January was my last post? Ugh. SOOO much has happened. Where to begin? Chronologically sounds good. I ended up doing 14 weeks of Ashley Randall's Body Take Back (BTB). Don't be confused...it's supposed to be a 12 week program. How did I miss two weeks? I can't even begin to explain because I truly looked at my big calendar and realized that I missed a week and then I missed another. I enjoyed the program even though I found out around week 6 that I had been doing it wrong. Someone asked a question about a set during our coach call and when Ashley Randall explained it I said 'uh ohh' to myself. I had not been doing the workouts at one time, I broke them up through the day and if a set called for three rounds and another set called for four rounds, I'd do one of the four rounds and then do the two sets of three. I thought that I could break them up, but no, you really can't or shouldn't. What else didn't go as planned? I couldn't do many of the moves. Being overweight and lacking muscle were big barriers. Did that stop me? No, I made modifications and held on to a chair or wall in order to do the exercise. The past two months I've increased my protein intake and have moved to more whole foods and less processed foods. It takes time, it's not overnight. Lessons learned? Many!
Give yourself grace when learning something new
Don't do a workout just to do a workout, give it a bit more
Allow your mind and body to adjust to new nutrition
Plan your day - you just can't get around this one
Prep your veggies, protein, carbs
Allow yourself to experiment with food - you can be disappointed in your meals, it happens
Give yourself time to heal, it's called a rest day/week for a reason
Stretch - WOW, this one is huge
Hydrate - I'm normally underhydrated, now I understand the importance
Pay for good equipment - Garmin, HR monitor, shoes, cadence and speed monitors, gels, electrolytes, workout waffles or workout cookies for endurance
Ask for help - support, encouragement, form, etc. I still owe Ashley Randall a video on my form
Get a coach - I can't tell you what a difference a coach makes
The Stratton 29029 training program comes out June 3, 2022. I can't wait! During my 20 week training, I have the 29029 coaching staff available to me, I've already asked questions, and I'm staying on with Ashley Randall.
Ashley Allen and I had Ashley Randall on our podcast and you can watch here - https://youtu.be/deaReMT2qdI. Ashley’s webpage, https://www.ashleyrandallfitness.com/
My thoughts for my first five months of 2022 are all over the place. Some days and weeks I do great but then hit a roadblock with an injury. I've LOVED every minute of my iFIT workouts. I've done yoga, biked, walked, hiked, elliptical, strength trained and jogged. All of the trainers each have their own take on workouts and I haven't met one that I haven't liked. I adore Tommy Rivs, John Peel and Ashley Paulson. I've been lucky that my injuries are minor. When I was 'running' I ended up with plantar fasciitis. That took me out of some activities for over a month. I still did weight lifting and rode my indoor bike, but in general it really decreased my walking and 'running.' At one point I had right calf pain, strained muscles and I still have a minor injury on my right side. I did a Bulgarian Squat and pulled something? During one of the coach calls I found out that I don't have to be a runner! I was thrilled!! Walking is all I need.
I've become obsessed with figuring out elevation. How can I get more elevation? I can go to the gym and hop on a treadmill at 15%, I can climb Elver Hill in Madison, WI or go to our cabin, which is almost exactly the same distance and grade as Elver Hill. I can hop on a plane and fly somewhere, but I doubt that I'll do that. The coaches and participants swear that it's all about cardio endurance and you don't need to have elevation in order to complete 29029. It's a 20 week plan. I trust them.
I will update again with the first two week training plan! I can't believe that we're 21 weeks out.
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