Week 4 Recap and Results from Country Heat Deluxe

Hello all!  I did it!  I stuck with Country Heat and completed the Deluxe Calendar, everyday suggested!  I am so proud of myself! Before I jump right to the results.  I thought I would recap last week's mini goals, discuss my struggles and achievements, and give a brief review on Country Heat.

image source: https://jeanieandjoan.com/country-heat-dance-workout/

Goal #1 - Ease Into Meal Planning and Balancing My Diet

I did stick to this at the beginning of the week.  I used the portion fix containers, in addition to counting calories, in an attempt to balance my diet better.  I have a tendency not to eat enough fruit or eat too much fatty foods.  The portion fix containers have given me a method to balancing out my diet.  It is supposed to replace calorie counting, but I've been counting calories for so long I can't seem to break the habit.  At the end of the week I was out of town on a mini vacation with the kids, so I wasn't as strict as I would have been at home.  I didn't even count calories or track my water consumption.

Goal #2 - Fit and Healthy Away from Home

I thought this would be a big challenge, but it ended up being a bit easier than I thought.  Even though I wasn't strict about what I ate I was cautious about my portion sizes.  I also made an effort to pick healthier food options when they were available, not that I didn't cheat a little and have things like home fries with my breakfast.

I was very concerned about working out away from home, but I just pushed through and did my workout as scheduled.  My friend has an accessible basement so I just set up my iPad and got to work.  Having access to workout programs online, makes it so that you really can't find an excuse for not working out.

Goal #3 - Stretching Everyday

Again, I did well with this but not as well as I had hoped to.  Early in the week I did extra stretching routinely after working out.  However, I didn't do this during my stay away from home.  This is something that I really need to continue to focus on.

Just like any major life change, trying to squash bad habit and hit the healthy road comes with many challenges.  My biggest challenges typically lie in the nutrition department.  I can hit play and workout almost any day, but pick healthy food options and consuming enough water are tough for me.  I am really proud of myself for trying hard to stay within my caloric intake the majority of the time and I'm glad that I allowed myself the occasional cheat too.  I did far better than I had anticipated.

Water consumption is also something I've struggled with, since the start and for my entire life really.  However, I am finally getting that under control.  Drinking enough hasn't become a true habit yet, but using my alarm assist to remind me is helping me get what I need.

As far as working out, I have always loved it!  I had forgotten how good it feels to exhaust some muscles and sweat.  That's right!  I love getting sweaty, it means I'm working hard and burning calories.  It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.  I am just starting to get to the point were I physically crave a workout.

I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I have accomplished so much already.  Which only has me amped up for the next program and to continue on this journey.

   

For my first program, I decided to go with Country Heat.  I choose this because of all its rave reviews, and because it is low impact.  I was a little concerned at first that I wouldn't enjoy it, but after a couple of workouts I was hooked!  I don't typically enjoy country music so I thought it was going to be a major hindrance, but it wasn't as country as it could have been and I actually recognized some of the songs.  Since, I had been working out prior to this program I decided to follow the Deluxe Calendar.  There are currently two calendars to choose from, I would suggest starting with the original calendar if you haven't been working out and need to ease into it.

I like that this program offered a break down video of almost all the workouts.  This allowed me to learn and do the moves before I started a new workout.  There is nothing more frustrating than tripping over your own feet trying to figure out a step pattern.  It was also easy to follow along during the workouts because each move was done for an eight count, every two moves are put together.  Each move is reviewed during the workout before you do it, so its really hard to mess it up (though I did with some of the more complicated steps).  Additionally, there is a modification for almost all the steps so that if you need a lower impact option, there is one available.

I loved this program because it was so much fun I didn't feel like I was working out, yet I worked up a sweat with every workout.  I discovered that if I exaggerated the movements (without stressing myself physically) I would really feel my muscles burn.  In fact, I felt really silly when I first started this program, especially when my daughter would giggle or tell me I looked goofy.  By the end of the program I was trying hard to look goofy and get giggles, Briar even joined in occasionally which made it even more fun.  I would highly recommend this program for someone starting out, or someone who is looking to break up a routine with something more fun and entertaining.  There is a good chance I'll revisit this program again in the future.

  

The moment you've all been waiting for (okay maybe not), the moment I've been working hard to accomplish...the results.

Starting Point February 12, 2017

So I started at 150 lbs on February 12th.  These were my starting measurements:

Left Arm - 11 5/8"

Right Arm - 10 3/4"

Chest - 35 3/4"

Waist - 38"

Hips - 43 1/4"

Left Thigh - 24 3/4"

Right Thigh - 24 3/4"

Total Measurements  - 188 7/8"

The Results as of March 14, 2017

As you can see I lost a fair amount from my midsection, and a little from my hips and thighs.  I'm happy to announce that I saw a steady decrease in my weight.  Though I had a couple spikes and plateaus in my weight loss.  If I had been extremely diligent I would have probably seen an even greater weight loss.  However, this is about making lasting changes and not just creating another fade for me.  Overall I lost almost 10 lbs, I weighed in this morning at 140.8 lbs.

But measurements speak louder than words (or something like that)... here are my final measurements:

Left Arm - 11"

Right Arm - 10 1/2"

Chest - 35 1/4"

Waist - 34 1/4"

Hips - 41 7/8"

Left Thigh - 23 3/4"

Right Thigh - 23 1/2"

Total Measurements  - 180 1/8"

I lost a total of 8 3/4" inches overall, 3 3/4" of that is from my waist, and 1 3/8" is from my hips.  I have been cursed with wide hips since I hit puberty, and having two kids hasn't helped me much in that department.

These results are not huge, but they are significant.  I am working hard and it's starting to show.  I feel so much better, not just because I look better but because I have more energy.  I get better sleep at night, I feel less depressed, and I can focus better.  If that's not what it means to be healthier, I'm not sure what does.  Again, I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there, one workout at a time, one meal at a time, one day at a time.

Just because I'm done with Country Heat doesn't mean the journey is over.  I plan on finishing out the week with Country Heat, even though I have finished the workouts per the calendar.  There are a couple Elite workouts and others that are not used on the Deluxe Calendar, so I will be trying those ones out.

Next week, I will be starting 21 Day Fix.  This is another highly praised Beachbody program.  I've chosen this for my next program because I would like to start down the road of strength training.  I'm hoping to trade some fat for some muscle.  So, I don't anticipate loosing much weight, but I'm hoping to start trimming down and toning.  The program is three week's long (hence, 21 Day Fix), using the same workout each day of the week (i.e. every Monday - Total Body Cardio) with an option to do a double up workout during the last week.  I am not committing to do the double up yet, but I'm hoping too.

I'll check in with all of you on Monday with a new start weight and measurements, as well as my top three goals for the week.  Thank you so much for supporting me and joining me on this journey.  If you would like to share your weekly goals, accomplishments, and/or transformations with me, please do!  You can share on my Facebook page, a judgement free zone.  I can't wait to start the new program!

Just Me,