First of all - I LOVE the workouts. They are my new favorite next to the original 21 Day Fix workouts! Autumn Calabrese really stepped her game up here and intensified the workouts with great new moves. I generally burn calories pretty low because I have a really low resting heart rate - so I was very shocked most times when I would get done with one of these workouts to see how may calories I torched. And not only was I torching calories - I was building muscle at the same time. I feel stronger than I've ever been! :)
If I could rate the workouts in order....first one being the one I love the most....I would have to say it goes in this order. Lower Fix Extreme, Cardio Fix Extreme, Plyo Fix Extreme, Upper Fix Extreme, Pilates Fix Extreme, Yoga Fix Extreme. Even the day for upper body is totally killer! And Pilates Fix works my body in ways that it's just not used to so it's great. But I'm a sucker for leg day and cardio - so I'm not surprised I fell in love with lower, cardio and plyo! I would recommend the workouts for sure!
Now on to the food plan. Things did not go as I fully intended in this department. My initial plan was to do week with following the Extreme Meal Plan. I did that. Then I was planning to follow the Countdown to Competition Plan for weeks 2 and 3. I started to follow it for a bit but it was so incredibly strict and then the carb depletion days were just too much for me. It was so strict, that it started to backfire and made me want to eat things I normally don't because I was playing mind games with myself. So I decided to go back to just following the Extreme Meal Plan. I do love the nutrition plan because I definitely feel the best when I'm following it because it ensures that I'm eating the right amount of the right foods every day! And naturally, my body responds very well to that. However - my brain plays tricks on me and tells me I want more healthy fats or carbs just because I know I already had my allotment for the day of those. :) So it's all about balance and learning what works for you!
I didn't stick to it 100% like I wanted to and I know if I had been completely committed, that my results would have been a little different. But it is what it is, and I'm most certainly not perfect. I did only have one 4 oz glass of wine over the entire 21 days so I'm really proud of myself there because there were many days where I was tempted...like family get togethers with everyone else drinking wine! But there were some days where I had snacks at night that were not 21 Day Fix Extreme approved and I didn't follow the plan. I would say I followed the 80/20 rule more often. When it comes to food - I think it's important to be very careful about not over thinking it to the point where you self-sabotage. You have to allow yourself to still enjoy food and not obsess over it. Once you start to obsess over it - the whole idea of the "healthy lifestyle" can start to go out the window. Everything in moderation - just be mindful!
With that being said - I'm still very happy with the program and with the results. I lost the 5 pounds I had gained the previous month from being too lax with my nutrition (as I mentioned in a previous post). My measurements didn't change a whole lot besides an inch lost in my waist and hips and then some muscle gains in my legs and arms and then definitely worked the abs a lot in this program. So I'm happy with that because I was looking to gain some muscle. I wasn't looking for earth shattering changes and I can't expect earth shattering if I don't follow the nutrition plan to the T like it recommends. But you always have to examine your goals when you're working towards something. I've been working really, really hard since May of last year. It's not realistic to work towards losing weight the whole time. My goal right now is to maintain and to try to lean out a little bit but to build more muscle!
What's next? As much as I would enjoy another round of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, I've committed to starting P90X3 with one of my challengers and friends! So this week I'm picking and choosing workouts as I get prepared for starting that next program on Monday March 16th! Looking forward to a new challenge and can't wait to see what Tony Horton has in store for me. I've always wanted to try a P90X program but honestly was a little scared at first when I started as a beginner. And I definitely didn't want to have to devote 60 minutes to a workout a day. 30 minutes seems so much more manageable in my head so I figured this program would be perfect!
