Today I started a new workout/nutrition plan offered by Beachbody.

Although I am not affiliated with Beachbody in anyway (I just love their workouts!) I am part of Amazon’ Affiliate Program so just assume that we may earn a small commision if you click on the links below.

We (hubs and I) have done other programs before, some we’ve almost finished, some we completely finished but the common denominator with any Beachbody program we’ve followed was that I felt terrific.  The first Beachbody program we did about 5 or 6 (maybe 7?) years ago was P90X with Tony Horton. If you don’t know him, look him up, it was intense but I have to say we were probably in the best shape of our lives….until we did Insanity with Shaun T…I have never felt so fit and strong. We also built muscle with Chaleen Johnson, we did Shaun T’s T25 and and the last program we ordered was Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer.  Can you tell how much we like the workouts?  I didn’t link to each program individually, but I would encourage you to go to Beachbody’s Website and check out the trainers and programs!

Back to my story…after a few years of doing at home workouts, I became a certified personal trainer and group workout instructor, rented studio space and taught my own classes for some time. If I ever had accountability for working out, it was during that time.  Even if I had just one person show up for my class (and that happened once in a while) I needed to be there, be prepared and work my butt off along with these awesome people who were counting on me to make them sweat!

A little over a year ago, I moved into a new position at work which requires a bit more travel and a bit less flexibility and made the tough decision to stop teaching fitness classes. And, for those of you who know our story, you know we were renting an apartment for the majority of 2017 (From March through November) as we were building our new home in the country. Even though I don’t believe in excuses, and as healthy and active as we try to be, the bottom line is I fell out of a routine and let unhealthy habits creep in.  It’s been some time since I’ve done anything structured and I can certainly feel it. Check out a previous post Consistency is Key! 

So here’s what I’m doing….

I started the 80 Day Obsession with Autumn Clabrese through Beachbody On Demand. This program, according to the  website offers to “Lift your butt, sculpt your core, and get an incredible total body transformation with 80 unique “real-time” workouts and a Timed-Nutrition Eating Plan.” Count me in!

I don’t think I’ll have trouble with the workouts although it will be interesting to see how I manage my travel schedule with the routines. (6 per week!) I signed up for Beachbody on Demand at $99 for the year which gives me full access to ALL of their programs and I can stream them whenever I want from my phone, tablet or computer, a pretty good deal, I think!  The nutrition piece will be a bit tougher for me and full disclosure, I may not follow it to a T, specifically the timing. If I have to do a 5 a.m. work out, I probably wont get a full pre-workout meal in an hour before.  To add a bit more fun, (what the hell am I thinking?) I’m also going to be focusing on a plant based whole foods diet…not vegan or vegetarian even, but my goal is to aim to limit my dairy and animal protein while increasing whole foods…Hello 5 cups of veggies and 4 servings of fruit!  I just listened to “How not to Die” by Michael Greger M.D. and Gene Stone  and all I can say is WOW. If you are looking to improve your health through food I highly recommend this read. 

While I can’t commit to posting every day, I’ll at least try to be consistent. This will not be a critique or review of the program, just my experience and opinions.

Day 1

The Prep

I studied the nutrition plan, took inventory of my weights and resistance bands, put my workouts on the calendar, spent $26 on new storage containers in every size and made sure I was fully prepared for the week! I took before photos that I may or may not share at some point during this program, logged my weight and measurements and created my own nutrition checklist that I just found easier to follow. All in all, I’m glad I had the day off to prepare for the next 80 days!

Nutrition

If I haven’t mentioned it enough (or if I have) I’ll say it again, the nutrition is going to be the challenge. I spent a good part of the day planning and prepping for the next couple of days as I’ll be traveling for work. I calculated my calorie needs and found my plan (there are several based on your weight and goals). I’m going to do a hybrid between the 80 Day Obsession plan and Dr. Greggers, it’s amazing how close the vegan eating plan from the program is to Dr. Greggers! I cooked kamut and bulger to stock up on my whole grains for the week, I steamed 6 cups of broccoli and the good hubby made a huge salad filled with greens, peppers and tomatoes that we could portion out as needed! I kept reviewing the nutrition plan to make sure I understood it and in the end it looks like I ended the day in a deficit but I’m not sure how I could have fit in anymore food. I was missing one protein, one veggie and my 2 tablespoons of seeds. I’ll try again tomorrow. Maybe it will be easier since I’ll be waking at 5:30 a.m.!

The Workout

The inaugural 1 hour workout was solid! The program is really not for beginners, but if you’ve been working out for a bit, have a good base, know your moves, know how important it is to have good form AND want to take your fitness to the next level, this could be for you…that’s my first impression. I used tied resistance bands vs. the recommended Beachbody resistant loops and used 8 pound weights for each move weights were required. I may step it up a notch next workout….we’ll see how I feel in the morning.

1st Day Conclusion

It felt so good to be back into a routine and following (for the most part) a plan. As Autumn says, I will try to be OBSESSED with my workouts and nutrition. Let’s face it, 80 days will come and go no matter what, might as well work towards a healthier me!

I’d love to hear if you are a fan of at home workouts, what has worked or what’s your biggest challenge. I’ll keep you posted on progress and as always, thanks for reading!

The Cohn’s