3 Months To Work Out

I love love love barre. I also like the Jamie Eason Live Fit 12 week program. It is perfect for beginners.

Hi Athena, I am doing a HIIT program (high intensity interval training) program. I go about 3 times per week and max 4. My trainer says you need to allow time for muscle recovery when you do these types of work outs. Trust me you are out of breath in 3 minutes after doing some exercises. I don't want to lose weight, I want to burn fat and lose inches. You must also drink a gallon of water a day to help flush of toxins. Good luck!

Honestly, I had a really hard time finding time the whole month before. So what I did was cardio dance classes twice a week (they are my favorite so I was more motivated to go) and then the other days I would do a 20-30 minute workout DVD. I would do either Insanity Cardio Abs, or one of The Knot's Bridalicious turbos (that is a GREAT $10 workout DVD set if you are wanting one). It was way too hard to go to the gym to work out or do anything more than 30 minutes.

Swimming and the Tony Little Gazelle helped me! We have a local gym with a pool, and they had a water aerobics group three times a week!! Worked great! I don't recommend getting salmonella poisoning three weeks before your wedding, though! I've lost several additional pounds from that, and it has not been fun at all!! ETA: accidentally hit post before I was done typing...lol!!

@JCC just because I am eating it doesn't mean I should be!! But my parents came into town and ordered it...I'm too poor to say no to free food.

@Alexis- just looked into the golds gym but body combat is only offered twice a week and once is on Sundays, which I would for sure miss 4 just due to travel, are you allowed to work out at any golds gym?

@Lolsenn - good to know! As someone with no muscle mass (seriously the weakest person I know) do you think it would really be beneficial?

@Beth - why do you love it? Also not sure I can do anything at home I have literally sat in bed and watched work out videos instead of doing them... more than once haha

@ Miss S Dot - Where do you go? That sounds fun but I am kind of worried about joining anything without recommendations because I know they can very so much!

I'm with you date twin. I am so with you.

Athena I am sorry we don't live geographically close. But there are many personal training locations or other places that offer HIIT. I know I can't do it at home or I won't commit. These people push you beyond your limit.

@ Miss S Dot - nuts! What kind of places would offer a reputable HIIT program or I guess things to steer clear of?

I've really cracked down on my meal planning and my diet, I'm eating really clean and working out (combo of lifting and cardio) 6 days a week with an active rest day. It's crunch time for me and I'm on a mission. I was half ass working on it for the last 6 months and have lost 16 pounds, but it's crunch time now- find something that motivates you!!

I agree with the MyFitnessPal suggestions. I lost 22 lbs in about 4 months with very little working out (15 min on elliptical 2-3x/wk and walking every day). There were foods I thought were relatively ok, which are actually terrible for you - like the chips at Chipotle. The app really helped me educate myself on the calorie and nutrition of food. Once I started using it, I naturally started eating cleaner (no processed stuff. Cheetos... I miss you...)

ETA - Also, remember that once you start having dress fittings, you will want to level out.

@athena it would be good for toning, if you have no showing muscles, if your dress is strapless or backless it would be good! But if you are looking to lose weight, I would look into some cardio. Even just power walking (with weights) around your neighborhood (3-5 miles a day). I do that when I am in between programs. Right now I am doing insanity which is crazy cardio lol. Beginners can definitely do it, it is the first program I ever did and I lost like 20 pounds the first time and toned up. I would also look at Chalean Extreme which is AMAZING and not difficult at all. I did it for a month and my FH was like damn girl lol. Both are from Beachbody. Also look at the 21 day fix for portion control. beachbody is a great company for beginners or people that can't just go run on a treadmill everyday (like me) lol

Also I would recommend Chalean Extreme over Barre any day. I was a ballerina in high school and barre instructors are not trained to teach proper technique which can seriously hurt someone with weak muscles.

I'm not by DC, but I do know CrossFit gyms out there are ridiculously expensive. Like $200+ a month. The midwest can be boring but good lord is it cheap.

Look on Groupon! I swear I see a new Groupon every few weeks for a gym in my area. That's actually how I found my CrossFit gym.

@lori - I know I really miss the prices back home!

@lolsenn I really want to try insanity but not sure I can hold myself to it. As far as the chalean extreme I am a bit nervous about lifting on my own... pretty sure my form is no bueno thus why my trips to the weight section always is me walking a couple laps and heading back to a bike or the locker room haha

Like some have suggested, diet is super key. Other than that I'd suggest sticking with something you enjoy because it won't be a battle to get out there and exercise.

@athena Charlene is a profession and every one of these workouts has a dvd to learn form and the first couple I did very light so that I could get a feel for the workouts. Also for lifting on your own, I would recommend resistance bands, which help with form. She also reminds you about proper form through the whole video. Im sure you can find them on youtube so maybe try a workout from each to see?

I was so nervous about insanity lol It truly is insane and it isn't for everyone, Shaun T has a cult following lol just google them and see if you can find a workout on youtube before you purchase the program or just do it all from youtube if available lol

My Fitness Pal as others have suggested is great! Exercise is nothing without a healthy diet and vice versa. When I am tracking what I eat and bring my lunches from home and eat healthy snacks throughout the day I do sooooo much better. When it comes to exercise just make sure to mix it up. Our bodies become accustomed to whatever it is we do and will plateu after a few weeks of the same exercise. If you keep a good mix in your routine you'll get to where you want to be. All these suggestions are good if you use them together. I love boot camp type classes so I can weight lift to get lean and tone and I do a spin/core class to shed pounds and tighten my abs, yoga for a good stretch and stress reliever, and outdoor running to try and thin my thighs! Also, if you workout at a gym or with a buddy you are more likely to work out longer than if you workout at home with a DVD...just my opinion. The energy at the gym is higher and there is less distraction and interruption. I know the gym is not for everyone, but you have to be very disciplined for home workouts.

I'm about to start T25 again. It's crazy cardio, so not really any bulking, more help with slimming.