Extra Weight… Extra Muscle!

For years I’ve wanted to start some sort of fitness program or exercise routine, but I just didn’t push forward and do it. Then I finally felt like I needed to get my butt in gear… no more excuses.

I was lucky that while I had Covid my symptoms were mild, but after recovery, I found physical activity tough and my lungs just didn’t bounce back quickly. It really gave me the push I needed to get into better shape before my possible next round.

I had it in my mind during my leave to start some sort of physical activity, so it was time. I decided to look into BeachBody. It has caught my interest off and on for years, but I worried it may be too intense or offer too much cardio/ not enough variety.

One of the main reasons BeachBody stood out to me was because of my Coach Lyndsay. I have followed her on Instagram for a number of years. She’s married to a childhood friend of mine and I have really been inspired by her physical journey. She is so motivated, passionate and driven. Her posts are encouraging. She’s human, personal and I have truly enjoyed all of the information she has shared over the years. I finally decided to look into some of the programs BeachBody offers and I knew it was for me.

If I pay for something I will commit to it, that’s just who I am. I also have a group of amazing women that I check in with each day and Lyndsay, my Coach, is there if I have any questions or need support.

After recommendations from this group, I started with a program called Clean Week. It was a great starting program and also made me realize that I really wasn’t in good shape at all. I needed this eye opener. I sometimes get too focused on weight and although I was not far off of my BMI, I wasn’t exercising my body and that needed to change.

Since having Covid, I knew something was off with my physical health. I booked a doctors apt for a general check up / blood work and when the results came back, I wasn’t surprised to find that my iron was super low. I have had low iron during my pregnancies, but it was lower than those instances. I did read in a few places that this can be an after effect of having Covid. I’m now on iron supplements and feeling much better.

But back to BeachBody… I signed up in March and since then I’ve completed 3 different programs, but also did parts of many others. I have lost 12ish lbs, but most importantly gained muscle. I can’t get over the change in my strength, increase in the weights I use and my core in general. I am within my BMI and am not focusing on loosing weight, just continuing to gain muscle and keep my metabolism up… after all I have to balance my ice cream addiction with something. 🙂

I see a chiropractor regularly, who has been encouraging me to do strength exercise for a while for the neck, back and sciatic issues I have. I’m so impressed with how much better I feel. 80% of my pain/ aches/ tightness is gone. I also stretch more regularly and BeachBody offers some great programs for this as well. These physical changes are addicting and I am excited to see my changes over the next 6 months.

As I transition back to work in a few weeks I decided to choose a program called Job1. It is a daily 20 min intense workout that is designed to be shorter, but gets to the point. Each day is different, sometimes focusing on strength and other days cardio. I wanted to be sure that I keep my routine, so after some great advice from my group, this is what I will complete while getting back into my work routine to ensure I stay on track.

Physical change can be hard, but I can’t be more thankful that I pushed myself and as a result am feeling so much better and stronger. Ending with some of my check in pictures. 🙂 Ella did some of the Muscle Burns Fat program with me before heading back to her intense August dance. She wanted to keep strong over the summer. In addition to sharing pics with my group and a check in, I also send a pic to Candice as we are accountability buddies. 🙂 It is a great way to stay on track and motivated.