Munday Morning Fitness

So, that’s day one successfully over and done with. The first instalment of Total Body Core successfully completed. The correct number and combination of boxes consumed in more or less the right order.

I’m intending these posts to be partly a review of/guide to individual workouts, partly a record of what I ate, and partly a genuine diary where I can reflect on how the day went from a fitness perspective. Today’s is longer than I expect most of them will be, as on Day One, there’s a lot to say. I hope that me being honest about both my successes and my failures and everything in between will help keep me motivated, but also be inspiring but reassuring to people reading this. That said, if you’re just hear for the workout review, you can scroll down. I’ll be copying them all over onto a separate page at some point too.

Clearly, I started today with the benefit of all the excitement and enthusiasm of starting a new programme, which I’m not going to have in my favour for the entire 80 Days. On the other hand, it was horrid weather, a hectic day at work, and (sorry for oversharing) my time of the month, all of which would normally conspire to make me have some treats during the working day and collapse in a heap once I got home, so I was pretty proud of myself for managing to stick rigidly to the plan.

FOOD

I’ve done portion fix lots of times before, but the timed nutrition aspect was new to me and made everything a little confusing, though I’m sure I’ll get used to it with practice and refine my meal choices. I’ve got to admit, I didn’t 100% stick to the structure. I wasn’t far off, but lunch and the pre-workout meal should have been the other way round, and one of the greens from the latter should really have gone with the afternoon snack. But I thought I’d get a bit faint if I didn’t have any carbs till after 5, and I didn’t feel like tomatoes, pecans, and blueberries all together as a snack. I want to stick to the design as accurately as I can, but I’m going to have to play around to find the meal combos that work for me.

I was sceptical about whether it would make a difference, but despite the fact I was eating the exact same number of each type of box, something about the design of the different meals made me feel like I was eating an extraordinarily large amount of food. I struggled to get through my final meal of the day – post-workout meal, aka dinner – when I’m usually like a ravenous beast after exercise. It was the pre-workout meal I found most bizarre though. I had a chicken salad, and my entire team asked me why I was having lunch so late or why I was having a second lunch. It worked well though. I’m normally starving by the time I get home from work, but I was fine today, and I’m sure it helped me power through my workout.

WORKOUT INTRO

The first problem with today’s workouts (apart from the fact that stomach cramps were not making me overly enthusiastic about something with “core” in the title) is that my husband also does home workouts. As we both work full time, there’s really not time for us to work out consecutively. And as we have limited space  and only one set of adjustable weights, it’s not very practical for us to work out at the same time, so we alternate days. Monday is generally considered to be one of his workout nights, and Body Beast Bulk Chest was up on the TV before I had chance to argue my (entirely unjustified) case.

Not to be defeated on Day One, I slunk off to what I jokingly like to call Studio Two. Actually, it’s my very narrow hallway. Do a jumping jack, and your hands and feet will hit the walls. I took with me a set of five pound weights, which are the only things I have apart from the amazing adjustable ones. Autumn suggested using a set of eights and a set of tens, and while she didn’t explicitly say to find somewhere that actually allows you to move, it seemed heavily implied. So I wasn’t off to the best of starts.

In the end, while the lack of space was a bit of a pain, the enforced light weights were a blessing in disguise. It’s a long time since I’ve gone as light as 5 pounds for anything much, but it’s also a long time since I’ve worked out solidly for 60 minutes – I’ve got used to intense 30 minute blasts. I could definitely have gone heavier on certain exercises, but if I’d have gone heavier consistently, I think I’d have burnt out before the end. There were more band-based exercises than weight-based ones anyway, so it didn’t hugely matter.

WORKOUT REVIEW

The format was 5 rounds, each focused on a different body part, though with a strong core focus throughout, 3 exercises each round, 15 reps per exercise (some repeated on both sides), performed straight through then repeated.

There was quite a bit of variation. Some exercises, such as tricep kickbacks, were completely standard. There were some interesting compound exercises, such as a squat with a shoulder press and a twist, that neatly worked two body parts plus the core. And there were some nice little add-ons to make some moves a little harder or keep the core engaged, like one where you had to bend and straighten your knee (with a band round your thighs) while doing bicep curls. Finally, there were some really challenging floor moves, with a more straightforward core-focus, that hugely challenged both my abs and my balance. This side plank with knee pull (with the extra fun of a band) was a particular favourite).

I felt like I was getting a good all over workout and an excellent core blast, while also keeping my heart rate elevated. But, although some individual exercises were killers, for the first half, I didn’t feel quite as challenged as I was expecting. The pace seemed slightly gentler than the similar workout in A Little Obsessed. But then, at the thirty minute mark – ie. where I’d be finished if I were doing ALO or 21 Day Fix or something – the whole thing started again. And it was quite amazing how much harder most of the exercises felt second time around. About ten minutes from the end, I was starting to feel like my endurance was close to its limits, though I pushed through. That said, the hour went much faster than I was anticipating. While it was a challenge, I have a sneaky suspicion that Autumn went easy on us for day one.

And as I’ve made him look like the bad guy for exiling me to the hallway Studio Two, I should conclude by pointing out that my husband’s workout finished twenty minutes before mine, and he used the intervening time to cook me my healthy post-workout dinner, so I can’t complain too much!.

I’m now looking forward to tomorrow and “Booty”.

If you’re interested in doing 80 Day Obsession, comment below or contact me here.   And if you’re already up and running, let me know how your day one compared, below.

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.