my toes, it varies. It’s a mix of wall squats, split-stance squats, and walking lunges (ow) peppered in with hamstring presses and more squats. We don’t rest much – in between, we stretch, and keep moving by doing a set of lower-body exercises, a set of upper, and repeat. His logic is that we should spend a lot of time fatiguing the larger muscles – that way, I’ll burn more calories throughout the day. Seems to be working so far.
As far as food goes, it’s fruit and low-fat cottage cheese for breakfast; sushi for lunch; and salad with some sort of protein for dinner. I also love my smoothies, so I usually have one of those as well (I am a big fan of Jamba Juice’s enlightened blends… they’re low on fat & calories, high on flavor!)
All in all, I have a lot more energy during the day, I’m sleeping better, and I’ve noticed a slight change in how my jeans and tees are fitting. Slightly looser in the waist and thighs… just where I need it!
PS – I’ll be documenting this challenge weekly. Keeps me accountable.
