November Goals: New Program, New Focus

Hey everybody. With October come and gone and finding my progress lagging after having finished the P90X system I felt like it was time to take things up a notch, but was having trouble deciding how best to accomplish this task. I had thought of just restarting the P90X program and seeing if I could duplicate my results, but I am one of those people who loves structure, but can get bored if I don’t feel like I am not being challenged enough. I know that seems contradictory, but it really isn’t. My brain likes to know what is coming and when it is coming, but my body likes to feel like it is really working hard to achieve a goal. So going back to the beginning of P90X would provide the consistency that my brain likes, but wouldn’t prove as challenging to my body this time around because my body had become accustomed to the regime. I really hope that makes sense. I have been getting up at 3:30 in the morning the past couple of days to get to work and although I could have slept in to day I was wide awake by 6:30 and the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in yet.
So I am browsing through my news feed on Facebook a little over a week ago and I come across a post by one of the many Beachbody Coaches that I began following since beginning this blog back in February. Melissa Goodrich had posted a link to the Beachbody site for a super sale on the TurboFire system. Now when I say super sale I mean it was originally at around $120.00 and I was getting it for $64.00 with taxes and shipping. I took this as a sign and clicked that link so fast that you would have thought I was getting something for free. It was a good thing I acted quickly too because that system sold out in less than 24 hours. I am not even sure it was 12 hours to be honest.
So what is the TurboFire system? It seems to be a lot of HIIT training, kickboxing and aerobic conditioning. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Basically you do short burst of all out effort mixed in with a high intensity cardio routine to get your heart rate up and your metabolism burning to its highest levels for longer periods of time.

Here is a shot of the day that Christmas came early in my house.

How is it going so far? Well as of today I have completed my first three workouts on the system and I have to say that I find it extremely challenging and fun. Do I feel like a tool learning the moves and making missteps all along the way? Yes. Yes I do, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I am not very gifted when it comes to coordination, friends. I am probably one of the clumsier people in this world in fact. Of course I have become much less so after having worked on strengthening my core and incorporating Yoga into my life. That is the beauty of doing these types of routines in the comfort of my own home, though. I have plenty of time to learn the routines at my own pace and if I really don’t get something I can pause, rewind and do it again until I get it instead of getting frustrated and feeling embarrassed in a large group of people and not getting time one on one with the trainer. Some people like to go to classes and workout in a group, I am not one of those people. I am a lone wolf. A very sweaty, awkward lone wolf, but a wolf none the less. HA!

This is how I looked after finishing my first day’s workout. I was sweaty as hell and hating/loving life.

Will I let my strength training suffer on account of the new program? Heck no! First off the program seems to have strength training incorporated into it, I received a resistance band and thigh band in the kit so I am sure to be using them soon, and second, if I don’t feel like I am getting as much lifting in as I have been in the past I will be adding gym/lifting days to the mix. I did that on day two of the program which was a lower intensity, yeah right, thirty minutes. I headed straight to the gym for another hour of lifting afterwards. I will continue to do that when I feel like I need a good lift day.
This routine sets your up for six days a week with one rest day a week. HIIT training is mixed in with stretching LIIT, core work and strength training. I will give you more details as I make my way through the program.
So far this week I am really enjoying the new challenge and I am really looking forward to my next workout. If you all have any questions as I go along here, feel free to drop me a line here, on my Facebook page or on twitter and I will be sure to give you any help I can offer. Back to real life now. I have a workout to fit in and then it’s off to the daily grind. Nothing like going from 5 AM shifts to closing shifts to make a girls circadian rhythms go all wonky. I am hoping to get a more regulated schedule here soon so that I can be at my best every day.
I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading!