.JPG) |
| PiYO Set! |
Happy Sunday!! I have officially started my PiYo journey! I have to be honest, I was a little nervous before trying the first official workout because I am not used to slowing things down while working out. Between T25, P90X3, and 21 Day Fix (which have been my latest workouts), I certainly was not in a PiYo zone as far as burning calories and building strength. I used to be a pretty flexible person, but I could certainly use some tuning up. I'm a week in to PiYO and know that this is a perfect summer program! I've learned a lot already and have even come up with some beginner tips for those of you who have just started your journey as well!
So, how did Week 1 of PiYO go? Let me tell you...
I am going to start with the breakdown of workouts that I completed this week.
 |
| PiYo is Here! |
- Day 1 was the Fundamentals class which was 40 minutes long. Although I did learn many of the moves from Chalene Johnson herself at Coach Summit, I knew that I wanted to really take the time to complete this workout and completely focus on correct form. I am glad I did! This workouts really breaks down each move so that you can complete this fitness program in an effective manner to maximize your results.
- Day 2 was Define: Lower Body. Not much of an explanation needed. It totally focused on lower body movements and was only 20 minutes long! Was it effective? YES! Did I sweat? YES! Was I sore? YES!!
 |
| PiYO moves |
- Day 3 was Define: Upper Body and again, it did just as it says. It was approximately 18 minutes of building upper body strength, which is something that I definitely need to improve on. It worked my biceps, triceps, and shoulders, leaving my arms feeling like Jell-O!
- Day 4 was called Sweat and boy did I do so! And I don't mean I broke a sweat, I mean I was dripping!! The workout was approximately 36 minutes and I actually messaged one of my friends (and coach) to tell her about it because I couldn't believe what a workout I got without jumping or even running! Needless to say, when she got to it later in the day she messaged me with the same reaction. This workout is a fast paced cardio with a yoga/pilates flow. There was a lot of body resistance involved which will definitely help sculpt the entire body.
 |
| PiYo Upper Body |
- Day 5 is suppose to be a rest day, but since I knew my Day 6 would be crazy, I decided to flip flop days. It was back to the Lower Body Workout.
- Day 6 REST
- Day 7 is back to Upper Body.
And that completes Week 1 PiYO Workouts!
 |
| PiYO is here! |
Now that the workouts are out of the way, what about the nutrition plan?
Every Beachbody Workout comes with some sort of nutrition/eating plan but the 21 Day Fix is really the only program that I truly followed (eating plan wise). I have adopted a clean eating lifestyle so when I would get a new nutrition program, I would just check out the recipes and snacks to see what new additions I could make to my weekly meal plans. I read through the PiYO Eating Plan and WOW! It is simple and fantastic! The good news is that it (in my opinion) really reflects a lot of the 21 Day Fix plan. Oh course, it doesn't come with the containers and isn't broken down in to as many parts, but for the most part, the calorie range and recommended servings are right on!
So the first thing you do is figure out your calorie range using the formula provided. Since my number came out below 1200, I am suppose to round up to the 1200-1399 calorie range. Eating less than 1200 within a day is not healthy or recommended. In fact, it can hinder your results rather than help!
Also, these numbers are approximate. They are not something to stress over. As long as you are eating healthy foods and staying within 200 calories of your target range, then you will see results.
Since I will be following the 1200-1399 calorie range that means I get:
4 Servings of Primary Vegetables
2 Servings of Secondary Vegetables and Grains
2 Servings Fresh Fruit
4 Servings of Lean Protein
3 Servings of Healthy Fats
Not sure what foods fall in to each category? No worries! There is a list of foods for each category in the Get Lean Eating Plan Book! In addition,
Shakeology is implemented right in to the plan!
Why not incorporate a nutritional shake that will provide you with your daily dose of nutrients, aside from increased energy, curbed cravings, and more?!
My Week 1 PiYO Meal Plan is posted below!
 |
| PiYo Week 1 Meal Plan |
As I said above, throughout my first week of PiYO, I've learned a lot! Each day I was picking out different aspects of the workouts that I really loved and started writing them down! So, here they are!
- I highly recommend investing in a yoga or some sort of exercise mat. You are on the floor a lot and the mats make it much more comfortable.
- So far, all of the workouts have been bare foot. You can wear shoes if you'd like but I've been fine barefoot so far!
- There is a modifier in every workout! Her name is Michelle. What's awesome is she does the moves from a side view where as everyone else is facing forward. I kept hearing about this but truly didn't appreciate the greatness of it until I actually started. It is really nice to be able to see how each move looks from the front and side. It greatly helps with correct form. In addition, you always have the option to go in to Child's Pose between moves in the event that you need a little break.
- NO equipment is necessary!! That's right! No weights! Like I said before, I recommend a yoga mat, but that's just me. If you plan to follow Michelle and modify some of the moves, you may need a chair to help with some of the balance exercises. I'm sure you can spare a chair from your kitchen table, right?!
- I noticed that a part of my body that was sore even after the first day were my wrists. Strange, huh? I was not surprised because this is something that Chalene Johnson explained when she spoke about program. Many of us do not have much wrist strength. Just because your wrists are sore, doesn't mean there is something wrong (unless you are in great pain of course). PiYO is even designed to help strength and flexibility in your wrists too! So, just like every other part of your body, don't be surprised if your wrists get sore.
- Another aspect that I LOVE is the fact that not everyone is perfect in the videos! As a home workout person, I often times look at all of the fit people in the videos thinking, I can't wait until I can do it like them! This is definitely not the case. Don't get me wrong, everyone in the videos are awesome, but there are times when they wobble a bit with some of the balance moves or need to go back in to child's pose to take a couple second break.
- Next up....location of the video. Now I know some people may disagree with me, but, as someone who works out using her laptop, keeping it on the floor has simplified things. I don't find myself straining my neck to look up at the TV figuring out what move to do next. Of course, once you get the hang of the workouts, this won't be an issue.
- My final learning experience / tip thus far is DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED! Yes, there are moves that will be out of your comfort zone. Yes, you may struggle with the tripcep push ups (I do!) but you have to start somewhere! You need to have some places to improve or else it wouldn't be a challenge! So, once you start, don't stop! Keep on going! You WILL get better.
I encourage you to follow my 60 day PiYO journey through my Facebook page and right here on my blog!
I will be starting a brand new EXCLUSIVE PiYO test group on Monday, July 7th and am accepting applications now!! If you would like more information, or would like to join, please fill out the application below and I will respond within 24 hours. Who is going to be a part of my first test group to get awesome RESULTS?!!
Online contact and registration forms from
Wufoo.
Labels: Health and Fitness Accountability Groups, Home Fitness Program, Pilates, PiYo Meal Plan, PiYo Tips, What is PiYo, Yoga