I had completed quite a few Beachbody programs, but when fall, and back to school came around, I got so busy, I needed a program that didn't require any equipment. Something that I could do in my office during lunch, or in a hotel room while traveling to my sons' soccer meets and cross-country meets. I had completed Insanity Max 30, which also uses no equipment, but was looking for something I could blend with a running schedule, since I help coach my son's cross-country team, and run with the team a few times a week.
PiYo had been sitting on my shelf since I purchased it when it was on sale. I never even opened it, because I thought it would be too slow, and not vigorous enough for me. While I had tried a sneak peek workout of PiYo with Beachbody On Demand, the whole program lived on my shelf. This time, though, I thought it might work well with my running program, and it met my requirement of not needing any equipment, other than a yoga mat, which not completely necessary!
So, what is PiYo?
It's a blend of Pilates, yoga, and body strength exercises created by Chalene Johnson! Wondering if this program is right for you? YES, YES, YES!!!! It is a high intensity, low impact home workout program that guarantees great results without all the jumping around, weights, and strain on your joints! And all moves can be modified to fit any fitness level! You use your own body weight to sculpt your body inspired by Pilates and yoga moves.
How long are the PiYO workouts?
The lengths vary from 20-45 minutes each.
What type of results can you expect with PiYO?
The PiYO program is going to give you long, lean, muscle, a high, firm booty, and tight, flat, sexy abs. What’s not to love about that combination? It works every single muscle to stabilize, stretch, and strengthen your body from top to bottom. And since Chalene Johnson cranked up the speed you will burn crazy calories too!
The Meal Plan:
First I started my meal planning. The meal plan with PiYo is almost exactly the same as the 21 Day Fix and Insanity Max 30. I used the included simple formula to calculate my daily calorie intake for weight loss. My goal with this program is to increase my strength and flexibility, while losing the 5-10 pounds I gained celebrating the last month of summer!!
The program includes four different meal plan for four different calorie brackets. My calculated daily calorie target put me into Meal Plan A. This includes:
Looking through the included lists for vegetables, grains, fruit, lean protein, and healthy fats, and their serving sizes, I created a meal plan for the week, which included my Shakeology. I still color code as a habit from the 21 Day Fix plan. :)
The Workouts:
This workout program on a different spectrum from the previous ones I’ve been doing. While I've seen successful results with 21-Day Fix, 21-Day-Fix Extreme, Insanity Max 30, and P90X3, I needed and was ready for something different. I was pleasantly surprised! I am loving this program. Here’s a recap of week 1:
This workout takes you through all the basic moves and really focuses on the proper alignment which will maximize your results. I do yoga periodically and thought I knew what I was doing but this was a huge eye opener and very valuable! I paired this day with a three mile run.
Day 2: Define Lower Body Take all those moves you learned on day 1 and put them to use! The workout was only 20 minutes but I felt the results of every second of those 20 minutes the next morning; my legs felt worked and stretched
Day 3: Define Upper Body Well, I discovered tricep push ups are not easy! While I started strong, halfway through I needed the
modifier. I'm SO grateful for the modifier! By the end of this program my goal is to make it through all the moves without modifications! This was a perfect workout to go along with a four mile run.
Day 4: SWEAT
I woke up with sore arms and chest. This means the day before was a GREAT workout for my upper body!! This was an unexpected surprise. The sweat workout is aptly named. I was sweating and again, toward the end, needed the modifier for the moves.
Day 5: Rest day
My legs were SO sore from the Sweat workout! I could feel the tightness in my inner thighs and booty. YEAH! That means I'm working those areas. Embrace the soreness!! While I struggle with a rest day, because I LOVE working out, I am following the plan and today was rest day – so I did just that!
Day 6: Define Lower Body
Thank goodness I took a rest day, the day before! My legs really needed the day off to recover. I still needed the modifier, but already felt more flexible and balanced.
This workout makes me feel badass! My strength powers me through the push ups, even though I have to use the modifier again toward the end of the workout. I also ran 3 miles with my son.
CHEER ME ON!!
Week 1 is over, and last night I prepped my meals for the week and scheduled my workouts on my calendar. BRING ON WEEK TWO!!
I would love your support!! Cheer me on through our journey by following me on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.a.mclaughlin
If you would like to know more about Insanity Max 30, and are interested in possibly joining my accountability group, fill out the application below.
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