As you might as surmised, I loved my first experience with the PeakFit System - and Peak 10 Challenge - by Michelle Dozois. I've never been so challenged in my workouts for such a long period of time - 8 weeks! And I finished it! I stuck with it! And I loved the results!
Granted, I wasn't eating great during a lot of those 8 weeks. July 4th was in there as was a lot of eating out. I look forward to doing the challenge again before a cruise, when I'm back on my very strict diet.
Motivation
Even for me, who is OCD about working out, it was difficult, about mid-way through the Challenge, to stay motivated. This was at about the time I had to add an evening workout during the week for an additional cardio strength. That was tough and I felt my energy lagging. But the thought of seeing and feeling results kept me going.
Results
There are many things that numbers don't account for. The bottom line is that doing these workouts made me feel great! Push-ups became easier; I mastered the dreaded tuck jump when, before, I could never get my knees up; I lost all fear of lunge jumps.
When I started the Fit Test on Sunday, I was immediately disturbed. The first two moves - squats and lunges - saw virtually no change in my numbers. But then I reminded myself that I do those constantly, neverending-ly, with Jari Love, so my numbers were already great to begin with. After that, I saw some good improvements!
Before After
Prisoner Squats 49 49
Lunges 40 41
Burpees 24 29
Tuck Jumps 36 55
Push-ups 25 36 (on my knees)
Ankle Grabbers 13 20
Sit-Outs 22 30
Plank to Frog 24 30
Fence Hoppers 68 82
Side Lunge/Jump Shot 31 36
My measurements didn't see a lot of change, but that's alright. I wasn't looking to significantly change my body; I just wanted to tweak it!
Change
Weight -4.0 lbs
Chest same
Waist -0.5"
Hips -0.5"
Thighs -0.75"
Arms same
Calves -0.5"
Going Forward
When I had my Q&A with Michelle Dozois, a light bulb went off in my head. The idea of breaking up my workouts into 8-week (or any amount of time) sessions blew my mind. I get so bored with doing the same stuff yet I don't want to spend a fortune on home workout videos. So this solution of taking a break from some to do others is perfect! Perfect!
So, for the next 7 weeks, I'm putting together my own Jari Love Challenge (by the time this post is up, I'll be well into my first week!). I'll do at least two of her workouts per week. There will still be some Peak 10 workouts here in there and definitely some Michelle Dozois..... But I won't touch the PeakFit System during that time.
Then, I'll take a week-long break when my in-laws are in town. The body needs this. Never doubt that or feel guilty for taking a vacation from working out. Over the course of a year, I take about 4-5 weeks off and I've never lost any ground that couldn't be made up.
After those eight weeks have passed, I'll begin the PeakFit System again. Woohoo! And this time, it'll lead up to a November cruise. Yay!
So you knew I was OCD....but did you know I would plan out my workouts months and months in advance? Well, I do. It takes out the guesswork and keeps me on track and motivated!
I'm also going to keep posting my weekly workout round-up on Mondays. This also keeps me motivated and I like the accountability. Hopefully, it also reminds you, dear readers, than you're not alone in your fitness regimen. We're all in it together!
No comments:
Post a Comment