4 Reasons to Stop Going to the Gym

I’ve never been a complete gym rat, but I have gone through spells where I would go to the gym regularly for extended times. It was during those times I would remember how much I hated the gym! Now that I have not gone to the gym in months (but have continued to work out regularly—much more regularly than I did while going to the gym actually), when I think of gyms, all I see is this:

Remember this? Haha. 

A Planet Fitness recently opened up in my town and it caused a lot of people I know who had not previously worked out at gyms to join. It’s also hard to argue with their logic—their prices are cheaper than any other gym I know. I’m proud of them for making a step in the direction of a healthy lifestyle, but it got me thinking… why did I hate gyms so much? When I first started out using at-home fitness programs, I kept my old gym membership for a couple of months to fall back on (didn’t want to have to pay that hefty sign up fee again), but after a while I could honestly say I would never be going back so I cancelled and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

Why though? Well, I’ll share with you…

Here are my 4 top reasons not to go to the gym (and work out at home instead):

1. TIME

When I am leaving work after a long day, the last thing I want to do is deal with driving all the way to the gym (from my work to my gym would have been a good 30 minutes on a good day), lollygagging around on a bunch of different machines for an hour, then driving back home (another 20 minutes), and then finally having a chance to worry about life’s other duties—walking the dog, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen up, getting my stuff ready for the following day, possibly doing more work (I am a teacher, so it’s part of the job), etc. Let’s think about that for a second, 50 minutes of that time was spent DRIVING and another 60 minutes of actually working out (although I usually did between 60-90)—that’s 110 minutes at least! I don’t know about you, but I just don’t have that kind of time most days. Because of the time it took, going to the gym was usually the first thing to get nixed from my to do list if something came up. But now, I do a 30-minute workout in my own living room—that saves me 70 minutes! Are you serious? SEVENTY MINUTES saved! Time is no longer an excuse for me.

2. MONEY

Right now, at my old gym, the current price to join is a $129 enrollment fee, $9.95 monthly rate, and an annual fee of $39.99. They like to grab your attention with that $9.95 monthly rate, but they don’t advertise the other prices. So, if you think about just your first month at this gym (not even counting the annual fee that will come later), you would have to drop $138.95 at once. I’ll bet that will squash the excitement you just had about joining a gym for only $9.95 a month! I can buy an at-home workout program for so much less and use it over and over, without ever having to pay for it again. And I don’t even have to pay for gas for that 50 minutes of driving either!

Another note about money: $9.95 a month IS cheap for a gym membership every month. It’s cheap because you aren’t being provided any services. You pay your fee, you walk in the gym, look at all the machines and have no clue what to do. You can walk around and actually read the directions on the machines, but how many reps do you do? Which machines are the best to use each day? All of these questions can be answered by a personal trainer, which is going to cost you a pretty penny! Using an at-home workout program, you get the benefits of working with a personal trainer without the price tag!



3. FOCUS

When I first started going to the gym, I’d get on the elliptical for about thirty minutes to warm up then start my “rounds” at the weight machines. This is what it was like: “I’m going to get on this machine (10 reps)… ok this machine looks cool (15 reps)… what about this one? (12 reps)…. what am I even doing? (leave gym).” I would “pump iron” for a little while, not focusing on what muscle group I was supposed to be working on or keeping track of any sort of progress then I’d finally wonder “what am I doing with my life?” and leave the gym, probably accomplishing very little. During the year or so that I did this, I made very little progress on my weightloss goals or my healthy lifestyle goals, simply because there wasn’t a focus. Sure, if I had paid someone (personal trainer) to teach me some things, I may have had some focus, but I didn’t have any money for that. Instead, I floated from machine to machine or completed random Pinterest workouts before finally giving up. When I finally did a real workout PROGRAM is when I started to see concrete results. I had an expert telling me what to do every step of the way (instructor on the video), someone motivating me to succeed (Beachbody coach), and a fitness AND nutrition plan all laid out for me. It was great! I felt successful and I also felt like I was accomplishing so much in less time.

4. CROWDS

I hate crowds. Actually, I loathe them. When people get too close to me, I go into automatic “fight or flight” mode. As a teacher, I am lucky to (sort of) get off earlier in the day than most people, and if I managed to actually leave work when I was allowed to, I didn’t have to deal with crowds too much. However, if I stayed at work and got things done or if I stopped by my apartment to let my poor dog out, I got trapped in the post-work gym crowd. Not only would it take me longer to drive to the gym at this hour, but I would get there and all my favorite machines would be in use. OR, even worse, there would be people there who used the gym as a social outing and would sit on the machines (not using them, just sitting on them) and talk to each other. No amount of “teacher looks” could ever get them to realize how rude they were being. Then there was the floor area, where you can spread out and do ab work or stretch… in order to get a spot, you’d have to basically be touching each other (gross).

And then, there’s this problem:

If you’d like to know what it’s like to not have to drive to the gym, pay huge gym or personal training fees, have a focus in your workout, and to not deal with crowds, there are so many options. Contact me and I will set you up with the perfect program for your needs, as well as provide the motivation and support to help you succeed!

Piyo Final Review and Results

I have been a little MIA lately! I’m working on some really big assignments for grad school right now and they are sucking up all of my time and energy! Luckily, I have still made time to work out and have finally reached the end of the Piyo program!

What did I think of it?

I LOVED it!! I’ll be honest, there were days where I wanted some cardio, so I did a little bit of cardio with it, but the Piyo workouts are really good workouts by themselves. I can tell that I am a lot stronger than I was before, my body feels less jiggly and more “firm,” and I do have some tiny muscles coming in!

As for the workouts themselves, I did come out of this with some favorites that I will miss doing often. Because of this, I am going to actually be incorporating Piyo into my Insanity Max: 30 schedule, which will be my next 60 day endeavor!

What were my results?

I lost of total of 7 pounds and 9.2 inches. I was kind of bad in the beginning about following the meal plan, so I probably would have lost more weight if I had more self control, but I did not think I would lose those kinds of inches! After Christmas, I could barely button any of my pants and was just feeling very bloated all the time. Now my waistbands are getting looser and I feel lean!

I think the best part about it isn’t even the weightloss or how my clothes fit, it’s how I FEEL. My mood has been so much better (probably due somewhat to Shakeology every day) and I just don’t feel sluggish like I used to! I am a much happier person!

So what is Piyo?

PiYo is an eight-week long, complete at-home workout program designed by Chalene Johnson for Beachbody to totally transform your body in just 60 days without any weights, jumps, or strain on your body.

It was designed to increase flexibility and strength, by using a combination of Pilates and Yoga-based moves to get you long, lean toned muscle all while keeping the pace quick enough to help you burn unwanted fat. This program will define your muscles and leave your feeling more flexible!

The great thing about this program is that anyone can do it! I chose to do Piyo because I had some injuries that needed to heal before I could do any high-impact workouts, but I still wanted to do something that had high intensity! If you aren’t as flexible or strong yet, each workout has a modifier that you can follow to help you feel more successful!

Want to learn more about Piyo?

Here’s a video to learn more!

Interested in ordering Piyo?

There are a few different options…

Click here for the Piyo Base Kit.

Click here for the Piyo Deluxe (Strength) Kit.

Click here for the Piyo Challenge Pack (includes Piyo Base Kit and 30 days of Shakeology).

How to Deal With Negative Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is something that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, there is “positive peer pressure,” where you are convinced to do something good because of the people around you. Some examples would include: quitting smoking because your kids say they don’t like it, ordering a salad instead of a burger because everyone else at the table is eating healthy, or working out with your friend because she insisted on dragging you to the gym. Really, I think most people would call this more inspiration or motivation than peer pressure, but you catch my drift.

Then there’s negative peer pressure… the kind you thought you wouldn’t have to deal with after high school, but it turns out is part of our everyday life. Negative peer pressure irritates me A LOT. I go into most situations with confidence, so when someone tries to convince me to do something, I think “Ummm, and what do YOU know?”

So why am I talking about negative peer pressure on a fitness blog? I want to touch on it because I think it’s a real problem that people face when they are bettering themselves. I was in a Facebook group earlier today, and a woman had posted that someone had actually said to her “I can’t even tell you’ve lost 17 pounds.” Who says that to someone? TO THEIR FACE?

I wouldn’t consider myself a very sensitive person, so I would have responded to that person, “well you must be a blind idiot then.” Buuuuuuut not everyone is as blunt as I am. Not everyone is going to immediately notice your changes—they’re not looking at you like you do. I’m sure you scrutinize your body daily, noticing the tiniest change. But once you do start to lose a good amount of weight or gain a good amount of muscle definition, people will start to notice. And if they don’t? Who cares? You’re not doing this for them—you’re doing this for you!

The other side of negative peer pressure that isn’t as mean, but happens really often and people may not realize how bad their being is a situation like this: “Sonya and I are going to get pizza for dinner tonight, do you want to join?... Oh come on, who cares about your diet?... One night out won’t kill you!... You don’t need to lose weight anyway!”

Your friend is doing one of a few things:

1. Really just wants to hang out with you, so is trying to get you to join her, in order to spend time with you. In which case, you can ask to meet at the gym instead or go for a walk together.
2. Is only thinking of herself and just wants people to be around her so she doesn’t feel guilty as she’s eating HER pizza. In which case, she can get over it.
3. She is jealous of your progress and wants to sabotage you (probably unlikely… unless she’s a “frenemy”). In which case, maybe you shouldn’t be friends with her. 

A lot of times when people do this, they think what they are doing is harmless. But when you are new to a diet, not seeing results as fast as you want, or tired of the diet you’re on, you can easily be swayed and could easily give in to this pressure. I’m sure a good friend doesn’t want you to get off track because of something he or she said!

The best tips I can give are:

1. Make sure your friends are real friends that are supportive. If they are, they should respond well to “I really need you to support me while I’m getting my health together.”
2. Invite your friends to get healthy with you. You can host a “clean eating” potluck at your house or start a walking group.
3. If you have any friends or family that are on a similar journey, try to hang out with them a little more than you used to. Maybe you’ll experience some positive peer pressure!

No matter what happens, you’ve got to remember why you’re doing this—for yourself! Don’t worry about anyone who wants to negatively pressure you! They’ve got their own issues to deal with.

If you’re looking for a place where you will always find positivity and support for your journey, a challenge group is a great place to start!

I’ve had some questions about WHAT IS A CHALLENGE GROUP? So I thought I’d explain how I run challenge groups:

1. I get a group of people together who are each planning on beginning (or currently working on) a Beachbody program (see this post for more information on popular programs), using me as their coach.
2. I form a group on Facebook, where those people can be in a safe environment to post their progress, tips, or anything they have questions about.
3. I provide daily coaching to the group, as well as individual check-ins as often as is needed for each member!

This is what I love about Beachbody! It combines FITNESS, NUTRITION, AND SUPPORT to help you meet your needs. Those three things combined are what lead to you being successful! If you would learn more about my next challenge group (beginning March 2^nd—filling spots until February 21^st!), please comment below, contact me in the form at the bottom of the page, or follow me on facebook/instagram!

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3 Day Refresh Review

In a previous post, I had talked about my binge eating problems and how I really needed to get my nutrition back on track. I have been doing a great job sticking to my workouts and planning meals, but I was sneaking a lot of junk food that was sabotaging my nutrition! In order to fix this, I decided to try out Beachbody’s 3 Day Refresh.

Normally, I would not do any type of cleanse because I don’t believe in starving yourself. However, you actually get to eat on the 3 Day Refresh! Was I a little hungry? Yes. Did I feel like I was going to die of starvation? No (and I get hangry very easily).

To give you a little bit of an idea of the 3 Day Refresh, here is my story about it!

First, you get this box in the mail (I ordered the one that does not come with Shakeology because I already have Shakeology).

Then, you commit to three days of following the plan!

Day 1:

Day one was the hardest. I started out my day with my Shakeology breakfast and then did Piyo Drench (47 minutes of intense working out), which put me at a big calorie deficit the rest of the day. I had planned on drinking all of the teas that you are allowed to drink, in order to help fill me up, but I was running around doing errands most of the day and time got away from me. The worst part was dinner—Nik and I had gone to the movies that afternoon and didn’t get home until almost 7:00, so I was in need of some serious dinner and had a bad headache because I had waited too long to eat and had not had enough water. But that’s my fault!

Here is the lowdown of what I ate on day 1:

1. Chocolate Shakeology blended with half a banana
2. Fiber Sweep drink
3. Grilled squash and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with raspberries
4. Celery and hummus
5. Steamed veggies and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with cinnamon
6. (extra meal to make up for Drench) Strawberries and blueberries (1/2 serving of each)

Day 2:

Day two was the easiest day for me (most people say day three is, but I’ll get to that)! I did Piyo Sweat in the morning so it wasn’t quite as intense as the previous day. I also spent a lot of time at home, so I wasn’t burning calories running around town. AND I was much better at spacing my meals out! I had a slight headache that would pop up throughout the day, but ibuprofen combatted that just fine, and I really think that was more from sinuses than anything!

Here is what I ate for day 2:

 

1. Chocolate Shakeology blended with half a banana
2. Fiber Sweep drink
3. Grilled squash, half serving of strawberries and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with other half of strawberries
4. Celery and hummus
5. Green tea
6. Asparagus and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with cinnamon

Day 3:
Day three was not as bad as day one, but I was hungrier than I was on day two. I think this is because I had to go to work on day 3, so my brain was burning up a lot of my calories and I was using up a lot of energy! However, knowing that I would be done with it that night kept me going!

Here’s what I had as meals for day 3:

1. Chocolate Shakeology blended with half a banana
2. Fiber Sweep drink
3. Asparagus, strawberries, and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with cinnamon
4. Celery and hummus
5. Green Tea
6. Steamed veggies and Vanilla Fresh drink, blended with cinnamon

What did I think of the program overall?

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! I’ll be honest, the Fiber Sweep drink is gross, but you do it once a day and chug it and get on with your life! The Vanilla Fresh drink was alright—blending it with the fruit made it taste nice! I did get a little tired of eating nothing but veggies and shakes, but it’s 3 days. I could suck it up for 3 days! Note—I did not have a ton of variety in my meals because I am lazy and wanted to be able to prep a couple things at once!

So what were my results?

I ended up losing two pounds and about two inches between Saturday morning (day 1) and this morning. I think I would have lost more, but today starts that time of the month. Most people have said that they continue to drop pounds in the days after the program, so I am looking forward to seeing that! My clothes fit sooo much better and I feel so much less bloated than I did before! I was craving some real food this morning, but it was in the form of EGGS, not candy or sweets!

Would I do it again?

YES! The 3 Day Refresh did exactly what I needed it too—it helped me to get rid of some of the bad habits that I had formed in recent weeks! In fact, I am planning on doing it again in about 2 months!

Where do I go from here?

Obviously, when you come off of the 3 Day Refresh, you can’t go back to what you were doing before. You will gain the weight back (and more), and you honestly just wasted your money. I am making myself log every single thing in MyFitnessPal so that I don’t think “oh this doesn’t count!” I am also giving up candy for lent, so hopefully that will get things under control! J

Is 3 Day Refresh right for you? Maybe.

Who 3 Day Refresh IS for:

-People who need to get rid of a few bad habits.

-People who have a plan for how to continue to eat without giving in to those bad habits.

-People who have just come back from a trip where they over indulged (such as going home for the holidays).

-People who want to get a jumpstart on their weightloss.

-People who have hit a plateau in their weightloss.

Who 3 Day Refresh is NOT for:

-People who are currently eating 2000 calories a day or more. 3 Day Refresh would cut that in half and might be too much of a shock to your body. I would recommend slowly lowering your calorie intake for a little while before trying it.

-People who are not willing to make permanent changes after 3 Day Refresh is over.

-People who have NO CLUE what to do after 3 Day Refresh is over. **However, this is different if you are starting a program that will guide you right after 3 Day Refresh, then that is perfect!

Want to know more about 3 Day Refresh or are interested in trying it? Visit this link to see a video!

If you would like to join my upcoming challenge group, beginning March 2^nd, the deadline to sign up with me is February 21^st (or you won’t have enough time for your program to come in the mail)! If you are interested, please comment below or fill in the contact form at the bottom of the page!

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So You Want to Start Working Out? Part 2

In my previous post, I talked about creating goals for yourself before starting on a journey to healthier lifestyle.

Once you’ve made those goals and committed to them (commitment is KEY), you are ready for a plan. Now, here’s my question, are you the type of person who is going to be able to stay motivated, make yourself go to the gym or make yourself run, and make yourself eat healthy food ALL ON YOUR OWN? I’m not. I liked going to the gym because it was kind of hard to slack off with so many people working out around me, but it was hard to actually GET to the gym! When I was trying to run (which I now know I can’t do because my legs just won’t cooperate), there were any number of excuses I could come up with… it’s too hot, it’s too cold, it’s raining, there’s too many people out and about, etc. Also, when it comes to diet, when no one is holding me accountable for things that I’m eating, I will eat whatever I want.

The best thing I did for myself was purchase a Beachbody program. I’m not just saying this as a Beachbody coach, but when all I have to do is pop a DVD in and do a 30 minute workout in my living room, it’s a little harder to come up with an excuse. Each Beachbody program even comes with a calendar that tells you the order in which do the workout, so there isn’t even any decision-making you need to do! When I was going to the gym, I would have to sit for a while each week and plan out each individual workout in order to be successful—Beachbody does this for you!

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I am completing the Piyo program right now (almost done with week 6/8!) and I LOVE it. Choosing Piyo was a simple decision for me—I love pilates and yoga, I love similar programs that combine a little bit of cardio with those, and I need low impact exercises that are high intensity, which is what Piyo is! In thinking of the next program that I want to try, I had to think a little harder.

Now that I am close to finishing Piyo I needed to think about what I wanted out of my next program. I would like to continue with workouts that are around 30 minutes, I want a little more cardio to up my calorie burn each time, and I want to extend the results I am getting from Piyo. I looked at all of my options and decided on Insanity Max:30! I have seen a ton of posts all over Instagram with people posting their “max out time” pictures and I know Shaun T is intense! As I’ve watched people posting their “max out time” pictures, I’ve noticed that their times (“max out” means to go as hard as you can until you can’t anymore and stop to rest; the “max out time” is how long you could go before you maxed out) start out very low and they end up getting very close to the end of the 30 minutes at the end of the 2 months of the program. What I love about that is I don’t WANT to perform the same way at the beginning of a workout program as I do at the end! Plus, the selling point for this program was that it also has a modifier track for each of the workouts, so I don’t have to worry about injuring my legs more!

But what’s the right program for YOU? As a Beachbody coach, I have done the research for you! I have combed through Beachbody’s top programs and described them here for you! When you’re ready to commit to one of these programs and get awesome results, I will be here to coach you along the way! Be sure to watch the videos that I've included as links in the "Want to learn more" part for each program--that's what will really help you decide!

21 Day Fix

What is it? A fitness and nutrition program that makes everything very simple! The program includes 30 minute workouts for any level of fitness and portion-control containers to help you get your diet under control! And it only takes 21 days!!

Who is it for? People just starting off on their journey to a healthier lifestyle and/or people who struggle with portion control. It is also a great program for people that need to lose a lot of weight within a short amount of time.

Want to learn more? Here is a video showing you how awesome the program is!

21 Day Fix EXTREME

What is it? Beachbody’s newest program, 21 Day Fix Extreme, is the more advanced version of 21 Day Fix. It also has a slightly stricter eating plan.

Who is it for? People who are ready for a more advanced workout program and who want to see even more results!

Want to learn more? Here is a video showing you how to get amazing results with this program!

Focus T25

What is it? A 10-week program that consists of 25-minute workouts, 5 days a week. It is from the same creator as Insanity and involves cardio and strength.

Who is it for? People who don’t have time for longer workouts, people who want a ton of results fast, and people who want a high-intensity workout!

Want to learn more? Watch this video of Shaun T in action!

Insanity

What is it? A 60-day program that revolves around interval training, which alternated intensity and results in a high calorie burn and amazing results!

Who is it for? People who are graduates of other Beachbody programs or have a good general fitness level. These workouts are intense! Actually, they’re INSANE! 

Want to learn more? Check out Shaun T’s insane workouts here.

P90X

What is it? P90X offers 12 different workouts to target each part of your body. For men, it offers “bulking” options and for women, it offers “leaning” options. The workouts vary in intensity, length, cardio, and strength.

Who is it for? P90X is really good for great weightloss! It is also a very well-rounded program. If this sounds like what you want in a program, then it is for you!

Want to learn more? Watch this video of Tony Horton, one of my favorite trainers, in action!

Piyo

 What is it? Piyo is a fast-paced mix of yoga and pilates moves. It provides enough cardio to get your heart rate up but focuses on strength and flexibility.

Who is it for? Piyo is great for people who need low-impact workouts but still want to have a good amount of intensity! It’s also for people who want to sculpt their muscles and improve their flexibility.

Want to learn more? Watch Chalene Johnson in this video as she shows you some great Piyo moves!

So… are you interested in committing to yourself and getting the support you need to be successful at a workout program? If you are, I’m holding Challenge groups beginning March 2^nd! You will get daily motivation, inspiration, and support to make you successful at your Beachbody program. Are you up for the challenge? If so, comment below or fill in the contact form at the bottom of the page!