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Tracking progress

Posted by Jenn @ livewellfit on February 23rd, 2010
Filed under Beachbody, Workouts | 8 Comments »

Evening friends~

Phew…finally sitting back down after a long day. Monday is always hectic! But a good hectic because it is Well Coaches day. It never fails, I always leave that call feeling excited, motivated and energized to do more! I think that is a good sign that I'm in the right place, no?

I started my call with none other than my beloved green monster.

I don't know what I would do if someone took these things away from me! I crave them every single day! I think it's a combination of knowing how much delicious nutrition goes into these smoothies BUT also having them taste so creamy and indulgent. It satisfies my belly!

Today our call was focused on client assessment: where to begin when you start a session with wellness coaching, how to build relationships and become a curious coach. It was freaking awesome! I think what has attracted me the most to this program is their foundation behind coaching: as a coach, I meet all of my clients exactly where they are. I am not here to tell them what they are doing wrong. Rather, I help them celebrate what IS working and how we can build upon that! How revolutionary: someone to help you focus not on what needs to be fixed but what strengths you already hold and how we can simply build up from there. I am just oozing with excitement with this stuff. I have some really awesome ideas about all of this and where I can take coaching specifically in my life.

Workout challenge continues!

I'm cranking these workouts out friends. I am loving this challenge and having YOU all here to kind of hold me accountable and maybe show up to see what I'm doing make me even more motivated to try new things and push further.

Today I opted out of cardio outdoors for a few reasons: I'm pretty limited to what I can do outside with my toe. I can't run yet and I was looking for something other than walking. So I did a walk earlier for errands outdoors and then came home to another Beachbody beauty: I did Burn It Off from Chalean Extreme. This is a shorter, 28 minute workout that is nothing but high intensity intervals. Short bursts of activity that sky rockets your heart rate. It's like running bleachers for 28 minutes. Oh it was goooooooood! Check out this mini you tube video of CE. It give you just a taste of what these workouts are like. I tell you, this is the BEST strength training program I have ever seen. Love it! PLEASE email me if you have questions about these workouts. OR, simply visit my coach page to get more info: HERE

So after Burn It Off I took it up a notch and did Burn Circuit 1, my 3rd week in. You do each circuit for a total of 4 weeks. Since this is my third week I upped just about every weight for each of the 9 exercises. It was tough today friends.

As I was filling in my weight tracking sheets, I got to thinking. How many of us out there track our workouts? Think of all the various ways you can measure progress with exercise: weight change, measurements, clothing, distance, time, intensity, weight load. And more.

In the past, I rarely tracked my exercise. I just went out and did it. It wasn't until I started running about 5 years back that I began to use running plans with detailed schedules and type of runs. Not only was it great to lay out my entire week, but I scheduled in when I would workout, for how long and how far. After a month, 2 months or 3 I was able to look back and clearly see what progress I had made. I actually still do this with all of my Beachbody programs. The programs come with complete schedules and workout books to help you know when, what and for how long but I also mix a bunch of programs to create a schedule that meets my fitness demands.

With Chalean Extreme, I need to know what weight I used last week and whether I should go up in weight or maintain the same in order to max my muscles. The point of this program is muscle fatigue after 1 set. You got it: 1 set. Rather than 3 set of 10 bicep curls I am only doing 1 set and by the end of that set, I can barely push another curl. So tracking my weight and progress is critical to pushing each week.

Here are what my tracking sheets look like:

Beachbody creates these sheets for you to use for all of their programs so no work on my part necessary! I simply print and track. Since this is my third round of Chalean Extreme, I always compare the start of each circuit to how I did last time so I know about what weight to start with and whether I can go heavier.

While it certainly isn't necessary to track your exercise, I have found it a really cool way to not only see how far I have come but it provides me with a different type of motivation. No matter how fit I feel, I can always improve. Not to say that I need to be better or run farther…but I like to challenge myself mentally and physically. Some days I simply challenge myself to push as hard as I can for the last 2 minutes like an all out sprint. Other days, I focus on maintaining perfect form. Regardless of the outcome, I think about specific aspects of my workout to keep me focused and to help motivate me for next time. Now I always build in flexibility to my schedule. Life is life friends, sometimes things get in the way. While my workouts are a huge priority for me, I never feel guilty if I miss one because of something important. Nor do I push my body if I am feeling sick!

Now, tracking your workouts is also a great way to keep yourself from getting in an exercise rut. I freely admit that I used to get on the eliptical machine and complete the exact same 30 minute workout. I did this for, oh I'd probably say 2 years? Oh my goodness can we say boring! I would zone out, read my magazine and barely pay attention to how hard I was working or whether I even felt good! So not a fun way to exercise. Now I like to be present in my workouts. I focus on the energy, my body, my breathing, the music and I push hard! Our bodies LOVE to be challenged. I don't mean you have to push so hard that you can't breathe! I simply mean variety! Our bodies like to move, in every direction and be constantly doing different things. Variety is the spice of life!

So, maybe tracking your workouts is your new way to be different. Try new things! Schedule them and then push past your limits!

Now, how about you…

Do you track your progress with your workouts?

How do you measure change? Do you stick to your weight or how your clothes fit? Or do you focus on other aspects of fitness?

While I took pics of my workout sheets I also took notice of my workout video collection. It is INSANE! I thought for pure entertainment, you might like to see just how many DVDs and Beachbody products I own…

The funny thing is..I have about 10 more that are out on loan right now to friends who are trying products out. It's so bad but so good! What can I say? I love these products.

Alright, time to think about eating. I think leftovers are on tap for tonight!

See ya tomorrow!

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