This is a follow up to my blog about setting weekly exercise goals versus monthly exercise goals or challenges for myself. I have chosen the 3 groups of exercises to focus on this week. I plan to exercise 5-7 days this week, but if I need more than 1 or 2 rest days and need 3 or 4 rest days that will be acceptable as well as long as I do each of these 3 exercises once this week. It is my hope to exericse from each of these categories twice this week, but modifications are fine as long as I manage to get in exercise from each of the three exercise groupings this week.
I just signed up for Beach Body on Demand because they are having a 30 day free trial. I have been wanting to try Piyo and my coach informed me that Piyo Sweat was recently added to the BBOD. Plus, I joined Tony Horton's Bring it Dietbet Challenge and Tony Horton is the creator of Beach Body's P90X program and all of the P90X programs that followed the original and he has other workout series' available too. I think it is only fitting to try Beach Body On Demand this week as one of my exericse categories. I am leaving this category as broad as possible. I can choose any video available from the Beach Body On Demand service for one of my exercises this week. I can do more than 1 video and I can do more than one day of using BBOD if I so desire. However, I am trying to steer away from setting myself up with too many limits and too many demands, so that I can follow through and accomplish my goals this month... so for now at least doing one workout from Beach Body On Demand will be a win for me from this category this week.
I am completely in love with my AeroPilates Reformer. I have had it for over a year and it is still my most favorite piece of exercise equipment I have ever purchased (tied with my Manduka Yoga mat). This thing is amazing and has so many things I can do with it to work different muscle groups and different areas of the body. I have 2 videos with multiple videos on them I can use for workouts, or I have been doing my own hybrid workouts with it the past month that I have taken partially from some of the videos and partially doing my own moves. I am leaving this category as broad as possible too. I can do my own workout, I can use a video, I can use the regular footbar, the rebounder or both, I can use the pull up bar attachment or not.... as long as I spend at least 20 minutes one time this week with my AeroPilates Reformer I will call it a success (I love this thing so much, I use it almost every night/morning before going to bed actually; even when I do other exercises... so it is highly likely that I will use this more than once this week... but 1 is all that is in the plan any more are just bonus workouts). PS if you haven't heard of this yet, please look it up on youtube or aeropilates.com or QVC. I can't understand why more people don't have one of these or know about them.
My third category was difficult for me to choose. I kept going over and over lots of things I love to do... different videos, apps, video streaming services, books, broad categories of exercises... I just have so many interests it's hard to choose. I finally nailed down one of them, and realized that is the whole point of choosing 3 exercises per week. I can choose 3 this week and I can change 1 of them next week or I can change 2 or even change all 3 if I choose. I am not tied down to trying to do something every day for a month like with many of the challenge programs I have tried and failed to complete in the past. I am just committing to do this at least once this week and can move on and do something else next week. I chose Blogilates by Cassey Ho. I have her app, I have watched several of her videos on Youtube. I have her new book. I have her monthly challenge calendars she has created (abs, butt, thighs, & arms), I have any of this stuff to choose from. I just have to pick at least one Cassey Ho/blogilates workout this week. She is infectious. I love her positive attitude and her bright disposition. I am likely to do more than 1, but if I don't fit in more than 1, it will be a win for the week.
I have tried dozens of monthly challenges or programs that give you workouts every single day for any number of days. The problem I have with these is that I burn out. I have rheumatoid arthritis and my body demands rest days sometimes even when I don't want to rest. The challenge calendars or plans often don't have rest days they are 14, 21, 28, 30, 60, or 90 days long. I have tried and tried and tried, but I cannot complete an exercise program this way. I get tired and need to rest and then I feel like a loser when I do because I get days behind everyone else who is completing them. Then, I think I will try to double up to catch back up but I often get too overwhelmed by that thought and end up just dropping out of it all together. I need at least 1-2 rest days a week. Sometimes I need 3 or 4 rest days. It depends on my health and sleep. I actually took an entire rest week last week. I had a horrible time of the month (the worst I have had since my last surgery in 2013 where I had an ovary and tube removed along with a large endometiroma on the ovary). I decided after a few days that since I was starting a new workout plan for myself this week that I would just continue resting through the weekend too. I am hoping that after taking a week off I will be more rested and will be able to start losing weight faster again too. I have been losing a lot slower lately.
I think my new plan of choosing 3 exercise groups to choose from each week will help me get in all of the exericses I love this month without being tied down to any one thing for too long. Plus I think being able to mark off my exercises each week and earning "wins" for myself by completing each of my 3 exercises at least once each week will raise my self-esteem about my workouts again.
To summarize, I will be using Beach Body On Demand, Blogilates, and AeroPilates this week as my 3 chosen exercise categories. I hope everyone else has a great week exercise-wise!