I can haz fitness?

Now I know you’re really impressed—another post just one day later!

Yesterday I wrote about WW and motivation.  This time of year is just almost impossible for most of us to entertain the idea of paying better attention to our eating habits.  There are parties, events, work lunches, kids’ events, and family events.  Not to mention the running around for presents, decorations and other ‘fun’ stuff.  I realized this morning that I haven’t made a full trip to the grocery store in over a month.  My list for today is quite long.  I haven’t even started to bake yet!!!  Normally my baking is just about done.  That new oven is begging to be tested out!  DH and I have not been home on the weekends in weeks—this weekend will be no exception.  *whining over* 

So what do I do in the midst of all of this chaos?  Well I did tell you a while back I was thinking of joining a gym.  And I did—joined LA Fitness in November.  As I told you before, I was hesitant because I’m really not a gym person.   Other than classes, I had no idea what to do!

I also realized I do so much working out with a structured plan.  Most of us ADDers need to have that or else we end up wandering around looking at all the bright shiny machines and people watching!  You may laugh but it’s the truth! 

I considered doing my Chalean Extreme at home and doing cardio classes at the gym.  But I had already done 2 rounds of the program and while I love you Chalean, it was time for something new.  Plus—I wanted to use as much of the gym as possible.  It seemed just a waste to go for classes when LA Fitness has a lot more to offer me.

Enter Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer.  What the heck is that?  It’s a hardcore, full training program.  I had already worked out with free weights at home with Chalean Extreme, to me this was the next step.  Before deciding on this, I read over my old Oxygen magazines for ideas on a routine.  But I have to be realistic about myself and my goals.  I know that in order for me to not wander around like a kid in a candy store, I need a plan.  In short, I need to be told what to do and how to do it.  So the search was on for a good training plan.

So why this plan?  Well look above—that’s Jamie Eason.  Her body is amazing.  If you aren’t familiar with her, she’s a fitness model and has written a column in Oxygen magazine.  She also works with BodyBuilding.com, and that’s where this program comes from.  If you take a few minutes to read some of her past columns from Oxygen Seize the Day, you will see just why I consider her a great fitness role model.  She loves fitness, but she’s realistic and understands that we all can lose motivation and need to find ways to stay up on it.  And if you follow her on Facebook or Twitter, you can see her sweet personality shine through as well.  She’s never too busy to cheer on someone or answer a question.

So back to the plan.  It’s a 12 week program in 3 phases.  Phase 1 is mainly about lifting heavy weights.  NO CARDIO!  I couldn’t believe it either.  It is going to be very hard for me not to do anything. (Phase 2 and 3 adds the cardio back in, so not to worry.) I may take a walk around our block to keep my legs moving but she is very emphatic about no cardio so that you aren’t losing the muscle you are building with your weight workouts.  I just completed week 1 and my arms and legs are STILL sore from Sunday’s workout!  This is no joke!

They say that being fit and healthy is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  I kind of believe it now.  Until I joined WW, I worked out but wasn’t seeing results until I started paying attention to what I was eating.  Jamie also came up with a meal plan for each phase as well.  Warning—it’s definitely going to be a change for those of you don’t already follow the ‘eating clean’ guidelines.  It’s lower carb and also heavy protein to support the muscles you are working to build.  Don’t dismiss how important nutrition is to your body—it’s the fuel for the fire of getting leaner.  If you want to see the sample diet for Phase 1, please go here.  I will be honest and say I didn’t completely follow it for week one because I desperately need to get to the grocery story. But I do have my list updated and ready so I can follow pretty closely.   Jamie also has a great listing of her own recipes too! Just click here to see them.  I have tried many of them and they are good!

To help me stay organized, I got an an old binder from work and printed out each day’s workout for that week.  Then I take it with me each time I go to the gym to keep track of my progress.  I admit that I am getting a little bit obsessed with this, but I really want to see some results.

After week 1 of Phase 1, I definitely feel strong and see more definition in my arms.  I think that once I get the eating plan down and planned out better, I will see even better results and more energy.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress as I go along.  Looking forward to seeing how far I can push myself and hopefully come out of the program smaller and stronger!

Even if you aren’t interested in the program, it’s worth checking out for the nutrition tips and recipes that Jamie offers.  Like I said, just look at her and that will tell you she knows her stuff!

Do you have a fave fitness routine or program?  What is it?

Thanks for reading such a long post!  I’ll be back later this week with latest Favorites!